NO DIG Gardening Explained in 6 Minutes

[@sunflowerprincess]

its 2am and F.C.King is officially my new favourite author

[@andersonomo597]

Your content alone is valuable but I also really appreciate how you get straight to the point without putting in a lot of redundant verbal 'fillers'! It's great too how your presentation style has evolved to it's current practical, polished, approach. Well done and thanks Huw!!

[@TheVillageFairy]

I can’t believe how well you explained everything in less than 7 minutes! Great video 🙏🏼🌿

[@HuwRichards]

Awh thank you so much!!!😊

[@mitchalps1298]

Agreed!

[@homelife8597]

Over the years, I've picked up tidbits here and there about no dig from your videos as well as Charles'. This is the best concise video. Well done Huw.

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you, I really appreciate that😊

[@foreversettled9144]

Thank you. I am 64 with injuries. Starting second year no-dig. I can see it will get better and better. Hoping to check with city to see if they have free ground limbs to give away this year. I see some people being lucky with that. You don't want to purchase hay that has been treated with herbicides to use blessings.

[@rossmail5924]

F. C. King! That name certainly stands out 😂

[@HuwRichards]

Was waiting for someone to comment that🤣

[@joeyodonnell123]

lol immediately jumped out at me

[@ohio_gardener]

I saw that F.C. King "Gardening with Compost" for sale on Amazon for $120 US. And, it was an paperback book. Ouch!

[@mstash164]

Hahaha gold

[@rnguyen2516]

I didn’t catch that until the book appeared 😂!

[@staciegulizia4144]

So much information packed into 6:26 minutes. You’re so good at teaching and relaying information in a clear, understandable way. I always appreciate the way you include visuals of your garden and concise text to further explain your point. Thanks Huw!

[@darinbennett3638]

Huw, as always, the information you provide us is timely and essential for continued soil health for our gardens. I implemented the 'no dig' method this year for the first time and I am amazed by the results. It may seem 'impossible' to start from scratch in your yard but it can be done some investment of time and money. Anyone interested in no dig gardening needs to follow Huw and Charle's and then adapt what is taught to your climate/zone and continue gardening with an open mind. This year was a 'try and learn' season for me and I'm excited about next year's potential as we continue to narrow our focus of what we want to grow in both our vegetable and flower gardens. Keep up the great work, Huw! (Kentucky USA)

[@happyg8059]

*_VERY SMART GARDENING STYLE, WOOOOOWW!!!!, HUW RICHARDS , You are teaching US to be patient with plants,we will not get tired of watching this video, PLEASE DON'T STOP GARDENING, continue like this, GO GO GO GOOOOOOOOOO!!!_*

[@jakerittner1694]

Im converting to no dig this was a well explained video for me

[@meeganneville1205]

I live in the southern hemisphere and I'm definitely doing a no dig garden and utilising my nettles and comfrey this season. Thank you Huw. You've been a huge inspiration 😊🌱🐝

[@cliveburgess4128]

I will never understand how people thumb down videos such as this!

[@gezzapk]

Big farma 🚜😂

[@ivonekowalczyk5823]

Thanks Huw! I appreciate how you bring to light the best things for our garden.

[@divinesarasaradivine824]

So hardworking Young man, GOD BLESS ❤

[@jackypearson5302]

this is such a brilliant explanation thank you, what I do is let hay bales rot over 12 months outside and they turn into wonderful potting compost to add to the beds. Hay is good because it has all the nutrition from the whole grass including the highly nutritious seed head.

[@ginavalcke8162]

Great video!! But I will be looking forward to three spin off: - Wood chip mulch, please, please, please - You had also mentioned, Chop and Mulch - Compost vs manure - what are the advantages of compost? And thanks for your work and your garden is inspiring !!!

[@tamarsoselia252]

My dream is to have a garden like yours. It is a dream that I am sure will come true in the nearest future thanks to your effort 🙂 I can learn and relax watching to your videos at the same time. Really nothing compares to no-dig gardening, it is so clear when one watches to your garden in the background 🙂

[@RobbieAndGaryGardeningEasy]

Nice video 🌱 we are the same No Dig either in the ground and we do the same with our container gardening and we grow tons of food Easy 😊

[@paul-oram]

Huw you're a legend. Just received my copy of Veg in one bed. Ive just flicked through it quickly for now, but within 10 seconds I can see why this book has been so successful. The layout and maximum use of no dig beds across an entire year. How utterly brilliant! Any great gardening book needs to be one that you can dip into every month and learn from your plot as you go along, this is me sorted for 2022, I will work through this and see how it works out in my garden.

[@BaerbelBorn]

Thank you! It's the perfect video for my new garden friends wanting to assist next season. No dig is easy but with all the traditional techniques in mind it is a bit tricky to change old habits. Cheers.

[@Scott3387]

Months ago I said I was going to trial growing squash in stable clearings (mostly wood chip with poo) and you said there probably wouldn't be enough nutrients and you were right. However I also planted straight into the earth in the same area after noticing how good it looked. This area used to have a lot of trees and still has several tall ones over hanging to the north. The squash in the ground went bananas and I think that's due to the two stumps turning into compost and years of leaf mould naturally building up. The courgettes produced better than the ones in my planned, properly setup bed. Next year I'm just going to dump compost on the ground and grow straight into it again as it's the perfect 'waste ground' for squash to spread out. One day I'll get a greenhouse there but don't have time at the minute to sort out leveling the ground properly etc so 10 squash plants + 1 courgette (Never grow more than one courgette plant is an important lesson...haha) can call it home instead. I have a mixed blessing when it comes to making my own compost. The near edge of the farmers field behind me has more nettles/green alkanet/cleavers than I can ever need for compost so I don't struggle like some others. However I also I end up with a tonne of baby nettle plants because I would feel very awkward clear cutting someone else's field edge and also butterflies living in it would be harmed.

[@helenedgington3135]

Love no dig saves so much time 💚

[@cbjones2212]

One of your best videos Huw. Loved it. I'm one who adds compost when convenient (and when any of our bays are ready) because most of our beds have something growing throughout the year. Regarding the fungal networks, I'm currently reading Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (great name, hey) and would encourage all and sundry to put that one on their 'must read' list. Thanks for your great work. Stay well.

[@gw6061]

Just starting out on allotment someone told me about no dig found this video now subscribed thankyou

[@Mimonhomestead]

I keep track of my work, I get a good understanding and I keep working.

[@woodworks2123]

I have moved to the square foot gardening idea of whenever you harvest a crop, you add compost just before you replant, I have 30 inch (75cm) wide beds X 16ft (4.8mts) and plant a full width but in 1 foot length sections. So rather than growing 4 ft of carrots together, to reduce any potential pest or disease issues, I'll sow 1 ft in 4 different beds or parts of the same beds. Whenever I harvest that 1 foot section, I add 1 5 litre bucket of homemade compost, giving back to the soil anything that was taken. It makes how much compost I need to make per bed an easy calculation. 2 crops per year on average x16 sections. So 5 litres X2 x16 so 160 litres per bed per season. This equates to a 2 inch layer over the season but gives the new plants energy when it's needed and not start them off in semi depleted compost, giving them the best start they could get.

[@bradlafferty]

Just excellent! A friend wants to learn about No Dig and this outlays the concept and rationale beautifully. I’ll be sending it along to him promptly. Thanks, Huw!

[@Truthseeker21000]

Absolutely brilliant mate you are a wholesome inspiration to me!

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

I am glad I hung on to the end of the video to get a glimpse of the future of gardening and no dig. What type of beetroot did you harvest in the video? I grew the Italian Chioggia variety and the family and friends loved them. Thanks Huw!

[@miguelarroyocorral1684]

Muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos y tus opiniones sobre como trabajar la huerta. Me pregunto si has publicado algún vídeo sobre como planificar un huerto familiar.

[@katarzynastolarska9055]

This is the content I wish I known before I started my raised beds. Previous season I have put half compost half top soil to my raised beds and now I am adding extra layer of compost on top. I don't want to discard the mix will just keep adding nutrients and more compost. I hope that would work.

[@therevelation19]

That´s why I leave one ore more perennial in every bed! Soil life, giving it a home that stays for more than one season.

[@yeshualovesyou862]

I just had an idea. The AC guy gives us all of his wooden pallets. What about removing all of the inner boards from those pallets and just leaving the frame intact and using that frame to make sections of no dig bordered gardens wherever in your yard that you choose!? That's a good idea if you are not a carpenter like individual. 😂

[@iamorganicgardening]

Well Done. SOIL MICROBES is a great understand to the real truth of soil.

[@HuwRichards]

You bet!😊

[@TD-mo2ci]

We are just starting the no dig method on our new allotment - thank you for this information it is very useful

[@Rael64]

I certainly have no argument against no dig or other things mentioned (chop and drop, etc.), but most of my gardening years have been spent trying to deal with space issues (used nothing but grow bags one year - no lawn, but a big porch), and two really common problems: lack of decent sun and thus, lack of a good space for a hot compost pile. Long intro to say that I have found that spot "composting" directly into the soil (there's probably some fancy word for burying my veg/tea/coffee scraps in the dirt, but I don't know it) actually works really well, and amazingly fast in respect to attracting worms and building up the soil really well, and letting me compost materials all year. I've been in a house now for 5 growing seasons, and the grassy area is getting smaller as the "garden" is getting larger (won't the landlord be surprised - ha), and I condition the new areas with buried matter: a deep hole with a spade, dump my bucket of material, bury, and make a new hole; the next season, the area is pretty prime garden soil and ready to go. Granted, eventually I'll run out of new space, and no, I don't believe that disturbing the soil once conditioned/turned into garden to bury more veg/etc. matter would be good. BUT, once I get enough garden space to have some fallow spot, I have an idea of converting one area each season into a quasi-raised bed by laying out veg material on top, and covering with saved leaves or other matter - sort of a roaming compost area. We'll see how that works, and if I can keep the critters from moving into the bed as a winter home.

[@imover9999]

Starting my garden / farm and this will be my first year. Not sure I'll be able to build the infrastructure on time, but JADAM / KNF is something I'm pretty dead set on, so I'm glad you mentioned that at the end of the video. I would think no dig plus JADAM methods would really make a great garden / farm. Only one way to find out!

[@andrejskoda9610]

Great stuff! Huw, I'd like to thank you for your book Veg in One Bed. I'm following it since the beginning of the year with great success. It would be really great if you write an accompanying book with recipes utilising harvested vegetables and herbs.

[@Garricher5958]

Wood chips definitely, and leaf mulch/mold. If animals digging in your garden is not a problem, I would experiment with putting compostable materials directly on the soil surface and covering them up with some type of mulch(wood chips, leaves, straw, composted manures etc). If you just don't have enough time, space or allowance for a compost bin/ pile this may be option coupled with chop and drop to feed the soil microbes, worms, and ultimately you.

[@GARDENER42]

Over 150kg so far from my 13.4m x 3.3m growing area (includes 8x6 greenhouse) this year using no dig. I expect to come close to 200kg by year's end. Believe me, it works.

[@amirfamilyuk]

Hi Huw, I just got my first allotment plot, finding your videos very helpful!

[@Pixieworksstudio]

Marvelous! Thanks Huw. I'm wondering if we have any mushroom farms local to you and me here. I thought about it a while back, but your video has jarred my memory. It is my first year no dig, and I'm having to get peat free delivered at the mo, but I'm also making loads. I'm having onion sets delivered soon, and have a bed ready, I also have twigs, branches, and some green that I have shredded. Could I put that on the onion bed before I plant the sets next month? Or would it not be suitable for onions? I haven't grown large onions before, only spring onions and garlic. Thanks so much again for such a precise yet uplifting video.

[@vladbura3729]

Greting from Romania.(Transylvania) God jobs Richard!👍🙂

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you so much!! :)

[@nickhammersonrocks]

HUW RICHARDS SUPER NO DIG GARDENING TIPS ROCK HARDCORE !!!!!!!

[@LindaPenney]

Awesome update Huw thank you for sharing with us

[@missourigirl4101]

Excellent info Huw! I learned a lot

[@LahuertadeDonato]

Es maravillosa tu huerta, muchas gracias por los subtítulos en español. Abrazo grande desde Argentina

[@memberson]

He took a simple technique and did his best to make it sound complicated some people have a need for that

[@HuwRichards]

Happy new year to you too

[@Andrew-eo2cw]

What are your thoughts on cover crop/green manure?.. I am using for first time but i will not dig in the spring, rather I'll cover and let it decompose.

[@TheWelshGardener]

I loved watching this video, Huw! Awesome that you included cool sciency bits too! Hope you’re well?!😁

[@ingridjelinek7889]

From what material are the walls of the beds? I want to sorround my beds here in Austria, some snow, lot of rain and heat in summer, what should I take?

[@imo254]

Concise and fantastic video.much appreciated sir

[@barbjot2430]

Thank you. You are amazing😘❤

[@HuwRichards]

Thanks Barb I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@GutenGardening]

Awesome video!

[@ohio_gardener]

Years ago I changed from in-ground gardening to raised beds, and I also changed from rototilling the ground to no-dig gardening. And, I have never looked back! Less work, healthier plants, and more productivity. What is not to like?

[@HuwRichards]

Interesting to hear that you changed from in ground to raised beds, there is a lot of people sayting to go the other way. The main thing I love about raised beds with sides is that I don't have to worry about edging and encroaching grass! Thank you so much for watching and commenting yet again! :)

[@ohio_gardener]

@@HuwRichards Yes, the raised beds not only eliminate encroaching grass, but I put down 1/2" hardware cloth on the ground before installing the raised beds which eliminated gophers and moles from getting up into the beds. Gophers used to destroy a lot of the root crops, but no more.

[@Al12Al1]

Hi Huw, the ‘No Dig method’ with minimal soil disturbance in theory sounds excellent. However, what composition of soil and compost is in your raised beds? Surely growing into a raised bed with only compost as the growing medium will not work for ever plants to great success. Any feedback would be appreciated. Cheers

[@debbietampasheher3682]

I've been doing this for years in my tiny garden. I love no dig

[@off-gridsimplyhappyrodriguez]

Do you buy any prepackaged soil at all? my soil is hard red clay horrible. LOL I have every spot possible covered in cardboard waiting for leaves and pine needles to fall. sorry to bother you, I liked your comment and want to make garden friends!

[@debbietampasheher3682]

Most of my soil is from bags, but I make my own compost and once a year get some composted goat poo from my friend's farm

[@caranicolewilcox]

I have a question: after adding a thin layer of compost over and over throughout the years, how does the soil level not eventually get taller than the bed-frame? Does enough of it come out Wilber harvesting the vegetables that it equals out?

[@NekoBazu]

The compost level drops a little over the course of the year (with a whole range of factors influencing it, not least the organic matter being broken down further after adding) so by the time you come to do the top-up, it usually takes it back to more or less the original height - very conveniently!

[@ivonekowalczyk5823]

Fyi. Charles Downing doesn't use bed frames, just light wood mulch paths. Wooden frames can harbor slugs, etc. Topping manure yearly doesn't affect height much in that case.

[@gardensecret4220]

Does no dig works with sandy soil? In which no earthworms exists. The land used to be farmed over 30 years ago the farmer passed away and the land was left to its own devices. Recently the land owner has decided to make the area into allotments but the soil is very sandy.

[@mohmda4449]

Long story but I have an area in my garden that's covered in old carpet, is it safe to leave it there and put a no dig raised bed ove the top? Or should I remove it all and place fresh cardboard as base layer for the new compost to go on top of? Thank you

[@GreenSideUp]

It is really good that gardeners are moving beyond what is or has become the "norm", many times even on my small allotment site I hear the oft quoted comment, "It's how my Father did it, and his Father too and if it was good enough for him it is good enough for me." This thought leaves everything the same with no improvements or changes that help both the gardener and the environment at large. And in these troubled times for the environment, change is for the better. But better still is gardeners willing to change, that is the most important change of all. Great informational videos like this one are in my belief, the cornerstone of such future revolutions. Having an open mind is the cement on that cornerstone...Steve...😃

[@aikoshimada3167]

If you keep adding compost, wouldn't the sold spill over the box eventually? Or the soil gets compacted and you will always have enough top surface to add enough compost every year?

[@britneywendel3305]

Thanks for explaining this so clearly.

[@HuwRichards]

Your welcome!:)

[@yolandatong]

I love the idea of no dig, and would love to incorporate it, but I've gone huglekulture and my beds are 3 sleepers high. I have autumn and spring planting and add compost each time, but I'm finding the bed sinks, and the soil compacts hard in the middle and makes it harder for the roots to go down so I'm digging compost in once a year just to losen the compacting. Have you heard of anyone combining huglekulture and no dig and getting good results?

[@Spenta]

Awesome share 💚

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you!:)

[@richardnathandaniels2534]

Mr. Richards, Thanks so much for a concise overview. I have been trying to convince my dad to switch from a double dig to a no dig technique but he is definitely set in his ways. I would send him your videos but he doesnt have a computer, TV, or smart phone. Do you have any books to recommend to convince someone to make the switch? He lives in the midwest United States if that matters tor your recommendation. Thanks so much and keep up the great work!!

[@johndyer9232]

So, the beds I have I double dig years ago because of the rocks in SW Missouri, but now I dig very little (also at the time I had never heard of No Dig). The rocks (more like small boulders) I dug up became the walls for the beds.

[@cbjones2212]

I'm thinking that if you could find someone who lives near your dad and has a no dig garden, I'd be encouraging a visit to that garden. Nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes, putting your hands in the soil and asking questions of someone who's already doing it. Especially if they swapped from a digging method. Best of luck!

[@kirstianwhite6331]

Awesome video, thank you!

[@melissasirois1508]

Hi. Living in the north of Spain here and it is getting colder. Wondering what is best to do with garden. Take out all plants and thrown them away or leave them ? I have been working of making compost but it is not ready yet so can't put a layer of it on garden at the moment. Basically wondering what is best to do at this time for soil in order to plant again come spring. Thanks

[@cosmicrealm1567]

Amazing! Do chop and drop materials need to be dried out before dropping? In there any danger of things going anerobic if tjeyre just dropped on top? Thanks!

[@edsonmathias3378]

Nice, this is a great place. Congratulations.

[@KawakebAstra]

yes i’m a no digger .. love Ur channel Huw🙏😎♥️🍃 follow Nature’s way ,)

[@katarzynagostepska4307]

Thank you a lot Huw for your channel. I learned a lot of gardening and.. English :)

[@HuwRichards]

You are very welcome! Glad its useful for you :)

[@AshWP]

Huw, very educational video as always! One quick question - When you add compost in mid late- autumn, does it have to be finished compost or is it ok to add compost that is still breaking down? I am trying to figure out if I can use the raised beds during winter months for compost to build rather than sit empty.

[@HuwRichards]

Okay to use compost that is still breaking down. Some will say no but I wouldn't worry - I've done it before with great success. I have a suspicion it might actually be the better option

[@AshWP]

@@HuwRichards Thank you, Huw! In that case, that’s what I will try out this season. Look forward to learning more from you - thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@MikeV607]

I think the "no-dig" approach is great, however it typically seems to require more compost than the average gardener can produce. Now over the years I've made truckloads of compost and vermicompost, but now that I'm nearly 70, turning heaps of compost is just not appealing. So I'm leaning towards deep mulch with shredded leaves and grass clippings, sheet composting, and green manure cover crops. 🙂

[@duckandflea]

In terms of the mushrooms/fungi, are these edible varieties that you plant? If so where can I find out more about how to start them and when to plant. I love the idea of growing mushrooms in amongst my veg as I eat loads of them 3:29

[@patjoyce7247]

Very informative. More please!

[@salvam.8457]

Gracias por subtitular los vídeos, eres de gran motivación. 😊👍💪

[@ddgamble2199]

At 1:27, what is that lovely tall plant behind you to your right? My phone screen is too small to see it clearly.

[@juliafernandes6939]

Dr Elaine Ingham(soil scientist)teaches how to study and analyse your own soil,ammend it and teaches why how to have the right soil biology benefits soil structure and improves food nutrition. Fascinating!

[@HuwRichards]

Yes she's awesome!! Thanks for watching

[@estelasantillan787]

Bellísimo huerto 🙌🙌 explicación magnífica muchas gracias ,abrazo grande desde 🇦🇷 muchas bendiciones

[@benteross2677]

I'm a little perplexed as to the chop and drop method. On the one hand, you are advised to prune and remove any old and unhealthy foliage as it attracts pests and disease and on the other, you are told to leave it at the base of the plant to decompose and replenish spent nutrients in the soil.

[@HuwRichards]

I'll do a video about it :)

[@onlineclassicalridingacade8588]

So interesting, thank you!

[@lala31793]

Love your channel and videos. I’m battling nutsedge weed. It’s making gardening a challenge, I’m failing at every turn. The only thing I haven’t done is sprayed herbicide. It grows through everything and even 3 ft of raised soil. Any suggestions?

[@bryanhash3339]

If I start a no dig garden around my house, how do I ensure my homes foundation is receiving adequate watering?

[@fodrocksuk.forestofdeanroc5686]

But do you just add compost on top of grass? Or do you have to put card board down?

[@robbiepetty4283]

Hi Hue, Can you advise me where and what type of compost you buy in and use for your raised beds, please?

[@annabellasu3908]

Just tried the no dig method for switching the summer crops out to fall crops after watching your video. But the summer crops keep growing back among my new seedlings. My raised beds look pretty crazy now. What should I do

[@Bweb13]

Love this so much .. how do you keep your boards from rotting very fast

[@Miffny]

Please what do you do about weeds? Thank you.

[@NothingButSports]

Great video! :) I'm wondering how to grow potatoes without the need to fork them up? Maybe it's not a problem if you have a sufficiently loose soil?

[@christianhaugland3338]

Very informative. Would you use the same no dig system for trees and shrubs? I like to give them A layer of compost in the spring. Thanks!

[@gardeningforbeginnersathom1999]

thanks for the tutorial

[@sjrp407]

I see the benefits of no dig but what about in the case of people with heavy clay soil ?? Does this apply to raised bed only ? Thanks so much for your videos ! You do a great job 😊

[@Ultimatefitness360]

Please make a complete video how to do no dig dargening from starting..

[@lala31793]

I have nut grass weed.it makes no dig and every garden method extremely hard. Any tips for it? It’s impossible to get rid of…

[@LivadaBio]

Very very cool ... 👌👌 Success ... ⚘⚘ !!!

[@robertsleight8013]

Would it be possible to build a no dig bed on a patio or does it need to be on earth?

[@kamilfrancoolczak]

Yeah good topic, would using wood chips for a long time in the uk would increase the slug population or decrease it?

[@SIBEXoffice]

what do we do when we raise over the years the height lvl over the height of the raised bed? if i have to extract earth from the bed it will be like digging?