WORKING THE MAGIC WITH NO -DIG

Stephanie Hafferty makes the case for the no-dig garden and explains her methods with mulching, composting and using green manures

- Stephanie Hafferty

I started to grow using the organic no-dig gardening method 13 years ago because it saved time, there were fewer weeds and it creates a healthy environment for great harvests. Not digging also felt much more natural and kinder to my back and to worms! No-dig grows great veg, but did you know that it is also hugely beneficial for the environment?

One of the simplest, easiest things you can do to help create a climate-friendly garden and do your bit to reduce climate change is to stop digging. Digging the soil and exposing it to the air releases carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere: not digging locks that carbon in the soil. Soil sequesters carbon, so minimal disturbance helps to keep carbon in the ground. Globally, more carbon is stored in the soil than in plants. Imagine the ecological benefits if all gardens were maintained without annual digging.

MULCHING

Every year I spread a mulch of a couple of centimetres of compost on to the surface of my beds and leave it for the soil life to gradually incorporate. Thisprovides a healthy ecosystem for the soil flora, fauna and fungi, which in turn creates ideal conditions for plants to thrive. No other fertility is needed. I usually do this over the winter months, but any time is fine. This compost layer increases the biodiversity in the garden, providing a habitat for spiders and beetles, encouraging a diverse range of fungi and a foraging area for birds, amphibians and other wildlife.