With 2025 just around the corner, more of us are undoubtedly thinking about what we accomplished in the garden this year and perhaps how we can be more sustainable next year. You might even consider planting some vegetable beds using the no-dig method.
If you're not familiar with no-dig gardening, it's the process of creating garden beds without disturbing the soil by digging. Instead, cover the soil with organic material on cardboard. Plants then grow directly in this organic matter while the cardboard beneath decomposes.
This is an eco-friendly garden idea that benefits soil health by leaving its structure intact and providing it with nutrient-rich organic matter. I spoke to modern-day digging pioneer and expert Charles Dowding to learn more about common no-dig gardening mistakes to avoid. Here's what he had to say.
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5 mistakes when gardening without digging
Before you start digging, it is advisable to learn about making compost, as you will need plenty of organic material to work with. With that in mind, here are the most common mistakes to avoid when gardening without digging:
1. No dealing with weeds
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To get started with the no-dig garden bed, you need to prepare the soil that your no-dig garden bed will sit on. This includes eliminating any weeds that could cause problems.
“The first mulch applied kills most weeds, and if you didn’t have a lot of perennial weeds, you wouldn’t need to do much weeding afterwards,” explains Charles.
Perennial weeds are weeds that often grow back vigorously each year. These include bindweed, dandelion and common elderberry. The first mulching you do without digging will smother most of their roots, but Charles warns that you should expect some to re-emerge.
“Perennial weeds grow through the cardboard,” says Charles. “The box typically lasts nine weeks before it becomes soft enough for weeds to grow through,” he adds.
For this reason, you need to make sure weeds don't grow in flower beds and vegetable beds where you don't dig.
“Be sure to remove any woody stems before putting your box down,” adds Charles. “They're probably growing through the cardboard, so dig them up at the beginning, removing just the bit around the stem and the main root,” he says.
Charles Dowding is the leading proponent of no-dig gardening. Not only does he have a large following, his advice is based on more than 40 years of experience expanding, analyzing, comparing and recommending. He has been growing vegetables since 1981, has gardened at four different locations and grown hundreds of thousands of crops.
2. Give your no-dig bed wooden sides
Although you might assume that your garden bed needs a wooden frame like those often seen in vegetable gardens, Charles advises the opposite.
“This makes mulching more difficult because you can’t necessarily get the cardboard under the wooden sides,” explains Charles.
Laying down cardboard (from Amazon) is an important step in the fight against digging and helps smother weeds. If you can't cover the entire area of your bed because the wooden frames are in the way, perennial weeds can invade.
Instead, choose an open piece of land in your yard to set up your garden area without digging.
3. Overwatering your undugbed bed
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As soon as plants start to grow in your undug garden beds, you will of course need to water them. However, garden beds that are not dug up tend to be overwatered.
“It’s better to hold back watering without digging,” advises Charles. “The surface looks dry and powdery, creating a capillary effect where the water underneath cannot evaporate,” he adds.
Charles explains that watering less frequently allows your plants' roots to reach deeper into the soil.
Of course, be sure to keep an eye on the specific care of the plants you're growing – with this soil moisture meter from Amazon, you can determine how much your un-dug bed has dried out and when it's time to treat the plants refill.
4. Wait for the cardboard to decompose
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Another misconception Charles noticed was that you had to wait for the cardboard to decompose before you could start planting. In fact, you can start growing in your dug garden bed right away.
“As long as you layer about 2 to 4 inches of compost on top of your box to start, you can plant right away,” he says. “The roots can explore the surface compost as cardboard begins to decompose,” explains Charles.
Of course, seedlings grow much slower in the first few months after planting. Their roots then penetrate the decomposed cardboard into the ground.
This is something to consider when planning a seeding schedule so that your no-dig bed is established in time for seedlings to be planted out.
5. Starting too big
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When you're full of excitement about incorporating this backyard idea into your outdoor space, it can be easy to get too ambitious and take up a large space. Charles' advice: Start small.
“My undugbed beds are about 24 square meters and produce about 200kg of food per year,” he says. “You don’t need a lot of space to be successful with No-Dig.”
“No-Dig is a productive gardening technique in its own right, and you'll be even more productive when you're in control and not overwhelmed with weeding and planting,” adds Charles.
Start by ditching just a portion of your kitchen garden and watch it thrive.
FAQs
How much compost do you need for no digging?
You may be surprised to hear that you don't need large amounts of compost and organic matter to be successful at no-dig thinking. Charles Dowding, no-dig gardening expert, advises:
“Start with 4 inches of compost, then add a little more than an inch of compost each year,” he says. “It doesn’t take too much to work.”
If you want to improve and support the health of the soil in your garden, no-dig gardening is a good solution to add to your list. Charles Dowding's composting tips can help, giving advice on how to efficiently make your own organic mulch for your new no-dig beds.