In recent years, a trend for no-dig agriculture has reared its head. Dubbed “lazy gardening” by some, and “efficient, effective and environmentally friendly” by others – it’s something we felt needed investigating. Can it perhaps be all of the above combined?
So what is no-dig agriculture?
In simple terms, no-dig is a method of growing which does not involve tilling or digging over the land. The goal is to protect as much of the soil structure and organic matter as possible.
Instead of digging, no-dig growers use a system of layering compost materials such as garden waste, grass cuttings, kitchen scraps, cardboard, and newspaper with the dual purpose of suppressing weeds whilst also adding nutrients to the soil.
But we’ve been digging land for centuries… there must have been a reason?
Throughout the different stages of agricultural revolution farmers have worked to expand their farms, get more from the soil to make farming as profitable as possible. Tilling or ploughing the land is part of this and is done to remove weeds, mix in fertilisers, warm the soil for early sowing and generally make sewing easier.
As farming technologies have developed, it has become easier and easier to till ever larger fields. But our soils are now paying the price.
Running a plough across a field kills worms and beetles who break down material and carry nutrients deep into the soil to be absorbed by growing plants. Disturbing the soil also breaks up roots which hold nutrients and the soil in place, and removes air pockets which can result in soil compaction and all the challenges that comes with that.
Soil degradation is one of the biggest threats to future food security
Far from just some brown stuff under our feet, soil is essential to the future of life on Earth. It may not look like much, but just a teaspoon of soil can contain more organisms than humans on the planet.
Global statistics show that currently around a third of the world’s soil is moderately to highly degraded, meaning that it has lost key topsoil and nutrients.
As you can imagine, it’s not quick to rebuild that complexity. Soil is classed as a non-renewable resource as it can take centuries for an inch of healthy topsoil to be formed.
So we need to take action where we can now.
Building healthy soil where you are
To be classed as healthy, a soil must contain a combination of good:
- soil structure
- chemistry
- organic matter
- biodiversity
- moisture
No-dig is an attempt to get back to this healthy state by allowing the soil and microorganisms to do their natural work with as little human interference as possible. Whilst also being able to use the land to grow food.
How to start a no-dig plot
1. Select your site
This can be any area of open ground near to a water source. Seriously any open site will do, whether it’s open soil, on top of grass, on top of weeds or even on sand.
You can either work directly on top of the ground surface, or construct a raised bed structure depending on the size of your plot and your farm management plans.
2. Build Your Base
Begin by covering the designated area with a layer of cardboard or newspaper, this should be about 100-150mm thick (4-6 inches). This layer works to suppress grass or weeds.
Wet this layer thoroughly to encourage decomposition and also to help hold the layer in place if not using a framed raised bed structure.
3. The Brown Layer
Next up you layer another 100mm of “brown” material, dried leaves and old plants, shredded newspaper, saw dust, straw etc.
4. The Green Layer
Then it’s the “green” layer; grass cuttings, green weeds, other plant clippings, kitchen plant scraps, manure etc. This layer is full of nitrogen ready to break down into the soil.
5. Layer Up
Repeat these layers until the bed is between 400 – 900mm (18 – 35 inches) deep.
6. Top it off
Finally it’s time to add a layer of bark, newspaper, leaves or natural hessian sack to cap the bed. Water well and wait for between 6 months and a year depending on the thickness of the bed. You’re waiting until you cannot identify any of the waste materials you’ve used to signify the fact they have broken down sufficiently.
If you don’t want to wait for the bed to settle down, it is also possible to use it right away. Add a layer of compost on top of your layers and plant shallow rooted plants such as annual flowers, kale, and salad crops in this first year.
No-dig bed management
Minimal soil disturbance is the plan. When you harvest your crops, cut them off at the ground surface leaving the root structure behind to decompose. Root crops such as carrots and potatoes will have to be dug up, but try to do this as carefully as possible.
Remove weeds by hoeing off the tops or adding a layer of mulch to block the light. Mulch and weeds can help retain vital soil moisture over dry periods, so work out a system to use this to your advantage.
Each year (or end of growing season), add a top layer of compost, ideally from your own farm composting system, to build the bed back up as some soil mass will have been lost through decomposition.
By simply adding more to the top, you trap all the healthy soil properties beneath the top layer.
Disadvantages of no-dig
There are of course some negatives to no-dig agriculture, otherwise the agricultural revolution would not have moved away from it.
The initial set up of growing beds can take considerable time and effort, as well as a huge amount of compostable material. This means that it’s not a quick fix to getting started on your land. It also makes it very challenging to do on a large scale if you do not have the time to gradually expand your farm.
For us to move to no-dig agriculture on a large scale, there will have to be a monumental reversal in the farming practices we’ve come to know. Farming with soil health in mind works best on small-scale. For example, market garden style farms where polyculture, crop rotation, and other sustainable practices can be used. This is a step away from the huge, mechanised, monocrop farming common especially in countries like the UK and the US.
For maximum success, you will also need plenty of water. During the 6-12 month decomposing time, the beds need to be kept moist which can be a challenge if you are attempting this through drier seasons.
The good news is that once you get through this stage, the improved soil structure should result in more resilience against drought going forward.
Other things you can do to help improve your soil
If no-dig just won’t work for you, there are plenty of other things you can do to help improve your soils.
- Add wildflowers to your farm – growing wildflowers on field margins and between rows adds roots and organic matter to the field which helps to hold the soil together
- Plant natural windbreaks – splitting up your plot with hedges and trees reduces the damage wind and rain can do to the top layer of soil
- Learn about the soil you have on your farm – knowing which soil type you have can help you manage it in the correct way
How Futurepump solar irrigation pumps support this approach
At Futurepump we are advocates for small-scale sustainable farming and our products are designed specifically with this in mind.
Our range of solar water pumps are low-pressure to allow easy use with efficient sprinkler and drip irrigation kits. This allows you to design your irrigation around regular, low volume watering which gives the water time to get deep into the soil, avoiding excess run-off and soil erosion.
Our solar pumps are also ideal for getting water to your no-dig beds through the composting stage, giving you the freedom to move water to your growing space without incurring fuel costs.
We have three pumps which are suited for different farming requirements:
The Futurepump SE1: For pumping up to 1,600 L/hr in full sunshine. The SE1 has a suction lift of 7m and total head of 15m.
The Futurepump SF2: Pumps up to 3,600 L/hr in full sun with a suction lift of 7m and total head of 15m.
The SF2H (high-head SF2): To get the SF2H you can purchase an upgrade kit on our webshop. With the SF2H you can pump up to 1,500 L/hr at a maximum head of 25m (120W version) or 45m (240W version).
Check out shop.futurepump.com for more or get in touch with us at hello@futurepump.com if you have any questions.
