(from Esther Dean's   Book "No Dig Garden")

A No Dig garden bed is made on top of the ground.

It can be built over existing garden beds, lawns and even hard or rocky ground.

It should be situated in a sunny area that receives morning sun and that has good drainage.

It can be any size or shape, depending on the space you have and the materials to hand.

It is best to start with a small bed, (2M x 1.5M) but plan it so that you can expand when you want to.

When preparing the site it is not necessary to pull up the lawn or existing garden. However if the ground is very uneven or rocky, it should be levelled off by raking in coarse mulch (leaves, twigs etc.)

BUILDING THE GARDEN

1. Form the outside wall of the garden. For this you can use logs, old planks, tiles, bricks, stones etc.

2. Lay down a thick layer of wet newspaper (soaked) making sure it completely covers the enclosed area. It should be at least 6mm. thick and overlap. This kills off any weeds and stops new ones growing. Do not use glossy or coloured paper. (Only plain newspaper)

3. Lay down pads of lucerne hay (no gaps).

4. A 20 mm layer of good organic fertilizer. (chicken manure is great)

5. Cover with about 200mm thick of loose bedding straw.

6. A 20 mm layer of good organic fertilizer.

7. Finish off with a top layer of compost, about 100mm thick.

8. Water well and allow to settle.

9. Plant out seedlings. ( not seeds )

One bale of lucerne hay and one bale of straw make a good -sized garden.

In a new garden the best plants are potatoes, lettuce, brassicas, cucurbits. Root crops are better when the bed is mature.

It is better to plant vegetables in small blocks of different varieties than in long rows or a whole bed of one thing.