Wie to Create a No Dig Garden Bed

Traditional: digging, tilling, removing sod. No dig: build up. Layers decompose into rich soil while smothering weeds.

Step 1: Location

Sun for your crops (6+ hours for vegetables). Works on grass, weeds, gravel, even concrete with raised border.

Step 2: Cardboard

Cover area with overlapping plain brown cardboard. Remove tape. Overlap 6+ inches. Wet thoroughly. Smothers existing growth.

Step 3: Compost

4-6 inches quality compost on cardboard. Your planting layer.

Step 4: Mulch

2-3 inches straw, wood chips, or shredded leaves. Prevents moisture loss, suppresses weeds, feeds soil. Keep away from stems.

Planting

Transplants: push mulch aside, hole in compost. Seeds: move mulch, sow into compost.

Maintenance

Add 1-2 inches compost each season. Do not till. Bed improves yearly as soil life builds. Minimal weeds.

Vorteile

Better water retention. Improving structure. Less weeds. Carbon stays in soil. Fraction of labor.

When

Fall ideal (decomposition over winter). But anytime with 4-6 inches compost. Working with soil biology beats fighting it.