Video:Build a No-Dig Garden

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Transcript:Build a No-Dig Garden

Hi! My name is Danielle Lessovitz for About.com, here with another eco-friendly tip. Thinking of building an organic vegetable garden in your backyard? Well you can ditch the tools, ditch the hard, sweaty labor and ditch the digging because today I am going to show you how to build a no-dig garden.

What is a No-Dig Organic Garden?

No-dig gardening is a bit like compositing in that it requires layering nitrogen-rich material on top of carbon-rich material. In doing so, we create a fertile top soil that requires little maintenance and allows us to plant some of our favorite vegetables.

Supplies Needed for a No-Dig Garden

But before we begin we will need a few items:

• old newspaper
• a water source
• luceren, pea, or crop straw
• manure
• loose straw or mulch
• compost

Choose a No-Dig Garden Location

First we will want to choose our location. Look for a spot that receives at least 5 hours a day of direct sunlight. Next section off your area and edge it with rocks, two-by-fours, bricks, chicken wire, or anything really. Nine square feet is a good size to begin with.

Cover the Garden Area With Newspaper

Now take individual sheets of old newspaper and place them on your garden bed. Each sheet should overlap with its neighbor by about five inches. The newspaper will block out the sun, killing the weeds below while providing an important source of moisture and insulation for your garden later on.

Do this until your the spread of newspaper is three to six layers thick. Should it be windy and/or the newspaper decides it does not want to stay in place, you can sprinkle some water on it to weight it down. Now water the newspaper until it is completely moist.

Layer the Straw and Fertilizer

The first layer we will apply to the newspaper is lucerne straw, pea straw, or crop straw. This layer should be four inches thick. Now for a layer of our organic fertilizer, I am using chicken manure. Next, another layer of loose straw or mulch. This layer should be 8 inches thick. Now for a spread of compost.

Plant the No-Dig Garden

At this point, some gardeners like to give their no dig gardens time to rest. It is not completely necessary as we can begin to plant today. However, because the soil is so new, it is best to plant seedlings or plants as opposed to germinating the seed within the soil.

Now you will never be in short supply of freshly grown fruits and vegetables, thanks for watching, to learn more please visit us on the Web at About.com.