NO DIG GARDENING: taught by Kat Goldin
If you ask 5 gardeners how they garden, you will get 6 answers. Everyone will have a different way that works well for them. In a very general sense though, there is a rough split in the gardening world between till and no-till gardening.
“Conventional” gardening usually is based on a method that focuses on adding nutrition to the soil by digging in compost, manure or other rich matter. Every year the soil is broken up, new organic matter is added, weeds are pulled and plants go into “fresh” beds. No-til gardening works with the existing soil structure and organic matter is added to the top of the bed, where the soil’s natural structures and organisms pull the nutrients downward.
How the two methods view the soil is really the key difference between "conventional" gardening and a no-till approach. In conventional methods, soil is almost seen as inert - you feed the plants by breaking up the soil, and adding additional food to the soil so the plants can access it. In a no-dig approach, the soil is viewed as its own ecosystem and its methodology feeds the soil and its millions of micro-organisms. As our understanding of soil has increased, we now know that it isn't an inert mix of minerals and vitamins, but a living landscape of fungus and microbes. These millions of organisms play a critical role in plant health, forming a range of beneficial relationships with plants, helping them digest nutrients, absorb water and sequester carbon. (see the resources list in this chapter for more reading on this!!)
This course takes you through planning and starting a no dig garden with modules on planning out the garden, setting up no dig beds, choosing varieties and sowing your seeds.
Kat Goldin runs a regenerative smallholding in Stirlingshire www.garturstitchfarm.co.uk
This course is free for members of The Studio Club and £37.00 for non members.
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