To dig or not to dig ...

Here at Radford Mill we have been conducting an experiment to compare the effects of digging or not digging the growing beds on the productivity of some of our crops.

The idea, advocated by Charles Dowding (www.charlesdowding.co.uk), is that when you dig the soil you destroy the microflora and fungal networks which act as extensions to the plants' root systems. These then need to re-establish themselves, which takes more time.

We have two beds, side by side, one dug and one not dug. Otherwise what we have sown in each bed, and the amount of compost added is the same. You can see from the photos that the plants in the no-dig bed are bigger.

One significant advantage of this approach is that it is much faster to prepare the beds. Another advantage is that we hope the plants will be stronger and less prone to disease and attacks from pests. The trial continues, and we shall see.

Undug bed                         dug bed