Did you know that the soil in your garden has a secret life? It’s teeming with a whole host of organisms, all working hard for the benefit of our plants. A huge proportion of soil is made of fungi which forms a hugely beneficial and symbiotic relationship with the roots of nearly all our plants.
By not digging over your soil, you can help maintain these relationships, an approach which forms the foundation to our garden care colleague, Gayna Barnard’s Ditch the Dig, initiative; ‘helping to save the planet and your back!’
Gayna’s Ditch the Dig initiative started as a small project at home when her joints became too painful to traditionally dig over the soil. Her desire to continue gardening led her on a journey of discovery to a whole world under our feet that needs protecting.
“I discovered that a ‘no dig’ approach to gardening is not only beneficial to those, like me, who struggle with their joints, but also how it can be of huge benefit to our plants which thrive off the relationship between their roots and all the mycorrhizal fungi in the soil.”
What is mycorrhizal fungi?
These impressive fungi form a fine web underneath the soil and attach themselves to the roots of plants, creating a ‘secondary root system’. This allows plants to access water and nutrients from much deeper underground, whilst also providing the fungi with important sugars and carbon.
“By not digging over your soil you can maintain these structures and prevent damage to the very things that are trying to help your plants. The fungi can access food and water deeper in the soil than the plant would be able to on its own, which also means less feeding and watering and a more natural approach to gardening.”
Why protect the mycorrhizal fungi to your soil?
The ‘Ditch the Dig’ approach to gardening helps prevent the breakdown in the relationship between plant and fungi. Protecting it can bring many benefits:
- As plants can access water and nutrients from much lower levels it helps them survive in dry weather.
- There is much less reliance and need for synthetic fertilisers, helping to protect the wider environment.
- It helps create a much more natural resilience to pests, again decreasing the need for synthetic products.
- It can help overcome replant problems, enhance natural vigour and result in heavier cropping for vegetables.
Recommended products and tools for a ‘no dig’ garden
Whilst the Ditch the Dig approach to gardening encourages the use of sustainable practices such as composting and leaf mould, there are some products on the market which can help encourage and enhance the mycorrhizal fungi in your soil.
Westland make a number of products which help soil improvement: Westland New Horizon Multi-purpose Compost, Westland Soil Improver and Westland Farmyard Manure, whilst products such as Empathy Rootgrow and Afterplant add mycorrhizal fungi directly to your soil.
Tools such as the Kent & Stowe Capability Trowel and the Burgon & Ball Cultivator are all you will need for this joint saving approach to one of our favourite past times.
How to make a ‘no dig’ bed
- Step 1: Surface weeding
There is no need to fully weed, just pull the tops off and only remove any tougher weeds by the roots eg dock leaves and nettles. This will help the carboard lie flat and act as a weed suppressant.
- Step 2: Cardboard layer
Make sure the whole bed is covered using plain brown cardboard, with any tape and stapes removed. This will eventually compost into the soil.
- Step 3: Add soil mixture
Use a nice thick later of organic peat-free compost, well-rotted manure or soil improver such as those suggested earlier in the blog.
- Step 4: Planting
You can cut through the cardboard for larger plants but smaller ones can be planted above the card. Add Rootgrow to the bottom of the planting hole to kick start the whole process.
If you feel that this approach to gardening may be for you then why not take a look at Gayna’s facebook site which has informative videos and fun facts: Facebook