No Dig Explained, for Healthier Soil, Fewer Weeds, Bigger Harvests

Video Description

Don’t be afraid of failing. Trust the soil, grow what you want to eat, and enjoy the journey. What actually happens in soil if you leave it alone? I show a hole I dug in a no dig bed and explain how the result is healthier soil and plants, fewer weeds, and better harvests — when you maintain a surface mulch of organic matter. This video explores why no dig works, how to begin, and what happens in soil when you stop disturbing it. It’s a very simple process, and I show how you can start out, control weeds, feed your plants, and keep the garden productive all year. My garden here in Somerset is now in its 13th year of no dig – judge for yourself. No dig brings liberation on two levels. Physically it’s considerably easier, and mentally — even emotionally — it brings you closer to nature and helps you understand how we can help soil to improve, even while it’s growing fantastic food for us. Traditional gardening advice is based on a hidden assumption: that soil is being disturbed every year. That’s a damaging thing, and once we stop doing it, practices such as rotation, which have been used to minimise disease and growth problems, are no longer necessary. You’ll see how simple it can be: - How to start no dig and control weeds from the first year. - Why firm, stable soil structure means you can even walk on your beds. - Why no dig is simple, straightforward, quick, and easy. - And why small is beautiful — even one bed can get you started. Learn more: https://charlesdowding.co.uk Books & courses: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/shop Daily updates: https://instagram.com/charles_dowding You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join #nodig #charlesdowding #soilhealth #growyourown #healthysoil #compost #gardentips 🎥 Filmed early August 2025 by Carly Dutton-Edwards 🎵 Music: Rory Dunwoodie, @rorydinwoodiemusic IG: rorydinwoodiemusic 00:00 Intro 00:54 A look at the profile of no dig soil 02:39 How no dig works on clay or slate soil 03:34 Dry soil, no need to dig 03:55 How plant roots feed soil life 05:17 Maintaining fertility with compost, homemade 06:03 Worms in compost 06:56 Timing of spreading compost, nutrients not water soluble 07:54 Growing carrots with no dig 08:52 Why choose compost as a mulch? 09:31 Comparing dig/no dig - my trial beds, and results 12:08 Good drainage and moisture retention with no dig 12:52 My three-strip trial - less harvests on forked soil 14:16 No-rotation trials 16:13 Beetroot interplanted between lettuce 16:52 Brussels sprouts interplanted with carrots - no problem with fertility 17:57 The benefits of continuous cropping 18:26 Big harvests from small areas 19:38 Starting no dig with weeds, and how to manage weeds ongoing 23:37 A bed of raspberries and wineberries, temporary wooden sides 24:15 How I managed the weeds in a bed created in 2013 26:13 How to convert from dig to no dig 26:56 No dig in different climates 28:01 No dig on a larger scale 29:08 Health benefits of growing your own veg 29:57 Starting small - a YouTube comment