No-Dig Market Garden

No-dig gardening pioneer Charles Dowding working in his garden. Photo: Edward Dowding

The No Dig Market Garden is a globally recognized gardening concept for selling fresh vegetables in a local market. Its foundations are the standardization of growing areas, processes and tools, the care for soil that is not dug, and the operational efficiency that also enables financial sustainability.

What does such a garden look like in practice?

The garden is relatively small, which allows for greater efficiency and good work organization. It is divided into permanent beds 75 cm wide, allowing easy access to the entire bed from one side. The bed can be stepped over in a single step, so there is no need to walk around. The exact length of the beds is not important, as long as they are all the same. Once the beds are established, they are not dug or moved again.

The paths between the beds are 30 cm wide, allowing comfortable standing or squatting, while not losing any growing space unnecessarily. The paths are covered with wood chips, which improves water management, as they retain moisture during dry periods and allow for faster water drainage during heavy rains. They are also highly beneficial for fungal development, which support soil–plant–microorganism interactions in the garden.

Ridgedale No-Dig Market Garden

What are the main principles that a gardener adheres to?

The main task of a gardener is to take care of the soil. He works the soil only at the surface, ensuring deep aeration using broadforks and regularly adding compost mulch to the surface. Since the soil is not turned and is constantly covered, its natural structure is preserved. A natural system of aeration, drainage and building a humus layer is established. All of this is taken care of by organisms in the soil (bacteria, fungi, earthworms, etc.). Since the gardener does not interfere with the natural structure of the soil with his work, it improves from year to year, and the soil becomes increasingly loose and richer in humus.

When planting, he uses biointensive plant spacing, which means that the plants are planted more densely than in conventional gardening. This is possible because the soil is sufficiently fertile and because there is significantly less weeding, as dormant weed seeds are not activated, because the soil is not turned. The purpose of dense planting is to quickly shade the entire soil surface, thereby further reducing the weed emergence and creating a more favorable microclimate.

Garden work is made much easier, as the standard width of the beds allows the use of specially developed hand tools, such as broadforks, rakes, seeders, etc. Since the beds are also the same length, row covers, protective nets, hoops and supports are suitable for all beds and can be easily moved from one bed to another. All this further simplifies the crop planning and crop rotations.

Why does such a system work?

The system works because it is in harmony with natural cycles and mimics natural patterns, ensuring long-term soil fertility and adequate nutrient supply to plants. It enables efficient work, repeatable and manageable processes, as well as clear records and good organization. All of this is important, as it reduces running costs, optimizes production levels and thus ensures the financial sustainability of the garden. Such a system also allows for less physical work and less time required, which has a positive impact on the health and long-term satisfaction of the gardener.

If you want to better understand the concept, you can read HERE a brief overview of the history of its development through the words of its founders.