Build a no-dig garden in 7 simple steps

A no-dig garden can be built on soil, over existing lawn or even on hard, barren ground, and once established it is virtually maintenance free. Here’s how to make your own no-dig garden in just 7 steps.

Before you start, make sure you have the following materials for building your garden.

• edging material
• newspaper
• 1–2 bales of straw
• organic fertilizer
• well-rotted manure
• compost
• seedlings

1. Choose a sunny location with good drainage. If you are starting the garden on a lawn and can't remove the grass, keep it at bay by laying down some old carpet as a base for the other materials. With no oxygen or sunlight, the grass will eventually die off.
2. Decide what size your garden bed will be. A good idea is to start with a small area, which you can expand later if you wish. Edge the bed with bricks, logs, rocks or railroad ties – in fact, any material that will allow you to contain the soil.
3. To suppress weeds, cover the ground with a thick layer of wet newspaper, about 1 centimetre (1/2 inch) thick. Use plain rather than glossy sheets, and overlap the edges.
4. Cover the newspaper with pads of straw. Next, add a layer of organic fertilizer, such as pellets of chicken manure, blood meal or bone meal.
5. Cover the fertilizer with a 20-centimetre (8-inch) layer of straw. Add a generous amount of manure with further layers of straw, then cover with a layer of compost.
6. Water the garden and allow it to settle for a few days.
7. Plant seedlings into the compost. Start with shallow-rooted vegetables, such as lettuce. As your garden begins to make its own compost and the layers turn into rich, brown soil, plant deep-rooted crops such as carrots.

Growing vegetables at home doesn't have to mean long hours of digging up soil to start your garden bed. With this no-dig approach, you can have an edible garden growing in no time!