Tony Dickerson answers your questions
Q Is no-dig veg growing really effective?
A I’m a great fan of no-dig vegetable growing. The basic idea is by not turning over the soil you don’t bring weed seed to the surface, where it germinates. While some weed seeds blow in on the wind there are probably millions lying dormant in the soil of most allotments. Soil is not simply dirt, but the repository of a vast community of life. By not digging you maintain the natural soil structure and the microbes that breakdown organic matter and make the nutrients available to plants. Each year, ideally in the autumn, add a mulch of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, to a depth of about 5cm (2in). The regular additions of organic matter also encourages beneficial mycorrhizal fungi which, in return for sugars from plant roots, make available additional nutrients. Worm populations also increase, improving aeration and drainage. To start a no-dig regime you first need to reduce the current weed population. This can be as simple as forking out the worst of them.
In the first year, add a 10cm (4in) deep mulch, with cardboard over the top, to suppress the majority of weeds. Remove any weeds that come through and replace the cardboard as it rots. You can start planting after six months.
You can either sow vegetable seed directly or plant out plug plants in spring. The only veg that has to be sown direct are root crops, such as carrots and parsnips, which don’t transplant well from modules. At harvest they can be levered out from the soil with minimal disturbance. However, vegetables such as potatoes aren’t suited to the no-dig technique as you have to turn over the soil to lift them.