As an avid YouTube gardening video binge-watcher, imagine my absolute delight when I saw the collaboration between Epic Gardening’s Kevin Espiritu and the legendary Charles Dowding on how to make a no-dig garden bed.
This video came out at the perfect time for me. I had just decided to expand beyond my apartment patio and rent a garden plot through my local park district.
My local park district offered seasonal plots where the plot is tilled by the park district every March in preparation for tenants who occupy the plots from April through October. I decided to go with the year-round plot option where renters inherit a plot from a previous renter and are responsible for all preparations including the choice to till or not to till. This tenancy runs from January 1st through December 31st.
Having watched just about all of Charles Dowding’s videos, I knew I wanted to try my hands at the no-dig or no-till approach and see where that takes me. I also wanted to try some season extension techniques since I live in Illinois, Zone 5b, where we have an almost unbearably long winter and a short growing season.
A no dig garden bed offers an easy, low-effort way to create new garden space while building living soil. Instead of tilling up the ground and disrupting soil life, the no dig method allows you to plant directly into layered compost and organic matter. This approach avoids compacting the soil while feeding beneficial organisms like worms, bacteria, and fungi. After trying it myself, I’m sold on the benefits of no dig gardening!
In this detailed guide, I’ll walk through the entire process of making a no dig raised bed from start to finish. First, we’ll cover the basics of how no dig gardening works. Then I’ll go step-by-step through planning, materials needed, and constructing the bed. By the end, you’ll have all the knowledge needed to start your own no dig garden!
What is No Dig Gardening?
The no dig gardening method was pioneered by horticulturist Charles Dowding based on a simple idea – minimizing soil disturbance helps it stay loose, fertile, and full of life
Here’s a quick rundown of the principles behind this method:
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Leave soil undisturbed as much as possible No tilling or digging up the ground
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“Feed” the soil by adding compost and organic matter to the surface rather than digging it in. This is how soil is nourished in nature.
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Use materials like cardboard or compost to smother existing grass and weeds instead of removing them.
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Allow worms, beneficial microbes, and other soil organisms to incorporate organic matter down into the soil profile over time.
No dig gardening improves moisture retention nutrient levels, soil structure and drainage over time. It also saves your back from all that digging!
This method works for creating both in-ground and raised garden beds in any climate or soil type. Top gardeners around the world have adopted no dig practices with great success.
How to Plan Your No Dig Garden Bed
First, decide on the placement and dimensions of your new no dig bed. Pick a sunny, level spot without too many overhanging trees or plants. Measure the length and width.
A good beginner size is a 4×8 foot bed. My first no dig bed was 10×10 feet. Scale your bed size to the space available and how much you want to plant.
Sketch out bed shapes and placements on paper. Leave at least 2 feet between beds and surrounding plants or fences. You’ll also need pathways between beds – plan these at least 18-24 inches wide.
Use an online mulch or soil calculator to estimate how much compost and other materials you’ll need. Record the bed dimensions and total square footage.
Once you know how much compost to get, call local landscape companies to find bulk delivery options. Order compost 1-2 weeks in advance so it has time to “ripen”.
Gather No Dig Garden Materials
Constructing your no dig raised bed is a fairly simple process. But having the right materials on hand will make the job go faster and smoother.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Cardboard – Corrugated cardboard boxes work perfectly to smother grass and weeds. Avoid boxes with glossy print. Gather enough to cover your entire bed space plus pathways.
Compost – Aged compost from a landscaper, nursery, or your own pile. Get about 3-5 inches (8-12 cm) worth for new beds.
Bulk mulch – Coarse wood chips or arborist mulch for pathways. Aim for 2-3 inches (5-7 cm).
Bed edging – Fence boards, landscape timbers, bricks, or stones to hold bed shape (optional).
Tools – Shovel, rake, measuring tape, scissors, and gloves.
Water – A hose with spray nozzle to moisten materials.
Seeds & transplants – Have some ready to plant your bed right away!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps to put together your own no dig garden bed.
Clear the bed area. Remove any large sticks, rocks, or debris. Cut down tall grass or weeds if needed.
Mark the bed outline. Use a shovel to dig a 4″ trench around the perimeter of your bed space.
Lay cardboard. Cover the entire bed with 1-2 overlapping cardboard layers. Water well.
Add compost. Spread compost 3-5 inches deep over the cardboard. Dampen the compost.
Mulch pathways. Lay cardboard, then 2-3 inches of mulch in spaces between beds.
Plant! Your no dig bed is ready for seeds, transplants, potatoes and more. Enjoy!
It’s that easy. In a few hours, you can set up a brand new garden bed using the no dig method. The layered compost and mulch will suppress weeds while nourishing the soil.
Over time, worms and microbes will break down the cardboard. By next year, plants can access the enriched soil underneath. But you don’t have to wait – start planting right on top of the compost.
No Dig Tips and Tricks
Here are some helpful tips to get the most out of your no dig garden:
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Moisten cardboard and compost as you build the bed. This “glues” layers together.
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Add a bit more compost around new transplants to prevent drying out.
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Place large perennials like trees or shrubs before laying cardboard.
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If you have bermuda grass or other invasive weeds, use thicker layers of cardboard or layered newspaper.
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Lay irrigation lines on top of the cardboard before adding compost.
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Side dress growing plants with extra compost through the season.
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Top dress annual beds with 1-2 inches of compost each fall to replenish organic matter.
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No dig practices can be used for raised beds, in-ground beds, containers, and more!
The Benefits of No Dig Gardening
After using the no dig method myself, I’m amazed by how well it works to create fertile, low-maintenance garden beds:
Fewer weeds – Smothering grass and weeds leads to clean, weed-free soil by planting time. Much less work than removing sod!
Better drainage – Loose, undisturbed soil absorbs water better. Compost improves moisture retention.
More earthworms & microbes – Underground soil life thrives without disruption from tilling.
Nutrient-rich soil – Compost on the surface slowly enriches soil as it decomposes. Plants grow bigger and stronger.
Easy on your back – No heavy digging means less strain and effort when starting new beds.
Natural & sustainable – Improves soil health by mimicking nature. Much better than using chemical fertilizers.
Highly productive – Carefully planted, dense no dig beds yield more fruits and vegetables per square foot.
If you want to grow healthier plants with less work, I highly recommend trying the no dig method! With just a bit of planning and prep work up front, you’ll reap rewards for years to come.
Materials for No-Dig Gardens
The essential components of no-dig beds are:
- Compost or soil for your beds
- Mulch to create paths between beds
- Cardboard to form a weed barrier between the ground and your new bed which will eventually decompose
In addition, I also found the following supplies very helpful:
- A bow rake to help level out the beds and the paths
- A long tape measure to make sure the beds are properly spaced
- Cedar fencing to serve as temporary sides for the beds
- Wooden stumps or bricks to hold the temporary sides in place
- Containers to transport compost and mulch
- A large stiff board or cardboard to help with tamping down the raised beds
- A helper!
I’m fortunate enough to live in a community with a landscape recycling center that makes compost and mulch. Our facility sold items either by 35 gallons or cubic yards. Costs and transport will vary depending on your location.
I created my raised beds using a mix of Kevin and Charles’s methods by purchasing some cedar fences to serve as temporary sides to my beds. I removed them almost immediately to create more beds as soon as I tamped down the compost. I used mulch for my pathways as a reinforcement to hold the sides of the no-dig garden beds.
A big concern many no-dig method gardeners have is how to source enough cardboard to cover the surface of the garden. You want to use brown cardboard boxes and avoid ink in your soil as the boxes break down.
I also grappled with this challenge and started by saving boxes from my own deliveries, reaching out to friends, and raiding the Costco box pile! Eventually, I hit the jackpot by speaking with the manager of a store I pass by on my way to the garden plot. It only took a few trips with my car filled to the brim with cardboard to get enough to cover the whole plot.
How to Plan a No-Dig Garden
I am renting a 20 feet by 40 feet garden plot that comes with free water from the city. My plot is sandwiched between other plots and is oriented north to south. Some of my main considerations when designing this garden space include how to prevent deer, rabbits, and other wildlife from eating my vegetables and how to maximize my production through the use of vertical space in a tighter area.
To start, I decided to anchor 7-foot T posts at each corner of this plot and run horticultural netting around the perimeter to serve both as a physical barrier against deer and also as a trellis for climbing plants that I wanted to grow like peas and Malabar spinach.
The previous renter had a similar idea and had already installed two feet of chicken wire around the perimeter which prevents smaller rodents and rabbits from coming into the garden. Because I wanted to use the netting as my trellis, I also created a two-foot border bed all the way around the garden as a starting point.
I knew that I wanted to have a compost pile in this plot where I could compost my own garden waste. I needed some room to navigate around the compost to turn it and manage it.
I decided the best way to lay out my garden was to have six large beds running north to south in addition to the two-foot border bed. My main beds are three feet wide with roughly 18 to 24 inches between beds.
I used Google Sheets to plan out my plot where each cell represents one square foot. The green cells represent garden beds, the grey cells are for paths and the red cells represent my compost pile. I have a total plot area of 800 square feet and ended up with 417 square feet of growing beds and 383 square feet of paths, compost, and storage areas. Knowing the dimensions for your paths and beds is very important for sourcing and purchasing materials like compost and mulch.
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FAQ
What is the no dig method for gardening?
No Dig enriches the soil without disturbing it and reduces labor and weeds by using compost spread on top of the soil. You plant into the compost and let the roots find their way down into the soil beneath.
How to make a new garden bed without digging?
- 1: Lay down a layer or an overlapping layer of brown cardboard. …
- 2: Create a temporary bed frame using cedar fences. …
- 3: Secure the bed frames using rocks, bricks, or wood.
- 4: Add a 3 to 4 inch layer of compost to the bed frames and use a rake to level the compost.
What is the best soil for no dig?
Clay soil is great for no dig: worms and other soil life improve its structure and there is good nutrient and moisture retention.
Do I need to dig under raised garden bed?
No digging is required if your raised beds are tall enough to allow plant roots to grow, or if the soil beneath the beds is healthy with adequate drainage.