No-Dig Gardening and Raised Beds - Good for the Soil and Easy for You

A raised bed is an environmentally-friendly plastic or wooden framework which fits together into a (usually) square shape creating a boundary for your planting space.  The pieces click together easily and they come in various sizes, a limited colour scheme (usually brown or green) and if they are wooden they are often primed against rot and the primer is usually environmentally friendly too.

They can also be stacked upon each other to increase the height, which is wonderful for people who find bending difficult or who have to use a wheelchair.  

Raised beds can be found on line or at your local garden centre.  Here’s some examples - although there are many variations on the raised bed theme. (Of course, if you are handy you could make your own out of used planks or bricks.)

Once you’ve decided where you want  your raised beds  don’t dig the soil.   It’s actually better for the soil if you don’t dig it because plants grow better in undisturbed soil with its worms and insects remaining peacefully in their habitat.   

Seems like the perfect excuse to me! 

If you have tall grass and weeds then cut these down to ground level.  Construct your raised bed on this area, and then, inside the raised bed area,  cover the remaining ‘stubble’ with about four layers of cardboard from old boxes and/or newspaper.  These layers discourage the weeds from growing and they eventually die back. The cardboard or paper will eventually rot down.  (Some people don't like to use newspaper in case the printing ink is harmful to the soil.)

You will find that you will have a lot less weeding to do in the future with this method. Hurray!

Now  fill your raised bed with  good compost, appropriate to whatever you decide to grow.  Give it a good soaking.  Plant your flowers or vegetables and wait for the brilliant results.

The possibilities are endless with no-dig gardening and raised beds - so even with a tiny space in a back yard or on the flat roof  of your office or housing block you can grow fruit, flowers and vegetables easily and painlessly!

If you are daunted by gardening, this is definitely the way to go!