The process involves starting with layers of newspaper, and by adding lucerne hay, straw and compost in succeeding layers,you can create a growing medium without resorting to heavy digging, and one that are rich in nutrients and, which will simplify weeding and encourage your much desired plants to grow. These layers compost together, and it incentive earthworms to appear. This way, you can maintain a garden by only adding manure, compost, etc., and you shouldn't need to dig up, as this will destroy all your good simple work. This method is commonly used on vegetable gardens, and it really works.
The secret behind this method is based on the knowing that excessive cultivation can be very harmful to the soil, especially when we see very dry or very wet, because it will damage the structure of the soil. This excessive cultivation is also bad to earthworms to appear, and they're the best free labor that a gardener has.
People that do permaculture or organic gardening, use this method of no-dig gardening at a higher level, turning this into a "never-dig gardening" method, which is not ok and can be harmful.
If you start with a soil that is badly compacted, then your no-dig garden will work very well in the beginning, but you may find your garden does not continue to perform well after that. The fertile layer you have built up will provide the appearance of the earthworms, but we all know that these earthworms need to shelter from excessively dry, hot, wet or cold conditions. These worms, normally hide themselves in deeper ground into the soil, sometimes many feet down. If they cannot do this, they will die, or they will move to other places and you no-dig system is lost.
As a conclusion, for a good no-dig system, you have to guarantee first a good environment for the earthworms, and then apply the method, you'll be very pleased with the results.
See our Step by Step No Dig Gardening Video Tutorial.
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