Imagine: you come to your plot, and instead of the grueling digging of beds, you drink tea in a hammock.
Your tomatoes are ripening, your potatoes are growing, and the weeds are disappearing on their own. Sounds like a fairy tale?
This is the reality of the no-dig gardening method, which is revolutionizing the idea of gardening.
Scientists from Cornell University have proven that annual digging destroys the soil structure, kills earthworms and reduces crop yields by 30%. But there is a better way - and it doesn't even require a shovel!
All you need is cardboard, compost and straw.
Spread cardboard on the virgin soil (but without tape and dyes!).
It blocks the light and the weeds die in 2-3 weeks. But the secret is to use corrugated cardboard: its airy "honeycombs" maintain oxygen circulation without creating a greenhouse effect.
Pour a 10 cm layer of mature compost on top of the cardboard. If you don’t have any, buy mushroom substrate – it’s cheaper and richer in potassium. This layer will become a home for the roots and a “dining room” for the worms.
Add 5 cm of straw - it will retain moisture and prevent the compost from being washed away by rain. But do not take hay - it often hides weed seeds.
The top 5 cm is compost again. Plant seedlings or seeds in it. The roots will break through the cardboard, and the weeds will remain under the "armor" without a chance to escape.
Tomatoes planted in such a pie produce 40% more fruit. Their roots go to a depth of 1.5 meters, finding water even in drought.
And zucchini ripens 2 weeks earlier because they don’t waste energy fighting weeds.
Author: Elena Shimanovskaya