Garden soil will be 'healthier' than ever if you avoid one common method

A gardening method that could lead to "healthier" and "more productive" soil has seen a rise in popularity. The approach, known as the "no-dig method", sees green-fingered practitioners limiting the extent to which they break up their soil. The benefits are thought to apply to everything from fruit, veg and flowers to agriculture.

Contrary to the traditional break-up method, in which gardeners are urged to break up their soil and add in things like manure, "no-dig" is believed to help limit any disturbance to the soil structure. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) states that the method removes the need for cultivation, requires less work and could even be good for the environment. It detailed how beds and borders are readied via the covering of organic matter like compost, with plants grown within this layer.

Soil contains naturally occurring channels produced by worms that allow for drainage and the circulation of air. It also has soil grains bound by a protein known as glomalin, which is generated by fungus, reports the i Paper.

However, digging can harm the soil structure, destroying the channels, impacting fungal networks and releasing carbon from the soil. Yet, avoiding digging to limit soil cultivation can maintain and boost its structure (aiding soil health).

Soil with large particles retains more moisture, contains higher levels of carbon and isn't as susceptible to leaching nutrients. So, when gardeners dig, the glomalin may become more prone to decomposition, thus breaking down the particles.

It was previously believed that it was necessary to dig the soil, but science has since indicated that this cultivation actually impacts both the soil structure and the natural processes that happen in it, explains the RHS.

It went so far as advising people that the no-dig method is a "better choice" for soil health by "minimising disturbance". Meanwhile, Gardeners' World highlights how the technique is largely used by organic veg growers.

It says one of the benefits could be larger vegetable harvests, although it conceded this isn't always true, as the opposite is usually the case when it comes to potato harvests.

It's also a time-saver, as gardeners will ultimately spend less of their time digging, watering and weeding (digging can bring weed roots and seeds to the surface). However, it also stated that the method doesn't entirely eliminate weeds.

Gardeners' World also pointed out that digging is a physical exertion, while no-dig could also help improve your drainage, result in less watering, and conserve carbon.

Other potential benefits of the method outlined by the publication include less mud, earlier harvests (the soil may warm up earlier), stronger plants and even improved flowers.

You can learn more about the no-dig method via the RHS website here.