Dig It or Ditch It? Traditional vs. No-Dig Gardening: The Ultimate Showdown!

Traditionally, the field is tilled in winter to prepare for spring. Nowadays, many gardeners practice no-digging. The idea is to cultivate better souls by preserving the microorganisms. Will no-digging work for our heavy clay soil? That is a question. In this video, we face off two popular gardening methods: traditional digging and no-dig gardening, to see which one reigns supreme!

One challenge of no-digging is you need a lot of mulch and wood chips. Instead of using commercial mulch, we will create our no-dig harden using died-out plants from summer garden and the dirt from digging swales.

To compare dig and no-dig, we dig a swale in the middle of a garden bed; one side is tilled to remove weeds while the other side is prepared using no-dig techniques. We will share the essential steps of creating the swale and its role in a healthy no-dig garden, and our thoughts on composting and its importance in both methods.

Get ready to:

Uncover the hidden secrets of no-dig gardening.
Discover the potential downsides of traditional digging.
Learn how to choose the right method for your needs and goals.

Don't miss this epic gardening battle! Hit that subscribe button and join us on this journey to a more sustainable and productive garden!

00:00 - Start
00:24 - Introduction
01:16 - Benefits of Swales
02:22 - Comparison of dig and no-dig methods
03:57 - Digging the left side
04:35 - Cleaning the no dig side
05:16 - Dig a swale
07:09 - Thoughts on Composting
09:29 - Summary