No Dig Q&A: Companion Planting, No Dig Benefits & How Soil Life Feeds Plants (Part 1)

In this first part of my no dig Q&A, I answer your questions on companion planting, why no dig works so well, and how soil life feeds plants naturally. These are subjects many gardeners are curious about, and I hope my answers bring clarity and inspiration.

A chance to clear up common misunderstandings and gain new ones. For a competition to win three places on a Homeacres day course, on three platforms, we received hundreds of entries.

They were questions about growing, and in these three categories especially:
30% composting
20% no dig
20% how to grow
Plus many other fascinating questions.

This part 1 is the first four of ten questions:
Robert Martin – What groups of crops grow well together?
Ronners – Top 3 energy tips? Simple & cheap.
Steph_gardener – Top 3 tips to persuade fellow allotmenteers, why go no dig?
Emill Kristiansen – How does soil life feed plants?

We explore how crops can grow happily together, the main reasons to try no dig (fewer weeds, healthier soil, better composting), and the fascinating ways fungi, bacteria, and soil organisms make nutrients available to plants in undisturbed ground. I also share insights into new energies for gardening, including electroculture, magnetic water, and the five sticks method — all simple, low-cost ideas to encourage healthy growth and abundance.

Main takeaways:
Simple guidelines for companion planting and polycultures
Why no dig saves time, reduces weeds, and builds soil health
The importance of making compost and using organic matter well
How soil life, fungi, and bacteria feed plants naturally in no dig systems
An introduction to electroculture, magnetic water, and the five sticks method for boosting plant vitality.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:32 Q1 - What groups of crops should you grow together to complement each other?
02:05 The Small Garden with mixed plantings
02:46 Timings and spacings
04:29 Q2 - What are your top three tips to improve the energy that are simple and cheap?
04:56 Electroculture
05:40 Strengthening the state of water
06:32 Five sticks method
08:41 Q3 - What are the top three tips I could give my fellow allotmenteers to convince them to try no dig for themselves?
08:54 Reduced weeds
10:12 Building soil health to suffer less disease problems with strong plants
11:02 Making compost
12:24 No Dig World Map https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/no-d...
12:41 Using wood chip to build soil health
13:26 Q4 - Could you explain how soil life actually makes nutrients from compost available to plants in a no dig system?
13:57 No dig harvests are higher in comparison to digging
14:51 Mutual symbiosis between fungal networks and plants
15:39 Nutrients and bacteria – rhizophagy process
16:37 Surface compost on undisturbed soil
18:13 Soil in the polytunnel

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