From Weeds to Wonderful: our first year of 'No Dig' at the allotment

From Weeds to Wonderful: Our First Year of 'No Dig' at the Allotment

After ten years on the waiting list, we finally got the call at the end of January , an allotment at last! It was wildly overgrown and full of weeds, but to us, it was a blank canvas bursting with potential. We had grown veg before, in a large veggie garden in the North East of England to our small patch 'veggies around the edges', here in Deal, Kent.

Like many people, given the size and condition of our new patch, we turned to the local Facebook gardening community for advice. The overwhelming tip we got? “I wish I’d known about no dig from the start!” So we took that to heart — and what a difference it’s made.

We went all-in on the no dig approach. We designed large raised beds to fill the space efficiently, with walkable paths between them and beds narrow enough to reach the middle from both sides. It’s a layout that works brilliantly for us, especially when it comes to harvesting and maintenance.

To get started, we gathered cardboard boxes from local supermarkets (thank you, Sainsbury’s and Aldi!), laid them down over the weeds, gave them a good soak, and covered everything with generous layers of compost. It was definitely an upfront investment — but we see it as just that: an investment. The rich, weed-smothering compost gave our veg the best possible start, and we’re already reaping the rewards.

We’ve been harvesting so much that we’re not just eating well ourselves — we’re sending veg off with grateful neighbours while we head away for work. We’ve had everything from lush salads to hefty courgettes, crunchy carrots, and more. And it’s only our first season.

That initial compost outlay also spurred us to set up three compost heaps of our own, which we’re hoping will supply our future beds (and save money in the long run). I’ll be sharing more about those in another blog soon.

We garden organically, with a focus on working with nature — not against it. Our plot is a space where pollinators are welcome, the soil is left undisturbed, and the emphasis is on long-term soil health, low effort, and high reward.

If you’re just starting out or taking on a wild new plot, I can’t recommend no dig highly enough. It’s low maintenance, kinder to the soil and the creatures that live in it, and it truly works.

Here’s to many more seasons of growing, sharing, and learning.

(Photos of our beautiful veg to follow — because we all love a good harvest shot!)