Planting a vegetable garden

Do you want to have the pleasure and satisfaction of eating home grown vegetables? I always have, but found it difficult to incorporate a vegetable garden in my yard that is largely taken up by unused grass. Container gardens were also no good—I often found my plants ransacked by pests, resulting in very little to no growth. 

My backyard was landscaped prior to us moving in. Any gardening attempts resulted in running into rocks or boulders, and made any non-superficial adjustments difficult. The terraces made it difficult to haul heavy materials in and out of the yard, which would be required if I were to remove the grass and add in extra soil. 

Introducing: the “no dig” garden!

This fantastic idea was given to me by Charles Dowding, who has a plethora of videos with gardening tips and tricks. I hadn’t heard of it before coming across his videos, but it has also been referred to as “lazy man’s gardening”. I don’t necessarily agree—it does require work, but you’re not wasting your energy on disrupting the soil that’s already present. 

This gardening method is also very sustainable. The ecosystem in the earth isn’t being destroyed, and you’re bringing in compost which is a limitless resource to replenish the earth and build up the garden bed. 

Charles Dowding’s videos really sealed the deal for me. He’s been at this for decades, and his content is very informative for replicating this in your own yard. 

If someone with minimal experience (like myself) can grow a garden with vegetables in difficult terrain and less than optimal soil conditions, then I believe anyone can. 

Growing my own vegetables is an important aspect of wanting to feed myself and my family a wholesome plant-based diet to prevent disease. There is nothing better than growing your own food. 

In these economic times of high consumerism especially, gardening is a wonderful form of meditation. Doing manual labour, feeling the power of the earth when you see your vegetables growing, and harvesting your own food to cook with is extremely fulfilling. 

Are you thinking of planting your own no dig garden?

Watch the video

Planting a no-dig vegetable garden in my urban backyard in the fall.