You can start no-dig beds whenever suits you best – I’ve even made new beds on frozen ground in previous gardens, although best not to if the weather conditions are really severe!
The first thing I did here was set up some compost heaps. I had brought ‘Dalek’ style composters from my old allotment. It is always reassuring to have somewhere to make compost; they make a new garden or allotment feel like home.
I decided to make my beds vertically across the garden so that the paths would lead from the house to the orchard and greenhouse, which made the most sense for how we would be moving around the garden. Other factors to consider included proximity to buildings and trees which could cause shading, compass alignments (often the best alignment is north to south, which these beds are, more or less) and wind direction.
Beds and paths can be any width that works for you. I usually have 1.2 metre (4ft) wide beds because that is the width of most of my cloche hoops and other row covers, and I can easily reach into the middle from the paths on either side. My paths are mostly around 30cm (1ft), except for one wider one which is the main walkway from the back door to the greenhouse. If you prefer narrower beds, or wider paths, go for it!
DEALING WITH WEEDS
This story is from the April 2022 edition of Kitchen Garden.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of Kitchen Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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