Last year, we created No Dig Beds in a grassy area of our backyard. I had high hopes for all that we could grow in these new beds, and I wasn’t disappointed. My husband went along with my plan, but I think he was a little sceptical that we could create new beds so easily.

There was some groundwork that went into creating the beds, but the No Dig method definitely simplified the process. You can find all about how we created these No Dig Beds here: How to Create New Garden Beds This Year Using the No Dig Method.

We were able to grow more food in these new beds. I took the opportunity to grow some crops in greater quantities than ever before. And we grew new crops such as sweet potatoes, cabbage and celery. I learned a lot from these new garden beds that I want to share with you. Here are the lessons we learned from our No Dig Beds.

Lessons We Learned From Our No Dig Beds…

Mowing Around the Garden Beds Was Difficult

I really enjoyed having the grass between the No Dig beds. It was soft and easy to walk on. But mowing around the six beds became quite a problem as the plants grew.

This was the biggest challenge we had with the new beds. Tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and beans grew over the edges of the beds. When it was time to mow, someone (me) had to lift the plants or my husband would just mow over them. It was an ugly mess if you mowed around the plants. And if you mowed over them, it was not only an ugly mess, but we lost growing potential.

Next growing season, we’ll need to come up with some way to avoid mowing around the beds. We have several options. We can fill in the pathways with gravel, spread mulch or use pavers in between the beds to reduce the need for mowing.

Animals Love the No Dig Beds

This was the second area of concern we had difficulty with. Early on, we struggled with wildlife, such as bunnies eating our crops and skunks digging holes. The neighborhood cats also found the compost easy to use as a litter box. And of course, we caught our dogs eating tomatoes and beans right off the vines.

Once the plants had grown and filled in, the animals were less likely to bother the beds. Well, except for the dogs who enjoyed them more as the season went on. One way we combated this problem was to use a decorative 2 foot fence as a barrier. These fences were moveable so we could position them around the beds that were having the most problems. We might need to purchase more of these decorative fences for next year.

Minimal Weeding

This was one of the best reasons to build No Dig beds. There were very few weeds to contend with. We found some grass growing at the edges of the beds that was easy to pull. Also, dandelions would occasionally sprout. But the loose compost made it easy to just grab and pull. When making my daily rounds, I’d pull the few weeds I saw.

This No Dig garden uses a more intensive method for planting crops. We planted a little closer than normal. Then, as the plants grew, they filtered out the sun. The weed seeds were less likely to germinate.

These Beds Would Have Been the Perfect Place for Dahlias

The purpose of adding these new beds was to increase our growing area for produce. And boy did we! But as the summer went by, I realized they would have made the perfect beds for my dahlias.

Last spring I had an overabundance of dahlia tubers, which is a great problem to have. After I planted my dahlia bed in the cutting garden, I still had extras. I gave many tubers away, and I planted a row at our cabin. Even after that, I still had tubers remaining. Because you can’t waste a good tuber, I planted my “left-overs” in garden containers.

The tubers I planted in containers didn’t grow as well. I had to hand water many of them and they were difficult to stake. Except for the short dahlia variety that was meant for containers, most of these dahlias did not bloom as well as the in-ground plants. Using one of my No Dig Beds would have been a great option instead.

Sunshine Was Limited For a Few Beds

Another issue we had was that two of the beds didn’t get as much sunshine as they needed. The beds closest to my garden shed received just a few hours of morning sunshine. In the future, I’ll need to plant those beds with crops that can tolerate more shade.

Planting Starts Versus Seeds

I found that planting small starts in these beds was easier than growing seeds directly. I think this was because the texture of the compost was not smooth but crumbly. However, I still grew plants from seeds with success. Radishes, lettuce, cilantro, kale, peas and beans all did fine when planted as seeds. Plants such as broccoli, cabbage and tomatoes did better as seedlings.

What We Harvested Our First Year From the No Dig Beds…

Here’s a list of what we planted in our 6 No Dig Beds and the approximate amount we harvested. Keep in mind that some of these crops were a very small because we were experimenting. The size of each bed was 4′ by 10′ so we had about 240 square feet of new growing area.

• Basil— non-stop all season
• Broccoli— 3-4 small heads
• Brussels Sprouts— great plants but low yield
• Cabbage— 15 small to medium heads
• Carrots— only a few mini carrots because of overcrowding
• Cauliflower— 1 small head
• Celery— 25 bunches
• Cilantro— grew all season
• Cucumbers— 30 snack-sized
• Green Beans— 5-6 gallons
• Lettuce— fall planting, no harvest
• Onions— 3 dozen small to medium sized
• Parsley— fall planting, no harvest
• Potatoes— 40 pounds of 3 varieties
• Radishes— fall planting, no harvest
• Regular Peas—2 cups shelled
• Snap Peas— 1.5 pounds
• Sweet Potatoes— planted too late in the season for full size
• Tomatoes— pounds of green tomatoes that never ripened

Plans for This Year’s No Dig Beds…

After much thought, we have a few things that we’ll do with these new beds during the upcoming garden season. Here are a few of the changes we’ll make because of the lessons learned from the No Dig Beds.

Replace the Grass

We will definitely replace the grass between the beds to reduce the problems of mowing. I’m leaning towards pavers, so we don’t have to worry about how to keep any mulch in place.

I also want to add some decorative fencing to separate the “yard” from the growing area. This is another way to help cut back on the mowing for my husband and discourage the dogs from eating our crops.

Plan the Timing of the Beds

Now that I’ve experienced a growing season, I have a better idea of what to grow in each of the 6 beds. Two beds get 5-6 hours of sunlight. Two get about 4-5 hours and the last two get about 2-3 hours. Knowing this will help with planning what to grow and when. Also, I want to make sure that I always have something growing. Being ready to plant a new crop once I’ve completely harvested a bed is important for getting the most out of these No Dig Beds.

If you’re starting No Dig Beds this year, consider planting in an area that gets full sun. In my yard, I didn’t have that option. However, that would be best for growing a maximum amount of produce or flowers.

Dedicate One or Two of the Beds to Flowers

Last year I was trying to maximize growing produce. While I grew some marigolds and a few pollinators, I was mainly growing vegetables. This year I will definitely designate at least one bed for dahlias. Maybe I’ll talk myself into two beds of flowers and move the annual herbs to the Kitchen/Cutting garden area.

All in all, the No Dig Beds were a success. They gave us extra space to grow things we don’t have room for in our regular vegetable garden, such as the potatoes and sweet potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed growing the celery and cabbage. It was rewarding to grow these two plants and I will continue to do so in the future.

Even though the garden season has finished for the year, I still have some cool weather crops growing. I’m curious to see how they’ll fare over the winter months. They have survived 3+ weeks of severe winter weather, including 3 degrees.

I feel the No Dig Bed experiment was a success. I learned a lot, but feel I have more to learn as I switch up the plants and continue to experiment. Next growing season, I’ll use the lessons I’ve learned from my No Dig Beds to create even better beds. I’m excited to get started growing!