Is 'No Dig' relevant to Container Gardening?

Mulching tomaotes

No Dig gardening is traditionally practised in the ground, often (but not always) in raised beds. Awareness of No Dig gardening has risen in recent years, thanks to the work of inspiring growers like Huw Richards, Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty. But does it also work in containers? Here I share my thoughts and experience. I would love to hear yours in the comments below.


The benefits of No Dig

The biggest benefit of No Dig gardening in the ground - besides less work - is reduced disturbance of the microbial life in the soil. Disturbance, unfortunately, harms important fungal networks and damages bacteria populations.  Plants need  these fungi and bacteria to access their food, in the same way that we need bacteria in our stomachs to digest our food. By helping microbial life to flourish, No Dig helps plants to grow stronger and healthier.  Another benefit is less weeds. As reduced disturbance brings less weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate.


Applying No Dig to Containers

Can we get these same benefits by practising No Dig in containers? Due to the fact that the volume of soil in a container is much, much smaller,  our containers will usually have less microbiological diversity, and fewer extended fungal networks than in the ground. As a result, digging in containers will probably do less harm than digging in the ground. That said, it is beneficial in container gardening to mimic nature as much as possible. So it makes sense to try and encourage and support as much biological activity in our pots as we can. For example, I make and add worm compost to my containers. Worm compost is full of microbial life, and helps create a more biologically active potting mix that plants grow stronger and more vigorously in. My aim to nurture soil life in containers is also why I've been experimenting with No Dig container gardening. For example, I now cut my tomatoes and beans off at the base, leaving the roots to rot down in the soil. I then add a layer of worm compost to the top of the pot. I sow seeds or plant directly into this, disturbing the contents as little as possible. With hungrier plants like tomatoes, I may then add another mulch of worm compost to give them a boost in the middle of the season.


The potential benefits of No Dig in containers include:

  • Less disturbance of the essential microbial life plants need.
  • Leaving roots to rot down in soil, provides food for to help support microbial life in containers.
  • Less disturbance helps maintain more air gaps. And roots left to rot should also help to create more air channels through the mix.

No Dig and Re-Using a Potting Mix each year

I also have a hunch that No Dig in containers makes it easier to re-use the same potting mix, year after year.   This is because the structure of a potting mix tends to deteriorate with time. The consequence of this is that the number of air gaps in the mix decrease. (Plant roots and soil life both need to breathe). However, if we practise No Dig and don’t disturb the substrate, more air gaps (eg where roots rot down) are likely to remain. This should make it better for growing. This hunch is backed up by an observation. I have a pot of five year old coir and a pot of five year old wood chip compost that I grow tomatoes in using No Dig.  Over time the structure of the coir has deteriorated far more than the wood chip. As tomatoes like a well aerated soil, this means that you’d probably guess they would do better in the wood chip. However, they seem to grow equally well in both. I can't be certain, but this might indicate that No Dig is helping the coir to retain more air gaps.

Results from my No Dig Trials

In general, my trials using No Dig (or, more accurately, digging as little as possible!) to grow tomatoes, courgettes / Zucchini and French beans in containers have all produced strong, healthy plants. I don't have conclusive evidence that it is a better approach, but intuitively it feels right and I will continue to do more. It isn't essential in container gardening - I've had lots of success without it - but I do think it is worth trying, particularly in larger containers.





Courgettes / zucchini grown using No Dig in containers
A courgettes / zucchini harvest from one 50 litre / 10 gallon container using the No Dig technique this summer.


Your Turn

If you’ve experimented with No Dig in containers (and I know some of you have been trying it for years), I’d love to hear how about your experience. Has it made any noticeable difference to your growing? Do you  have any tips or learning about No Dig in containers you can share with us?


25 comments

Louellen
 

I have been using no dig for 3 years. The only containers that I have experienced problems with are my EarthBox and the original garden tower from Garden Tower Project. The roots did not degrade as expected creating a watering problem in both systems.
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Angela
 

Thanks for such a brilliant topic and very interesting comments. Does anyone have a hunch on what size containers are too small for No Dig please? Many thanks.
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Elissa
 

I'm glad you've tackled this subject. I've been curious if anyone else had been doing this. I've just finished my third summer growing in homemade wooden planters raised to waist height since I have bad knees. I have multiple sizes and have practiced No Dig in all of them, adding a good thick layer of compost each spring. I've found that the very large planters (2 m x 80 cm, depth 45cm) have worked really well, growing tomatoes, chilies, and cucumber in summer then greens and garlic in winter. I have had a little trouble with some of my smaller containers with poor growth and drainage. It might have been the original soil mix that was to blame so I've refilled them with a similar mix as the large beds so hopefully that will solve the problem. I did start some new 45 litre buckets this year and did notice that they had far better growth when it came to radishes than my 3 year old no dig containers. I also tried planting some Rocket and Mizuna in a 15 lire bucket straight after cutting a dwarf tomato down to the roots and they are very stunted, barely growing. Probably not enough nutrients left after the hungry tomato. I'll definitely keep experimenting with it because I've noticed so much insect biodiversity in my garden since I'm not disrupting the soil.
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Elissa
 

That's interesting that the roots didn't degrade in your earthbox. That's a similar size to the containers I've also had trouble with. Possibly too many roots for the amount of soil?
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Glyn Davis
 

Hi Mark, Have not dug my 12x4 raised bed for 5 yrs -just kept adding a compost mulch every autumn.Generally leaving roots etc to rot down in the soil. With pots -empty out and refresh in spring with new compost plus an organic boost of (fish/blood/bone) .To date some limited sucess with "no dig". Growing S/onions in small clumps in 10ins pots,and thinning out as needed has worked well, also suits beets. Gave up growing these in rows as slugs had a feast. Soft fruit has done well,but Gooseberry"saw fly"has cleaned up again this year! Hope you are coping with the wet/ wind -storm AGNES has just arrived down here in Swansea. Regards,
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Sue
 

Oh gosh, I've just realised I put my comment in totally the wrong place - so sorry guys. I've copied it here hopefully more appropriately. Apologies again. I started no dig in buckets this year, tomatoes and chillies were just fine in last years compost with regular but occasional watering with tomato feed added. However the peppers, squash and cucumbers in a slightly raised bed on the edge of my lawn were abysmal. They hardly grew and very poor crop. I’ve just cleared the bed and dug the top few inches and found it clogged with roots from next doors bushes and roses, plus 2 clumps of slug eggs. Should I persevere and top dress with manure for the winter or accept that no dig won’t work in this situation? Thank you for sharing your experiences and learning by the way, really helpful and interesting
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

You can do Bente - seeds normally germinate fine in it, but not always- so you’ll need to experiment a bit. You can always put a layer of new compost instead if seeds are not germinating so well
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Sue
 

I started no dig in buckets this year, tomatoes and chillies were just fine in last years compost with regular but occasional watering with tomato feed added. However the peppers, squash and cucumbers in a slightly raised bed on the edge of my lawn were abysmal. They hardly grew and very poor crop. I've just cleared the bed and dug the top few inches and found it clogged with roots from next doors bushes and roses, plus 2 clumps of slug eggs. Should I persevere and top dress with manure for the winter or accept that no dig won't work in this situation? Thank you for sharing your experiences and learning by the way, really helpful and interesting.
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Bente
 

Oh, I see you already answered my question, you actually sow directly in worm compost. I will try that. Thank you.
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Suella Postles
 

In the East Midlands, we do container No Dig and compost reuse in containers of various sizes. I find it of particular use for various saladings.both tomatoes strawberries and various saladings grow well both indoors and outside. I need to consider woreries again, but I have been given two hotbins so that is where all my kitchen scraps go to keep down vermin. I particualry love lettuce in mushroom trays that have been lightly lined with newspaper to overwinter inside.. The snails and slugs don't like oak leaved lettuce here of any colour and amazingly leave them well alone.
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Bente Poulsen
 

Hi Mark, thank you, this is very interesting! We started no-dig gardening a few years ago, inspired by Paul Gautschi's Back To Eden Gardenening. We had a lot of woodchips from green firtrees, and converted a lawn into very fertile soil. We try to put most of our garden waste on top, with some narrow space for walking in beteeen the beds, here we put more woodchips on. We have 3 plumtrees there, with vegetables underneath, this year garlic and lots of kale. Next year I plan to grow various perrennial vegetables there! I have a small container garden also, with 60 and 90 litres containers, with just regular soil in them, but I have been trying to use them the same way - topdress with gardenwaste and or worm compost, I mean. I find it a bit difficult, because I like to grow in them both summer and winter, and I have not been too successful making worm compost, for topdressing. Putting garden waste on top means, that I would have to let them rest in wintertime. I do have a little wormery in my garage, and two large compost bins outside, but it is a very slow process. I might try garden waste on half of my containers in wintertime and grow in the other half, and then vice versa next year. Not intirely satisfying. I only had two smaller plastic pots (the others are terracotta - not fit for wintergrowing) with tomato plants this year, but I tried cutting them off and let the roots remain, then sowed parsley in them. Great idea! One failed to germinate, but the other one is growing - and I just forgot to topdress before sowing, so I will see how it goes. Question: If topdress with worm compost before sowing, will I need to put a layer of not so rich soil on top, to protect the seeds, do you know? Bente, Denmark
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Suzanne
 

Thanks for your blog Mark, it's really interesting. I use no dig on the small bed I have (2m x 1m) and I love it - very few weeds, plants seem to grow well, and reduced time digging/prepping the bed. I've never thought about using it for containers - but it makes sense, particularly if you top wormcast as this will replenish the soil and there will be worms in the cast which will go on to improve the structure of the soil. I am going to give it a go as it would save on resources. Thanks Suzanne
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Martin
 

I try to disturb the soil as little as possible because it's home to all sorts of insects. When I remove plants, l shear off the roots cutting as close as possible to the stem. That way any fungi and other beneficial microorganisms remain in the soil. Sometimes the potting soil in my containers becomes compact so l break it up and thoroughly water it before a new round of planting.
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Sally
 

I cut runner beans down to the base and left the roots in the soil in a 30cm w x 40cm d 1.5 long container. I added some granular organic fertiliser but didn’t dig or mulch. This year the funnier beans were as prolific but with much smaller leaves. Any suggestions for mulching when there are self sown seeds/perennials in containers? I do a lot of cut and drop, chopping up the plant material very finely.
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Sue Edgley
 

It's great that you've done this trial. We have two no-dig allotments. But everything at home is in pots. What depth of worm compost did you add to the pots, Mark?
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Tanya J Priebe
 

I have been trying to grow in containers but I have had no luck at getting even tomatoes to produce anything. I rent so can't really build the dirt the way I use to do, so am just going to stop for now
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Alix B
 

I'm trying to reduce external inputs into my growing - especially targeting bought-in compost. This year I tried growing some of my tomatoes and cucumbers in buckets that were used for growing toms the previous year. Some of them also had garlic in over winter. When I put the toms in, in some buckets, I left the soil undisturbed and just gently mixed some blood and bone into the top few inches. Some buckets I took the top half of the soil, put it into a new bucket and made up the soil with new compost or (when I ran out) old compost with blood and bone. And some buckets had all new compost . To be honest, there wasn't much difference between any of the buckets.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Thanks Suzanne, we are all learning together - so do let us know how it goes.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

That’s really interesting, Sally - the smaller leaves is probably an indication of less nitrogen in the soil. And the fact you got as good a harvest as last year indicates you probably had the ideal amount of nitrogen this year (I’ve occasionally grown huge bean plants with very few beans - not what one wants!). In terms of mulching self seeded crops and perennials, I just leave them until they are large enough and mulch round them with worm compost. I use worm compost because that is what I have. But I think any sort of compost would probably be OK - or well rotted manure.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

That’s a really interesting question, Sally. Many years ago I spoke to someone practising No Dig in containers (it is not new thing!) and he reckoned no container was too small. I haven’t really tested it myself, but I guess it is harder to have the biology you need to quickly rot down roots etc in smaller pots - but they will still rot down. I reckon it is definitely worth trying in bucket sized pots, and may also work in smaller ones. It’s just perhaps the benefits may not be as significant in smaller pots as say in larger pots or raised beds - but that is just a guess. This is definitely something that would be interesting to test.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Thanks for sharing your experience, Glyn, and good to hear you’ve had success with close sowings of spring onions, too. The wind is tricky isn’t it, luckily my plants came through OK this time!
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

That’s super interesting to learn Alix, and great to hear that your experiment worked so well. I’ve tried something similar and found the same. It’s really useful to learn this worked for you. Thanks for sharing.
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David Thomas
 

Hi, I have been practicing no dig in 6×4 ×2 ft raised beds for 5yrs, each autumn i add about 2 inches of fresh compost ready for the new season, so far I have had good results with my tomatoes/Garlic/ onions and peas, I now grow my lettuce/ Parsley/Basildon etc in pots or troughs as the slugs were having a field day with them in the beds.

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Suella Postles
 

When doing no dig in buckets/containers, it helps to support the microbiome by cutting old crops off  rather than pulling them out. That way the roots are left to support the soil and  new sowings/plantings.


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Garden Guy
 

Thank you, Mark, for the enlightening discussion on no-dig gardening and its relevance to container gardening. The insights on soil health and plant growth are invaluable. For those in Dublin looking to integrate these practices into a beautifully designed garden, consider professional garden design services in Dublin. It can help create a functional and attractive garden space. Thanks again for the great advice!

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