Organic market gardener Charles Dowding: ‘So many people are intimidated or confused by the advice available’On his own organically managed market garden, Homeacres in Somerset, the neat grids of ultra-productive vegetable beds are typically mulched annually in autumn using compost produced on site with a seven-bay system.
Charles Dowding believes home-made compost is key to the success of the no-dig approach. Photograph: Nicola Smith No, the heap doesn’t have to be brought to a sustained temperature of around 50-55 degrees, although this does help to effectively kill off weed seeds and pathogens and greatly speeds up the process. What’s more important is that the light doesn’t reach any weed material added.
Answering some gardeners’ concerns about the possible risk to soil health from freshly mulched beds left exposed over winter, he explains that the special properties of home-made garden compost mean that it’s completely protective in this regard, requiring no additional cover in the shape of cardboard or plastic sheeting.Another boon is a dramatic reduction in weeds so long as you keep on top of them by regularly hand-weeding or hoeing away any baby seedlings whenever they emerge.