A Water-Less Garden

by Outdoor Urbanite

My container garden is improving rapidly. In addition to herbs like basil, mint and chamomile, we now have grape tomatoes (instead of cherry), swiss chard and hot banana peppers. I am also getting ready to plant a mesclun mix in one long container, and carrots, peas and cantaloupe in big pots this weekend. I thought that would be the end of my planting for a while, but I just found this article about no-dig gardening from the LA Times, so now I am reconsidering my options.

The advantage of a no-dig garden, in addition to not having to dig into the hard, sun-baked Southern California soil is that the method doesn’t require a lot of water because the layers of the no-dig garden retain moisture longer. It’s not a “waterless” garden; it just needs to be watered less often. It is also great for people who don’t have a lot of outdoor space. Plus, PIC has been totally gung-ho on the idea of getting a composter, so if we start a no-dig garden, at least we’d have an immediate use for the compost. My only concern is that if I commit to a no-dig garden, there won’t be enough space left over for even a chaise lounge. So I guess this weekend I’ll do some measuring and see if a no-dig garden can work into my dream of a garden oasis.

Here are some more no-dig gardening resources:

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