No-Dig Gardening

November is an important month in the no-dig gardening calendar, particularly in Brittany, where the weeds keep growing right throught the Winter. The secret of no-dig gardening is to not let weeds get a hold in the vegetable beds; this is achieved by not having earth exposed to the light for any period of time. Any vegetable beds that are empty can be hoed and covered in a thick layer of mulch – well-rotted compost is the best but any vegetable material will do. If you do not have any suitable material to hand, you can help the commune by doing a little independent ‘fauchage’, and cut some of the vegetation from beside the road. This sort of mulch can be laid as thick as you like – the thicker the better: it can be raked off in the Spring and piled up in heaps to complete the process of decomposition into compost. It was not so long ago that neighbours disputed with each other over the right to cut the roadside verges for this useful material, but now you can feel free to take as much as you want.