Build a better vegetable patch with this no-dig method, borrowed from organic farms in rural Australia. The no-dig piles are fairly stable, but some gardeners prefer to build boxes to contain them. The materials below are enough to build a 4-by-8-foot raised bed.
Materials
2 to 3 pounds bloodmeal and bonemeal
Newspapers
1 bale of herbicide-free alfalfa hay
1 bale of herbicide-free straw (use bedding straw, not feed straw, which has viable seeds)
10 cubic feet of compost (preferably homemade)
| Step 1. Moisten the soil thoroughly with a hose and add a generous dusting of bloodmeal and bonemeal. Wear a mask to avoid inhaling the dust. (Repeat the watering and dusting step after adding each layer to the pile.) |  |
| Step 2. Cover the ground with ¼ to ½ inch of newspapers. |  |
| Step 3. Place 4-inch-deep pads of alfalfa hay on top of the newspaper. |  |
| Step 4. Add 8-inch-deep pads of straw on top of the alfalfa hay. |  |
| Step 5. Top with 4 inches of compost. |  |
| Step 6. Plant vegetable seedlings or sow seeds in the compost layer. Top-dress with more straw or grass clippings. |  |
Tips
Don’t skimp on compost.
Don’t skip the bloodmeal and bonemeal. Bloodmeal adds nitrogen and bonemeal adds phosphorus to the layers, which is key to fostering decomposition of the hay and straw.
Start with shallow-rooted plants in the first month or two.
Keep young seeds and seedlings moist. Watering can be cut back significantly after plants are 6 to 7 inches tall.