I live in Central Portugal and have created my garden from nothing 9 years ago. I decided to use the no dig method with raised beds and pathways between, the same in my poly tunnel too. It’s been a challenge as the soil here has not had any nutrients for many years (our farm was abandoned for 50 years before we bought it in 2002) and was basically crushed granite with no organic matter. It took us 12 years to renovate the farm buildings but as we were travelling too and fro from the UK to do it we could not start a garden or plant anything!! I had to be very patient.
We finally moved to Portugal permanently in June 2014 so I could start to make my first garden here. It’s now a thriving area where I make lots of compost, we have animals to help with the manure and compost production as well. The soil has improved massively allowing me to grow all year round and the poly tunnel plays a big part in this. I also have a grape/kiwi arbour happily producing eating grapes and two varieties of kiwis as well as our own small vineyard. I grow massive quantities of tomatoes and vegetables for canning to keep us going through the winter, this year I have over 100L of tomatoes, vegetable sauce and tomato puree tucked away in the pantry.
I love my garden and hope to keep it producing well long into the future, the no dig method is absolutely key to our success. I shall be celebrating No Dig Day on 3rd November.
