February 2025

There was a lot of rain in January, over 140 mm/5.5 inches in the end, but I'm pleased how well it's draining through my no dig paths and beds. compared to grassy areas around the different plots here.

For the photo below, I was standing in exactly the same place, as in the main image to this post where you see all the water on the grass. In comparison, these beds and paths have been draining nicely, after 24 mm/an inch of rain in six hours. And that was on saturated soil. The clay under my subsoil is heavy but has bits of grit, which helps water to drain through.

And no dig means that all structure is retained, all the time. Such as the channels of earthworms.

February presents a fantastic opportunity to set the stage for your growing season. Though it might seem like a quiet month, there's quite a bit we can do to prepare, even if it’s still chilly outside. Such as being ready for interesting sowings after mid-month.

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Propagation

The season of sowing approaches, but in my experience, it's better to continue waiting until mid-February at the earliest. The video has thoughts on that, and on potting mixes to use, and I explain the advantages of the module trays I designed.

While February may not lead seeds to germinate without some effort, you can still achieve early propagation , even if off-grid. Now is a time to consider building a hotbed, but it needs a lot of fresh horse manure.

Otherwise use the warmth of a house or an electric heat mat.

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Soft Fruit

A top time to plant berries is February and March. At wide spacing.

Blackcurrants for example, up to 2 m / 6.5 ft between plants. The ones in my photo below are in the small garden, where Adam dug a 30 cm/1' trench, in order tocould cut through tree roots coming from Gert's garden.

There were a lot! It won't solve the problem, but it will allow vegetables to grow more in the summer for two years or so.

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Resources

• My garden planner: See how no-dig principles can work, in this user-friendly design.
• Channel Membership: For tips, trials, and exclusive content, consider joining my YouTube channel community.
• Product Suppliers Worldwide:
  ‍ Discover recommended trays and composts here.

Water, clean and structure

See this video at 13.02 for my explanation of how magnetic water can help plants to grow. It also massively reduces scale inside pipes and kettles and shower heads.

Magnetic water improver  - enter nodig10 at checkout for 10% off price

The water softening is not about removing anything at all. Magnetic charge alters the form of calcium carbonate ("scale") by changing the aragonite to calcite ratio. Those two compounds are calcium deposits in hard water. Calcite makes scale cling to surfaces whereas aragonite is less likely to form scale and keeps moving along with the water.

This understanding aligns with the results I see. I trust results more than theoretical analysis.

China

This impresses me.

Dang Dang Zhou started his Chinese no dig market garden, after studying my Instagram.

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