It’s hard not to associate the idea of gardening with images of getting stuck in with a trowel or a spade, turning over some soil, and digging deep!

But at Chiswick House and Gardens, our gardeners and volunteers employ a different approach, utilising a ‘no dig’ method that’s become increasingly popular in recent years, due to the benefits it provides for soil health and structure and overall garden biodiversity.

Traditional digging techniques can prove surprisingly harmful to soil and the various life forms it supports, shattering important drainage channels created by worms, tearing up delicate fungal networks, and releasing trapped carbon from the earth.

The no dig method, in contrast, aims to minimise this disturbance. This technique instead relies on applying layers of compostable organic material to the top of existing flower and vegetable beds and allowing this mulch to be slowly broken down by the inhabitants and conditions of the soil.

The result? Soil that is healthier, better-drained, contains more beneficial plant nutrients, and more able to support the huge variety of microbes, worms and insects that naturally live within it.

At heart, no dig is about creating a garden that is beneficial to humans – one that yields lots of healthy vegetables, flowers and fruit – while also minimising the impact on the lifeforms already present, working with and for natural ecosystems rather than against them.

Rosie Fyles, Head of Gardens at Chiswick House & Gardens, said:

From our no dig policy, to no-kill pest control methods, The Chiswick House Kitchen Garden is a place where we’re proud to do things differently. Run on organic principles, and maintained by staff, volunteers and members of the local community, the garden is a thriving space for growing flowers, fruit and vegetables, and an important resource for the local community, regularly hosting school workshops and gardening sessions with local charity groups.

“Advocating for the environmentally-friendly methods we employ here, and for the importance of sustainability in gardening and food production, is a key part of our mission and you will see how we garden across the estate changing too.

Interested in finding out more about the gardening methods used in the Kitchen Garden? Pay a visit during opening hours (10.30am to 3.30pm, Thursday to Sunday, until October 27) and take a look at what we’re growing this season.

Visitors on Fridays can also have a go at creating their own teabag, selecting leaves and flowers from the tea garden to produce their own unique blend.