Mike Lyle wrote:
Dave wrote:
George.com wrote:
Has anyone experimented with, made use of, no dig gardening? I'm
interested in your experiences and opinions, how you got started,
successes or failures etc.

I tried planting butternut and acorn squash in a thickly mulched plot
last year and had mixed results. The acorn squash plants all turned
yellow and died. The weeds still grew, just a bit more slowly. The
butternut produced modestly. What else has to be done and how much
attention has to be given to soil testing? Thanks.

I don't know about acorn, but I did grow butternut once, before I was
told it was impossible! It was a heat-wave year, and they did rather
well. Others here will tell you not to bother, as (unless they've
produced a variety suitable for the British climate) they want a long
hot summer. If you don't get many replies, a Google Groups search of the
group archive will bring up a lot of stuff from the past couple of
years.

I don't think soil testing is worth the expense for most amateurs: if
your garden grows stuff, and you do the usual feeding routine, it's OK.

Oh, this thread is being cross-posted across three groups. I'm located
in the midwest US. The Summer here can be quite hot and dry. In fact it
was rather difficult to judge when the mulched plot needed water. UK
weather is probably similar to the northwest US.

Dave