Each week of the growing season has Charles’ favourite sowing dates for each vegetable, at their best times of year. Every date is based on decades of fine tuning, with his expert observations and learning.
- Use these dates to help you enjoy a regular supply of fresh produce through all four seasons.
As well as sowing dates, Charles has added a brief vegetable growing summary for every month, to help you keep on track.. Plus there are pages about the benefits of no dig, where to buy seeds, and which varieties to sow.
The calendar sowing dates are for a Zone 8b climate in southern UK. You can use this calendar in different climates, with a little adjustment to the dates. If your climate is cooler, sow later by 1-4 weeks in spring, then sow a week or two earlier in summer and autumn, from the solstice onwards.
No Dig Gardening
Compared to my other books, this one has much more about no dig, compost and compost making, and using compost. There is also a history of no dig vegetable gardening in the last hundred years. I want you to understand the context, and the reasons why no dig has not been much valued until recently, and why it is now.
Plus there is a chapter on site evaluation and planning your layout, and a whole section on clearing weeds by mulching, with all the associated details.
Although the book is not a manual of vegetable growing, it has two chapters with detailed planting plans for small spaces. These are based on what I grew there in successive seasons together with the results, and how no dig helped to achieve these results. For the 25m2/270ft2 small garden, there are two years’ of planting plans, and tables of the subsequent harvests.
I use the results of my Homeacres trials to help you understand how no dig works, and the value of different composts. I also question and demonstrate the need, or not, to grow vegetables in a different place each year.
This book is based around the written content and photos of my no dig online course. It has 19 chapters, covering the key methods and wonderful results of no dig.
From starting with weeds, to sowing and planting straightaway and cropping soon after that.
You learn how to:
- Use no dig on different soil types
- Ask questions and recognise gardening myths, to save time and unnecessary effort
- Create and look after beds and paths, with a whole lesson on paths and their value.
- Recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds
- Understand and use different types of mulch or soil cover
- Know the differences between soil, compost and different types of compost
- Make your own compost
- Grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method. There are growing plans for one bed and for the small garden, with photos and tables to illustrate the results.
Each lesson is comprehensively illustrated, with time-sequences of captioned photos from Charles’ highly productive gardens. Lessons finish with a multiple choice quiz to consolidate learning.
This is a highly detailed resource for anyone wishing to learn and garden with the no dig method.
Please be aware that postage costs for international orders may be higher than expected. We use the Royal Mail app so the costs are in line with their latest prices.
Vossie –
Greetings ALL!
Me, I’d give this book ten stars if I could! Santi brought me a copy for Christmas 2020! I’d been watching the No Dig YouTube channel for a while and as a 60+ lad, it all made sense! Our summer backyard garden became a place of happy no-digging! We’re planning a few additional beds for 2022 – the prep is already lashing along merrily!
However, I have another good tale to share – we ordered a book and calendar set for our son and his wife – who have just moved into their first house – in Upstate New York. We also ordered one for my brother and his wife in Indiana – he needs to look after his back too!
We’d asked for personalised Christmas messages in each of the books.
Not much later, we received an email from Nicola regarding the books going out without the messages! BUT – the message further said that the slight slip had been rectified and that a second set of books had been dispatched!
Needless to say – our family in the US were overjoyed with their gifts – and also very happy to share the first, non personalised books with their families!
So… now we have a whole new set of Charles Dowding – No Dig fans in the USA!
On another note… my copy has done the rounds here in our hometown… and I’m hoping to get access to a bigger garden where I can really get to become a CD ND clone!😁😁
Thanks again!
Charles –
I love your enthusiasm and thanks so much for letting us know about your underground no dig cells in NY and IN.
Next you can takeover the US!
We can send leaflets if you like, let Nicola know and may your garden keep growing in every way 🥕
Julie Verdich (verified owner) –
I love all your books, videos and have joiner a lot of your courses. Unfortunately, because you’re now out of EU, I have to pay taxes when I order books to DK from you so it’s getting quite expensive – but you’re worth it and it doesn’t stop me👩🏻🌾 Can’t wait to receive calender and book🤩
Peter Smith –
It won’t allow me to buy, throws me out after entering purchase details.
Charles –
Sorry to see this Peter, others are buying, are your card details ok?
Sandie Rose –
It won’t let me order. I get as far as the ‘shipping option’ but get no further. And before that it didn’t recognise my postcode so had to enter manually.
Then it asked for a rating: I’ve entered 5 stars as your work, book and calendar are excellent so didn’t want to enter less because of an error in trying to order.
Charles –
I’m sorry you had this difficulty Sandie and I don’t know why it should happen. However I’m happy to see that you did succeed in ordering, and I hope you enjoy the book and calendar, thanks for your comment.
Adam Kędziora –
I’m unable to buy this – there seems to be an undisclosed error during transaction.
Charles –
I am sorry to hear this Adam, and I wonder if there could be a problem at your end? because we are selling plenty of these double packs