The No Dig Gardening online course is perfect for when you’re starting out. It’s also a great way to consolidate your existing understanding of no dig.
I’ll walk you through how to start with the soil you have, so you can grow beautiful, healthy vegetables. You’ll learn how to get your soil right, and how that leads to saving time and bountiful harvests.
One great aspect of no dig is that you don’t need any expensive kit, or any fertilisers or feeds. Almost everything you need is in the soil. So before you rush off to spend a lot at the garden centre make sure you do this course. It’ll save you time and money! By the end of the course, you’ll have all the knowledge and confidence you need to produce amazing results.
I just finished your No Dig Gardening course. What a great course. Your enthusiasm and teachings are an inspiration! Thank you.
John Legwin
I explain the course in more detail in this video, though please note that some aspects of the course have been updated since the video was made.
Course Content
- No Dig Gardening consists of 6 modules containing 19 lessons.
- All lessons contain instructional videos, the majority of which are exclusive to the course.
- There is a multiple choice quiz at the end of each lesson, for enjoyment and to consolidate learning. A certificate on completion of the course can also be sent via email on request.
- There are no downloadable PDFs or worksheets.
- You will have lifetime access to the course, which allows you to refer back to any part at any time.
See the bottom of the online course overview page for FAQs.
Below is a brief description of the six modules. You can dive into any lesson at any time, but I’d recommend working your way through from the beginning, and taking the quizzes as you go. However, it is up to you!
Module 1 – Introducing the course and no dig
You’ll learn how to use the course, the secret to enjoyable gardening and the history and benefits of no dig.
Module 2 – Top results for less time needed
We explore the results of no dig on different soils. You’ll see how it compares to growth in dug soil with side-by-side trials. I also talk you through the jobs you don’t need to do. I love breaking down gardening myths, especially when it saves you time!
Module 3 – Laying out beds and paths
It’s time to consider how you might set up your garden, including paths. We explore what size and alignments will work best for you and how to keep paths weed-free.
Mulching in year one leads to weed-free soil. You’ll learn how to identify different types of weeds, how to deal with them and how to stay weed-free.
Module 5 – Fertility, compost and soil
I provide simple definitions of fertility, compost and soil. We look at composts you can buy or source for free, and how to make it at home in the space you have.
Module 6 – Small space successions, with a course summary
I show you how to create a bed with compost on weeds and plant in it the same day. You’ll also learn about vegetable choices and planting methods. The course finishes with a summary talk and a final quiz.
**Student discount – 60% off for those in full-time education – please email [email protected]**
You can purchase this course as a whole or in separate modules. It can also be bought as a gift voucher.
We offer discounts the for the purchase of multiple courses: a two-course package and a three-course package.
The complete course is also available in French – Le Jardinage Sans Travail Du Sol.
No Dig Gardening – online course
No Dig Gardening – online course
£95.00
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Sharon O’Cinneide –
I found you on YouTube and when covid hit my husband bought me some seeds, built me 2 raised beds and re-awakened my love of gardening. I grew so many vegetables in a tiny area and couldn’t believe how few weeds there were, I was sold on No Dig and signed up for the 3 course package.
I’ve just finished the No Dig course. It was just brilliant and I learned SO much. I’m so excited to get my new greenhouse and expand the veg beds. I would highly recommend this course and give it 10 stars if I could! Thank you Charles for an amazing course!
Charles –
Thank you for writing Sharon. I’m really happy to hear of your successes, and wish you many more big harvests!
Maurizio –
I Charles, I’ve been following you for two years now. You have really great knowledge. I am going to apply the no-dig method in my family garden. I have just bought the special bundle of 47.
Many thanks
Maurizio from Italy
Charles –
Great to hear Maurizio! 🌱
Charlotte McDonald Woods (verified owner) –
Charlotte McDonald Woods – February 8, 2022
I have just finished and enjoyed this course so much and have learnt a lot. I have already told my friends about No Dig and am now really excited to start. I have just moved house and there is an old vegetable garden which I will be turning into a No Dig vegetable garden. Thank you so much.
[email protected] –
I gardened for over 30 years when I happened upon Charles’ videos on Youtube, and have been a devoted fan ever since. Soon after my first viewing of his video I moved to a new house and immediately covered large area of lawn, thus starting my own no dig garden. In winter I took this course, and was astonished how much vital practical information Charles was sharing. His knowledge is extensive, and he shares it with ease, great skill, and much charm. The course is well organized, the information easily understandable and thorough.
The results were impressively immediate, required minimum of physical work, compared to the long back breaking process I suffered through every time I started a new garden. The everyday maintenance of my garden requires much less physical exertion now, and so became even more enjoyable. I was growing great vegetables in no time. Then, when the greenhouse was ready, I followed Charles’ calendar for starting seeds (adjusting dates to his, spot on, suggestions for New England US). Last summer the productivity was astonishing, I ended up feeding the neighborhood!
I owe a great deal of gratitude to Charles for generously posting on Youtube, and for putting together his amazing courses. I am a new gardener once more, and I think I might be able to garden for many more years than I thought I would be able to.
Oh, and THANK YOU Charles for making your modules available in the US!
Ana –
¡Hola!
Me gustaría saber si el curso está solamente en inglés o también en Español.
Gracias y un saludo
Charles –
Gracias Ana, y me temo que solo está en inglés por el momento. Es poco probable que podamos vender lo suficiente para pagar el costo de traducir al español. Espero que disfrutes de los subtítulos en español de mis videos.
Yael de mayo –
So the “ growingsuccess” code doesn’t seem to work on either course 1/2 🙁
I want to buy the next online course (2), is there a code that works for the half prifce?
Thank you so much a head!
Charles –
Yael I’m so sorry, remembered it wrong, the coupon is successbonus – works for 1 & 2
Yael de-Mayo –
Hey there from Israel 🙂
Question:
I’ve seen this course on the website just after purchasing its book and only realized it’s an online course on exactly what’s on the book when I received it. If so, is there a reason for me to buy the online course too, or just keep a head with the following second?
Thanks a head!
Charles –
Hello Yael, and thanks for buying the book.
The course is an expanded and slightly more up-to-date version of the book. The big addition in the course is videos, which you won’t find on YouTube or anywhere else. Since you have the book, I would look at saving up for a course to online. You can use a code, growingsuccess, to buy it half price.
Or in January, we are bringing out a book of course two, modified and again without the videos!
Marlan –
Goodafternoon Mr dowdinf at the end of the course do we receive a certificate of completion
Charles –
Hello Marian. Yes you do receive a certificate. It’s generated by the plugin, and if you want a more personal one, feel free to mail us through Contact.
Alistair Bradley (verified owner) –
As someone just starting out in setting up a small market garden I knew that there must be a better way than methods such as rototilling, flame weeding and plastic-based weed barriers used by many other organic gardeners…. in this course Charles Dowding teaches that better way in wonderful detail sharing the results of his side-by-side trials and years of experience growing. The course left me with the understanding and confidence to quickly and efficiently set up highly productive beds with a foundation of trust in natural soil life and structure.
Keboletse Lelekanye –
Impatiently waiting to enrol in this course as soon as I get the money
María Teresa González –
Hola! soy de Chile (sudamerica) y necesitamos todo esto (libros y cursos) en español, por favor. Un fuerte abrazo Charles y gracias por inspirarnos.
Charles –
Haha this would be such a big undertaking for us I’m afraid.
First the cost of translating so many words, then redesigning the book to fit the different language, then finding a Spanish publisher in South America. At the moment that is all more than we can manage.
I asked Chelsea Green Publishers in the USA what they thought about it and they said it may not be economical, however we shall keep trying and looking. Thanks for your interest Maria!
Victor fabionar –
I have 10 acres I’ve been saving for 35 years untouched in California for this type of gardening/ farming
Charles –
Fantastic!
Katrin Uverskaja –
As a gardener who has implemented various versions of no dig for more than 10 years, an avid reader of Charles’s books and blog articles and follower of his YouTube channel, I hesitated a bit before purchasing a Course 1, thinking that I know quite a lot about this subject. But I am SO glad I did, because Course 1 is full of myriad of additional information and details, the course answered most of my why’s and how’s. Now I can say with confidence that I have a solid foundation in Charles’s No-Dig method. Highly recommended both for total novices as well as those, who are experienced gardeners!
Kristen Parillo –
I have been absorbing the No Dig YouTube videos for over a year now and have purchased your books. I have been incorporating so many of these techniques with incredible success here in my garden (New York State, USA, zone 5A). I am so looking forward to starting a module this week so I can incorporate it into this coming years garden. I recommend the videos and books to all of my gardening buddies, many of whom are new to gardening, now I can recommend the modules as well!
Charles –
I am happy to hear of your gardening success Christine and thanks for buying this, which I hope will consolidate your new knowledge.
Jinnie Bartlett –
If you have ever found yourself lost when trying to learn a subject, you need to do a course with Charles Dowding. Easy to follow and explained well. This course gives you all the knowledge you need to set up your No-Dig garden – even if like me you have a bit of a ‘sow’s ear’ of a plot! The photos and ‘movies’ (Vimeo and Youtube) show everything clearly and in enough depth. So whether you have a balcony, garden or bigger area this is the course to do. Thank you Charles and the Team. Brilliant.
Beth D (verified owner) –
Absolutely loved taking this course and immediately being able to apply what I learned in my small kitchen garden in coastal New England in the US. I just love how the videos and course content takes the time to make sure we’ve got the fundamentals squared away first, and the quizzes are brilliant at ensuring each lesson stays in my brain. I’m usually more of a reader for learning than a video watcher, but the balance here is superb — and the videos themselves are so entertaining, soothing and encouraging at the same time. Can’t recommend these courses enough. Thank you so much, Charles, for all of the great information, warmth, and encouragement to gardeners of all stripes.
Sarah Barthel –
I’ve completed the online courses 1 and 2 and absolutely loved them.
I’ve had a small veg garden in the past but failed terribly, weeds moved in and took over. I tried it for a second year, with even worse results. After that experience I scrapped the idea of a veg garden. It took me over 10 years to attempt it again but I knew I needed help. I came across Charles in my online research and started watching some of his videos and read the articles and his no dig approach and rationale just made sense to me. Questions I’ve had for a long time and couldn’t find any satisfactory answers for were answered in a 10 minute video and I was hooked!
I’ve established my current garden while studying the course material, so it was a great time to learn about different techniques and implementing them in my garden straight after. I’ve originally planned on only growing salads and tomatoes in my first year but the course gave me so much more confidence that my plan expanded the further I got in the courses. Now I am also growing cucumber, peppers, courgettes, cabbage, kale, chard, beans, beetroot, spring onions, leeks and many more. And the best thing, even though I missed the start of the growing season (I only got the polytunnel established in June and my outside veg beds in July), I’ve managed to get great results and some really good harvests with many more still to come.
So, thank you Charles for these great courses and for sharing your knowledge. I really appreciate it as do my friends and neighbours who have had a steady supply of fresh veg over the last couple of months.
For anyone thinking about doing either course, I would highly recommend it, it is the best money you’ll ever spend.
leslie sirvent –
I love gardening. I started as many, learning the digging method and getting all dizzy with nutrients and soil tests! I was noticing my soil was getting all compacted and dry and so started to search online what was i doing wrong. I was lucky enough to find Charles YouTube videos.
Something deep down told me this was the true way! it made total sense to observe, understand and follow the example of Nature rather than human-complicated methods! I started the no dig method after watching some of the videos and so this year i decided to take Charles No Dig course.
Sadly i can´t visit Homeacres now since i live in Chilean Patagonia, but did the online course and i have only the most amazing things to say!! This is an incredible course! Charles has a beautiful way of sharing his wisdom and love for gardening. He has no problem sharing all his secrets and that is invaluable! I will start the second course tomorrow!!!
I have to confess i was getting a little overwhelmed with the old techniques (digging) and slowly my love and passion for plants was starting to get blurry. But, after finding No Dig (Thanks to Charles and his friends) now, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! hahaha.
I am infinitely grateful! THANK YOU!
Charles –
Lovely to see this Leslie and many thanks for writing.
I hope life is good in Patagonia, so incredibly far away!
May your garden flourish.
Annie Zakiewicz –
Due to lockdown I have rediscovered my love of gardening. A bit of a circuitous route led me to the “No Dig” videos on Youtube. I bought the books, but wanted more. Visual learning suits me best, so I embarked upon the online courses. I have nearly finished course 1 and am looking forward to course 2. I am really enjoying my “No Dig” journey, building my garden as I go. I have learned loads and unlearnt a lot of gardening myths that are no longer relevant!! Thank you Charles for your gentle and uncomplicated teaching style.
Charles –
Ah thanks Annie. Nice you are making a garden bit by bit.
I like the ‘unlearnt’ bit. I am still unlearning, about life in general too!
Patricia Huskins –
By far the best online course I have ever taken.
Well structured, organised and tremendously practical.
All subjects are thoroughly covered with loads of information, pictures and videos. The quizes are of invaluable measure in consolidating the acquired knowledge.
Charles obviously knows what he is talking about and his inquisitive mind leaves no room for dogmatic approaches, most refreshing.
Best of all: study and apply the same day if so wished.
Who would have thought that an OAP would start a small (really small) veg plot/bed in one of the most densely populated areas of The Netherlands :-)!
Thank you Charles you are truly inspirational.
Charles –
How lovely Patricia and I am delighted you enjoyed it so much, wish you happy cropping!
Billy Bowen –
Thank you very much for your course! I have enjoyed it and aim to make better compost this year! I will start the next course this coming winter. I would also thank you for giving me a better out look on life, confirming my feeling that life is beautiful if you encourage it and work with nature.
Charles –
Ah such a nice comment, thanks.
I hope you are finding the opportunities and materials you need, to set up your garden and make all the sowings and plantings.
Susan Soutar –
I thoroughly enjoyed your course and have learnt so much. I am just starting out on an allotment plot and using lots of your no dig principles. I’m already noticing how much fewer weeds I have compared to my plot-holder neighbours. And I’m loving weed-free paths!
Trish Cormack –
Thank you so much for your fantastic course, I really enjoyed it. I was attracted to “no dig” gardening because of the no digging – of course! Who wants to break their back gardening? Also the fact that it mimics nature was appealing, I’d always wondered why we had to faff around with all the digging and adding chemicals when nature gets on perfectly well without us interfering. But the biggest bonus that I wasn’t aware of till I did your course was the lack of weeding – that is just the most fantastic thing.I’m looking forward to Course 2 now! Trish, May 2020
Bryn Evans –
Hi Charles,
Just completed course 1 (about to study course 2) and I have to say, I found it much more comprehensive than I envisaged. The detail, information and knowledge you have managed to get across is immeasurable.
Iv been a Professional chef and restaurateur for over 20 years and I always had a love for vegetables (eating and growing) although I’ve had so many years of failed attempts with weed invasions, failed growth, rabbit eaten leaves and dodgy soils (or so previously thought).
Now living in Northern Ireland with my Irish wife (I’m originally Welsh!) on an old arable farm we inherited, we are slowly turning it into a small holding and the vegetables will be a rewarding addition. You’ve given me so much confidence and knowledge to get going I can’t tell you how pleased with the course I am. Quite literally the best money I’ve spent in a long time.
Thank you 🙏
Charles –
Ah thanks so much Bryn, lovely feedback for my work and I am heartened to he helping you on what sounds quite a journey.
Good luck with the transition from chef to farmer and gardener, a good time to be doing it.
Stewart Warrilow –
It’s been really useful to work through the course. I wish I had done it months ago!
I already started no dig in January after seeing your YouTube channel but the course content is so much more in depth and the course structure provides a greater understanding. I expect to forget things so I’m grateful I can easily refer back to the lessons.
Onward and upwards with the second course now!
Ben Westwood –
Very enjoyable course and very informative, we have been following you on YouTube for about 18 months and been practicing your methods but this course was a great help going more in depth into it. Have already started to re do our pathways since completing that lesson! Look forward to the next course!
Samantha Clark –
After completing Online course 1 I am growing veg on an exposed site in Orkney I have gale force winds to keep me plenty sharp! I’d be lost without my max-strength Keder greenhouse. But thanks to your technique of putting very small plants out under fleece and nestling them down into the mulch a bit, I’m already cropping spinach, pea shoots and lettuce OUTSIDE! In April, at 59 degrees North!
Charles –
Hi Sam
Ah this is cool, what a great result! You are now well placed for the long days of May, with well-established plants, and a highly qualified no digger. Well done.
Michael Millburg –
After completing the Online Course, I feel the value of the information that I have received is worth much more than the actual cost. Nobody does a better job than Charles of collecting information from experiences and then summarizing and providing this information to the benefit of others. For me, the cost of the Online Course was a very small price to pay in order to gain 36 years of experience!
Charles –
Hello Michael, this is nice to hear, thank you.
Fumi Davis –
I’ve been so fascinated by all the information you’ve provided in the course that I couldn’t stop! Since English is not my first language, it’s been frustrating not being able to go faster than I wanted. You have been answering so many questions I’ve had for years in ways that totally make sense to me. I can’t wait to keep learning from the next course! Thank you so much for making this available for us.
Charles –
Ah this is nice feedback, thanks.
And I hope you like the next course, with many many details!
Melita Feltrin –
Such a great thing! I would recommend it even to the people who don’t have a garden, but want to understand more about how their food should be grown.
While learning, you can study in the morning, make a plan and apply it to the garden in the afternoon. You see immediate results and you cannot really believe it is true and that simple.
Thanks Charles for your broad view and leaving many possibility open, so that everyone can enjoy gardening at its finest.
John Legwin –
I just finished your Course 1. What a great course. Your enthusiasm and teachings are an inspiration! Thank you.
Charles –
Ah thanks John and I am happy you enjoyed it. Kind regards, and congratulations on passing.
Purcelle Fox-Hughes –
I’ve been growing veg for years and really enjoyed your course (and just enrolled for your second one). No dig just makes sense to me. We live in Tasmania and
moved to 6 acres a few years ago and a bit like your plot started with bare paddocks. I’m in my fifties and retiring in a month or so – to devote more time to growing – possibly a commercial crop at some point. In the meantime, over Autumn I’ll be dealing with my very weedy outdoor veg garden – it will involve lots of cardboard!😊
Charles –
Hi Purcelle,
Wow a big property! Plenty of potential and you have plenty of lovely work to do 🙂
Keep well, Charles
Jimmy Corrigan –
Many thanks for your message. I’ve taken so much from the course and can’t wait to get into part two! Thanks for sharing all your awesome content.
Erica –
I greatly appreciate you sharing your observations and knowledge, and the time and effort it took you to put these courses together. They have helped me tremendously in many ways… one of which is giving me the courage to tackle gardening again… this time with hope. These courses have simple and practical knowledge that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Virginia Richardson –
I loved doing the course and felt I have learnt so much. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences and helping me along on my gardening adventure!
L.H. (verified owner) –
I never leave reviews, but this time I want to.
The course was brilliant in every way. I learnt a great deal; the section on gardening myths was particularly interesting.
The course was worth every penny to me as I have gained life long skills in vegetable gardening that will save me so much time and money over the years.
One tip I’d give you is that I wrote out all the quiz questions and answers in a note book, and it has just made it that little bit easier to check back on things as they crop up.
charles –
Many thanks for the review Luke, and I wish you fine harvests
June Williams –
I have really enjoyed the course and learned so much! I did take my time as I wanted to absorb everything- I know I will be revisiting it all the time as well.
Looking forward to another online course
Jerilyn Ingram –
Thank you so much! It was fabulous! I will definitely be recommending it to others!