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No Dig Gardening – online course
Experience The Incredible Benefits Of The No Dig Gardening Method
**Student discount – 60% off for those in full-time education – please email [email protected]**
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Learn how to grow more food and flavour in less time, through the exclusive No Dig Gardening Online Course.
What To Expect
We guide you through the no dig methods, whether you are a beginner or experienced.
- Grow on the land you have – no dig works on different soil types.
- Learn simple steps to create new beds and nice clean paths.
- Become a compost maker – Charles shows you how.
- Get rid of those weeds, identify and manage weed growth.
- Grow successions of vegetables – Charles gives detailed cropping plans, for one bed and his Small Garden.
Save time – Enjoy gardening – Less weeding – No dig soil health – Bountiful harvests!
Charles Dowding is a world authority on no dig gardening, learn from his decades of experience. Tried and tested methods, common sense and easy to understand.
See the bottom of this page for Online Course FAQs.
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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
Course Description
In this course, you discover the excellent and time-saving results of no dig.
It is based on my lifetime’s experience of developing successful methods – centred on no dig – and I demonstrate these throughout, with clear explanations.
It is about starting right and continuing easily.
As well as sharing my methods, I give you the understandings behind them. Then you can successfully adjust them to different gardens, weather and life demands.
During the course, I show the fantastic results no dig. You learn examples of cropping in different beds and areas, including a year’s crop plan for my ‘Small Garden’.
The basis of good and easy gardening is fertile soil, with few weeds. You learn about clearing weeds without digging, and the relaxed routine of maintaining weed-free beds and paths. Then I explain how fertility is more about soil life than nutrients, and how we can encourage soil organisms to work with us in a lively soil.
Some of my teachings are different to commonly held beliefs, and in all cases I explain why, and how my methods can save you so much time. Most people still believe that digging helps, but see this comment from Timothy K. in winter 2020:
I made the mistake of straying from your advice, and I tried “amending” my clay heavy soil in areas instead of continuing to add on compost with no-dig. This winter we’ve had a lot of rain and the only bed that has not flooded is the bed I left as no-dig! Now I know that digging around helps nothing, certainly not drainage. My no-dig bed absorbs the water like its nothing.
No dig is not complicated – just such a straightforward, easy way of enhancing soil drainage, moisture retention and root health. You don’t need expensive apparatus or special kit, nor any fertilisers or feeds. The answer is in the soil!
In summary, this course will:
- Save you time
- Give you great pleasure in gardening
- Improve your soil and garden ecology
- Result in wonderful food to eat
Such results are possible for any gardener, when they follow the no dig methods of caring for their soil and plants.
Take your gardening further with my course about Skills for Growing wonderful vegetables, created from my lifetime experience. Learn about timings of sowing and picking, planning, seeds and sowing, spacing, succession planting, winter gardening, perennial vegetables, and using covers for protection against weather and pests.
In summary, easy methods for more harvests in less space.
Course Content
The course consists of 6 modules, broken down into 19 lessons. The lessons are illustrated with tables, diagrams and full colour, captioned photos of my gardens at Homeacres. All of the 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 on request.
Having lifetime access allows you to refer back to any part of the course, at any time.
There are no downloadable pdf’s or worksheets.
How the Course Works
You can work your way through the lessons at your own pace – there is no rush and I encourage you to take your time.
I have not set a time frame for each lesson as I notice how everyone learns at a different speed, and sometimes slow is good. There is a lot of information to absorb, information that empowers.
Below is a brief description of all the modules and lessons. 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!
The quizzes can be completed in non-sequential order. Each one contains between 4 and 15 questions – they are automatically graded, and easy to reset if an answer is wrong.
One thing I can’t offer is personal support, there are not enough hours in my day for it. You will find a lot of “me” in the course, answering the questions I am commonly asked, and you can contact me via this website.
Course Overview
Module 1 – Introducing the course and no dig
Introduction
I explain how my course fits together, how to use it, and how it shows you great ways to garden more efficiently and enjoyably.
The history of no dig – always successful – makes one wonder why it has not caught on before in a bigger way. I explain the benefits to soil and gardener.
Lesson 1 – The advantages and history of no dig
We start with an overview of the advantages of no dig, and why it’s such an effective method. To help you to understand more about it, I’ve put together a history of no dig practice. It will help you to give you more of an idea of where we are now, and reminds us that there is nothing new under the sun.
Lesson 2 – Simple, time saving, productive
An overview of the no dig method, and how it enables comprehensive weed clearance at the same time as successional plantings throughout the season. I explain the simplicity and the time saving benefits, while showing you the results.
Module 2 – Top results for less time needed
In this module, we explore the results of no dig on different soils, and also how it compares to growth in dug soil. We look at results from the side-by-side trials I run, including the dig/no dig comparison beds which I have cropped every year since 2007. I give you my perspectives on the results.
No dig has, until recently, been frowned on by traditional gardeners and institutions. However this is now changing. The process of change shows how it can be good to question accepted beliefs. I encourage you to develop your hunches in order to understand gardening more fully.
Lesson 3 – No dig on different soils, from stone to clay
Whether your soil is clay, stony or sandy, no dig is the best method for being time efficient, holding fertility and giving fine harvests. I show you my first market garden on stony limestone soil from 1982, then two market gardens on clay, before the silt of Homeacres. Plus we look at clay in Kent and sand in Florida.
Lesson 4 – Results of my Two Bed Trial
I add my interpretations to the sometimes dramatic differences you see. These beds reveal a lot about both dig and no dig, with comparisons that are always fascinating, including when differences are small.
Lesson 5 – Results of my Three Strip Trial
This wide-ranging trial compares growth when using different composts, and when soil is loosened by forking. In addition, there is a “no rotation” element, and you see the results of growing leeks and cabbage for four years consecutively in the same soil.
Lesson 6 – The jobs you don’t need to do
One of my favourite topics is gardening myths! They are so numerous, and so obvious when you analyse them, and it’s fun to realise how much time we can save. Understanding how they came about also helps us to understand more about how soil and plants are often explained, and how we can spot more mistakes.
Module 3 – Laying out beds and paths
I explain how you might set up a garden, including the benefits and importance of well-maintained paths. You see examples from different parts of Homeacres, and from my previous garden at Lower Farm.
Lesson 7 – Bed width and orientation, with sides or without
You can have beds of any width, and align them in whichever way works best for you in the context of your site. I explain the value of sides to beds in some situations, and the many reasons you may not want them.
Lesson 8 – Pathways to value, and extra harvests
How to clear paths of weeds and keep them weed free, and why this is worthwhile. I explain reasons for having paths of different widths, and how narrow paths without bed sides can increase your cropping.
Module 4 – Weeds
This is a huge topic and second only to soil, particularly if you have a weedy site when starting out. Appropriate mulching in year one leads you to experience the joy of weed free soil. Not 100% weed free for sure, but highly manageable, and I show you how.
- Identify your main weeds to know better how to mulch, what types of mulch to use, and how to stay weed free all the time.
- Learn the important differences between annual and perennial weeds.
Lesson 9 – Two types of weeds
It helps to name and understand each weed, so you have an idea of how to mulch or remove the mix you may find. In particular, I explain the characteristics and differences of annual and perennial weeds, and how their growth tendencies affect what you need to do in order to achieve clean soil for easy growing.
Lesson 10 – Going weed free with organic mulches
Eliminating perennial weeds is possible with no dig, and here is the how-to, using mulches of organic matter only. When digging out perennial weeds, there are always a few roots that regrow; with no dig, 100% elimination is possible.
Lesson 11 – Going weed free with non-organic mulches
Non-organic mulches – plastic of various kinds – do not look nice, but sometimes have a use in year one, mainly for reducing and eliminating perennial weeds. You can also reuse the same plastic, several times if needed.
I show how to use them in conjunction with organic matter, to improve soil at the same time as clearing weeds and growing a harvest.
Lesson 12 – Staying weed free
You always need to be aware of how weeds can recolonise soil, and react to them when seen, yet no dig takes all the pressure out of this. I explain how weeding can be enjoyable, because there is little of it to do. I share tips on how to stay weed free in this lovely scenario.
Module 5 – Fertility, compost and soil
These three words have a usage and meaning that varies with context. I give you the definitions that matter for no dig, simpler than often explained.
Soil and compost behave so differently. We look at composts you can buy or source for free, and how to make compost at home.
Lesson 13 – Make your own compost
Homemade compost has abundant life, and I show how to increase the microbes and organisms. Everybody’s heaps and additions are different; once you have a grasp of the principles, you can create a process that works in your space.
Lesson 14 – What is fertility?
Fertility is often equated to nutrients feeding plants, yet true and long-term fertility is about so much more than this. I explain how easy it is to grow great plants when you know surprisingly little about nutrient supply and uptake. Green fingers and a biological approach, rather than calculations and spreadsheets!
Lesson 15 – Comparing soil and compost: a trial
I had a fun comment on Instagram, a “professional horticulturist” who declared that soil and compost are the same thing! I show you how they are not, why they are not and how it helps your gardening when you understand the differences.
Lesson 16 – Types of compost and trial results
The one word “compost” covers so many products and possibilities. Enjoy the tour of different types in this lesson, and the results of growth comparisons from using four of them.
Module 6 – Small space successions, with a course summary
How to create a bed with compost on weeds – you can plant it straightaway, then see how everything grows. I explain the cropping plans for this bed through a few seasons, and the harvests too.
I use my small garden of 25m² (269ft2) to show you how, in no dig, plantings can succeed each other through the course of one year. You will learn some vegetable choices and planting methods.
Lesson 17 – Making a bed and five years’ cropping
This is a story of one bed: how we made it in a morning then planted and sowed in the afternoon, and its subsequent growth over the following years. Year five shows possibilities for interplanting. Plus I have used the bed to trial unusual vegetables, so you have a peek at which may be worthwhile, and which may not be.
Lesson 18 – Two years’ cropping plans and harvests
The small garden is 25m2 ( 269ft2); I take you through the details of soil preparation (very little!), spring sowing, planting, edging and harvesting. Then you see the new plantings in summer, meaning that every part of the garden has grown two, or even three vegetables in one year.
Lesson 19 – a video of my talk, and the final quiz
To finish off the course, a one hour video summarises my approach to no dig, and all of its benefits.
The video also looks at aspects of growing, covered in my online course Skills for Growing.
Feedback from the No Dig Course
Attila Trombitas
I have enjoyed every minute of the course, and looking forward to put in practice all the new knowledge about no dig.
Elke Rittenhouse, NY
I’ve enjoyed your first course and learned a lot. You helped me start my garden in New York. I have the beds ready. I’m composting, enjoying every minute of sourcing and feeding the bin. I’m not shy about rummaging through the pick offs from the vegetable aisle at my local grocery store. What I like about your course is that there is no recipe to follow, you offer different ways to start your bed, and I’ve learned to use what is accessible to me and to do what works in my area.
Beata Wypich, Poland
There was a lot of valuable and new information for me – your course is very good. For beginners in particular, but not only for them.
Clear instructions in simple words, and a few words of advanced knowledge here and there. All those films and charts! Informative and emotional at the same time! I think it is worth it’s price.
Jerilyn Ingram, Ireland
I studied the online course, and this was my first year following your methods. I can’t get over the amount of vegetables I have harvested and how healthy and vibrant everything is! Took me 50 years of gardening, but I finally got it right!
Donna Jones in Wales
I wasn’t sure about taking your course as I had learned so much from your YouTube channel, books, and a talk you gave at Llandeilo last year. I took it anyway, as I thought If nothing else it would consolidate what I had learned, and was also a way to give back as I appreciate the hard work that goes into all those videos and blog posts etc. However, I got a lot more from the course than anticipated and feel I have a really solid understanding of no dig now.
I am so glad I found your YouTube channel, and for the course. Without no dig I would have really struggled to manage the allotment on my own, given my busy work life, and would probably have given up. That would have been such a great shame as I get so much joy from being there.
Heather Leach
I am really enjoying the online course and gaining a great deal from it.
Ann Debaldo
I’m loving your course! Thanks so much for making this available online! I live in Florida and do no dig gardening on sand and really appreciate your suggestions.
Raffaela Husker
Thank you for this wonderful course. It’s sad that it is already over… but I’m looking forward to the next one. It sounds great!
You approach of no dig gardening makes so much sense. Since I found you on youtube, I adapted it in my garden. My soil is so much nicer, crumbly and healthy, and so are the plants. It’s obviously that the soil is much more able to drain the rain and store the moisture. My earthworm population increased so much that when i want to walk around my garden on a rainy day I have to really watch my steps not to hurt or kill one. Their number and how big they are is just incredible!
Thank you so much to make gardening so much more fun and successful!!!
Luke Hardy, Leicester
Your course has literally set me up for life.
Amelia Vogel, New Mexico
I’m excited for Course 2. The first online course was brilliant, I learned a lot, and enjoyed it immensely.
Birgit Mair, Germany
I was really impressed with the amount of information, pictures and videos you share with us. Yes, I feel really well informed. Now, I know what I’m doing. But what really inspires me, is your love and respect for nature. And there are a few favourite sentences, that have forever found place in my heart: “be brave”, “have fun”, “there is nothing to lose” and “that’s not the end of the world”. Sounds easy, but sometimes I lose it. I will remember this in my life, not only in my garden!
I thank you so much and look forward to the next online-course.
Birgit Mair from Germany with her completion certificate
No Dig Gardening Online Course FAQs
What format does the course take?
The course is in 19 lessons, the whole course is 84,000 words with 623 photos each with a detailed caption. There are 28 exclusive videos which cannot be found anywhere else. Each lesson has a quiz to help you consolidate your learning.
How long does it take to complete the course?
There is no time limit and you have a lifetimes access to the course. Everyone can take the course at their own pace.
Is the course relevant to me, my climate is different to yours?
With slight adjustments to sowing times, yes people all over the world and in varying climates have experienced great success with the methods described in the course. Please see testimonials here.
Will I need to invest in extra tools to follow the method in the course?
The main investment is bought in compost if you don’t have your own and this is applied each year in the autumn. In certain circumstances I recommend fleece and netting to protect your young plants.
Can the methods in the course be applied to small gardens?
Absolutely, even with a small space you can grow many different vegetables.
I have already seen many of your YouTube videos and I have some of your books, what else is there left to learn?
The online course gives a more structure path for your learning. Every lesson is backed up with at least one video so you can see the ideas and methods applied in my garden. Please see the testimonials above and to the right of this page.
Is there downloadable materials like pdf’s?
No it’s all online, a lot of it!
Can I ask questions of Charles and his team?
Yes for sure, please email admin@charlesdowding.co.uk
Is the course accredited with any official bodies?
No it’s our unique creation and bears Charles’s name, recognised by millions worldwide.
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.
vmfaulkner@gmail.com –
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!