Charles Dowding
Discover and enjoy these quicker and easier ways of growing and harvesting vegetables, based on my 42 years of growing experience.
My speciality is the no dig method, suitable for all soils. It results in fewer weeds, and vegetables plus flowers grow as well if not better than when soil is tilled or dug. And it's good for climate change because no soil carbon is lost in tillage.
Decades of trialling methods and sowing dates have led me to a fine knowledge of best practice, in time-saving ways. My advice in these videos brings you harvests and pleasure in equal measure.
I wish you success in growing and want these tips to be more widely available, so that everyone who wants to grow great food can do so, without unnecessary work.
Charles Dowding
I really enjoyed making this video with Ben Vanheems for the @GrowVeg channel, all about compost – what goes into it, how it breaks down, and the many ways you can make and use it. We looked at everything from wormeries to larger heaps and even composting toilets. You can watch it on the GrowVeg channel, and it’s also on my channel in the Compost playlist or Homepage – No Dig Key Principles and Practices playlist.
2 months ago | [YT] | 312
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Charles Dowding
When we are busy harvesting and enjoying all the food, it's easy to forget the particular times in late summer and early autumn for sowing seeds. Such as salad rocket, spinach, and endive, among others.
I raise them in my own design of module trays, see containerwise.co.uk/product-category/charles-dowdi… and then transplant them small at two weeks old often.
We give them a good watering, and sometimes a mesh cover is really good for Brassica seedlings in particular.
See my new Calendar of Sowing Dates shop.charlesdowding.co.uk/collections/calendar-wal…
4 months ago | [YT] | 686
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Charles Dowding
Showing how my 25 m² small garden is uncomfortably close to trees, whose roots travel under the fence and are, especially noticeable in dry summer weather, sucking out moisture before plants can access it.
So I water more often, up to 3 times a week in dry weather. That has been working, but it's more work!
See my longform video of 25th July, for more about the harvests and succession cropping https://youtu.be/3Ov98efeqrM
4 months ago | [YT] | 532
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Charles Dowding
I wanted to do this last week, but the hot sun might have blistered the bulbs, so I’ve just pulled them and laid them out and even if it rains a little, they will dry nicely on the surface in the wind. I’m planning to transplant chicory in this bed and the transplants will be ready in two weeks or so, giving time for the onions to dry more, and they are like a mulch as well.
There is Keravel or Rose de Roscoff, Red Baron (some bolted) and Long Red Florence all multisown mid-February, transplanted 24th March with fleece over until 30th May, see short youtube.com/shorts/F9vhzrB9aP...
#nodig few weeds
5 months ago | [YT] | 730
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Charles Dowding
I just removed the cover of 25 GSM fleece, or row cover, which has been on top of the multisown onions. All the time since they were planted in late March, from sowing late February.
It looks like there is no leaf miner damage, yet! Harvest will be in about seven weeks, fingers crossed!
See my June newsletter for more details newsletter.charlesdowding.co.uk/p/june-make-the-mo…
6 months ago | [YT] | 793
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