This man and these types of videos are enormously more valuable than most people know today. Especially in today’s materialistic world. We desperately need to get back to these sustainable and simple ways of living. 🙏🏼😔
Thank you Charles for another video. You got me into gardening 3 years ago as no dig gave me confidence to finally grow my own food for some food security and also yummier veggies. After COVID hit, my vegetable garden was so precious. You’re making a difference. Keep up the wonderful work and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I’m forever grateful. 🇨🇦
I just love your videos, Charles! The rational behind them just make perfect sense, so I started out experimenting in your spirit in our small garden here in eastern Austria. Thanks a lot and KEEP ON PROSPERING!
I can say with surety, that no dig has been such a life changer. I tried getting an early, foolish jump on some tomatoes in the basement, but the cold, fluctuating temps made it difficult to get anything out, and they all passed on. I was really sad until I realized all of my tomatoes from the previous year have reseeded themselves. There are so many of them, its as if I lost no time at all! I'm so grateful for this channel.
I was so happy when I saw you acquired your neighbors land to expand your garden. I'm so excited to see you turn that big open field into a beautiful garden!
My husband and I have bought land in Somerset for a permaculture smallholding. Anyone interested in running in? No rent for two years and some help to start off. Thank you, Charles Dowding and others for spreading the word.
I hate to say it but your disdain for bindweed almost makes me smile because it’s oddly comforting to see you starting with new garden beds that are full of it. It’s definitely my most difficult weed to deal with and I am putting in 8 new beds this spring that will be positively full of it in no time!
Indeed. Finally my local council as useless as they can be have made several verges right near me protected and 'green', meaning that they will no longer cut the grass there. Since doing so last year this year there are loads of dandelions and loads of daisies. We're talking thousands, probably in the tens. Slightly disappointed that they didn't prep the ground a bit last year and sow some native wildflowers but hopefully they come somehow.
@@Lauradicus Yeah, just a really slow process. My concern was that when the grass starts getting a fair bit longer that the seeds will have a higher reduced rate at succeeding. I've spent an hour here and there over the last few weeks thinking about it and doing some research on it. The problem I've had is trying to find out local varieties, I wanted to sow local native seeds rather than just scattering a random assortment of just general native seeds to Britain. The other issue is that sourcing them is slightly tricky, just throwing them about means a good 80% of my money of which I don't have loads will be wasted and other methods have a lot of conflicting information like seed balls for instance.
Charles I’m very happy to see the new space and looking forward to new videos,2 years ago I started no dig allotment thanks to you and my plot is never empty of crops and I had lettuce all the winter inside the polly tunnel so words cannot describe what you Sir did to many of us that follow no dig.
Thanks for showing us this and yes, rabbits love thyme. My rabbits have it with every meal, now that I have a 4x4f bed of it. I think it's the combination of greens with a little bit of woody stem. Their other favourites are dill, fennel, lambs lettuce and nasturtiums. They are not too keen on Rosemary and sage, but they do eat the sage a few hours afterwards. This is the same with the other spoiled rabbits in my family. I find that they don't bother my potted plants when they go into the garden, so perhaps a good solution for you would be bottomless pots for your herbs or something raised? Best of luck to you with the critters, Charles.
One thing I notice about Charles' videos, unlike U.S. "homesteaders" is no heavy machinery or lits of man made materials in use. Live this guy bunches!!
You can never go wrong with a cox's orange pippin, 'twas one of the three cordons I planted this year. Best slug control I know of is hedgehogs. Mum has 3 (plus young in season) on her fifth of an acre & there's nary a slug to be seen. Occasional treats of cheap cat food keeps them local.
My daughter and I started an allotment during the first lockdown and got all our inspiration from you with no dig. We had so many lovely vegetables and our freezer was fully stocked for the winter months. We live in the south of Scotland and are so behind this year due to the very cold weather. I have actually got some radishes using your method! Also my beetroots are coming along nicely. Thankyou Charles for these wonderful videos!
What better way to spend a lazy Sunday morning than to sit in bed with a cuppa watching CD. I learn so much. The other half just laughed at me cos I said I find it all fascinating.
I have just a small suburban backyard where I'm working at growing a garden (mostly I'm battling the weeds), so I live vicariously through all of Charles' videos. In my daydreaming, my garden looks as beautiful and produces just as prolifically.
Me too - I have a 16ft x 16ft space at the front and 16ft x 20ft at the back. Same as u - in my mind I've got loads of neat rows of vegetables and flowers - it's ending up a bit jumbled but makes me happy to see things grow - I have a quail coop in one corner too - fresh eggs n fresh veg soon hopefully
Herb spiral with a little pond on the north side would also be quite nice indeed. However in my area we have; toads, wild ducks and hedgehogs all of which are considered to be slug eating animals; my garden is still overrun by slugs 🤣😂
Beware, both wild and domesticated ducks will eat your pond clean of any frogs, newts, etc and all the oxygen producing water weeds too. Best keep them out of your garden totally, and especially if you have a pond !
You might not believe me Charles, but I think you're living the dream. The rolling countryside view near the beginning of the video was amazing. Your soil looks like it's more willing to be improved than what I'm used to and the spring may be holding back her rains, but the land looks like it's ready to burst into spring in all it's glory. Thanks for sharing your gardening adventures. Your plants are the envy of many.
How does Charles not have double the amount of subscribers? I get so excited when there's a new video he releases and the knowledge he gives in each one!
Ooh how exciting! Can’t believe how much has been developed already. I’m probably the only person to be envious of all those dandelions 😂.........my giant tortoise would be in his element munching on that lot!🐢 Looking forward to seeing the pond.....good luck with the planning permission 🤞
I’m dealing with bindweed too! It crept into my garden slowly and I’m always pulling it out when it’s small. I have no idea if I’m killing or just pruning it! It grows through EVERYTHING! I’ll pray for you! Haha! Tarping and planting through holes might help your new planting areas. I just LOVE this new development! Thanks for sharing. You’re helping so many!
Thank you Charles for sharing your experiences with us. You're encouraging me to do things that are incomprehensible to most people around me. You're definitely making this world a better place;) Keep going! Greetings from Poland!
Love all your videos Ive been using white sheer curtains to cover peas and potatoes to keep rabbits and groundhog from eating my plants seems to be doing the job ❤
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiment videos. I’ve had to mark my beds and pots with the compost types rather than label by seeds sown or transplants. Soooo many experiments to monitor. 😁 May I suggest that folk turning/shovelling/sifting woodchips wear a mask or two. We’ve all got one in our pockets, atm. Had a bad experience last year #sporesonlungs. Hasn’t deterred me tho!!
Just read an article in our local Wisconsin paper that the Great Lakes Initiative funded an agricultural research grant for farmers at a small number of farms are planting corn “no dig.” The demonstration field was planted in winter rye & the special planter deposits the corn into holes without tilling. The object is to prevent soil runoff into watersheds during rains. Two of the farms are 225 acres & volunteered. They are also injecting manure into the ground instead of spraying it over the field. The object is to have something growing all the time-keeping the soil covered year-round.
Great to hear this Christine. It's a lovely practice but not obvious, weatherwise, if there was much rain for example at the time of trying to crush the rye. And some risk of slugs in a damp climate. I wish them success.
First of all can I say a BIG THANK YOU for your videos, in these Covid time with all the movement restrictions and all the uncertainties, watching the videos re-sets our "head space". The back hedge looks perfect for keeping bees. Here in Galicia the weather has been very unpredictable this year, in February the polytunnel got to 40C on two occasions, and only last week day time 20C night -1C. Apart from tomatoes, aubergines and peppers sadly everything else failed, even the beans rotted! I'm going off to sow another batch today, fingers crossed.
I love to watch everything, what is happening in your garden,even rabbits and your neighbours horses 🤩😍 And having a pond will bring so many benefits to Homeacres ecosystem/habitat?/so good luck with permission 🙂🙂 Thank you for another inspiring video 😍🤩
Videos like this leaves you wanting more and more , very instructive and helpful . Loved seeing those rabbits as well just like you Ula . What kind of plants are you into growing ? 🌱🍅☘🍒🌹🌹
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 Trying tomatoes with different effects every year, they are so sensitive 🙂🙂 Apart of tomatoes I grow carrots,cabbages/love brassicas/,beets, spuds,onions,beans,cucumbers, leeks,courgettes,pumpkins,sweet corn,herbs,wildflowers 🙂🙂 Thank you for message 🙂 And what do you grow,if it is ok to ask?🙂
@@ulaw2711 It is very okay to ask, I am honored to share my gardening experience with you while you share yours with me. But it's a shame I don't have as many plants in your garden as you do. I started gardening as a hobby that developed last year when we went into lockdown. And I don't think I'm going to stop, I want to expand and get better and maybe build a greenhouse in a few years . I currently have tomatoes, peppers, chili , bell peppers, mint, lettuce, and onions. And I'm thinking of starting cucumbers and carrots in early fall. 🍅🌶🌱🥦 What do you think of this, is it a good time to start?
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 You can start cucumbers this month ,I will sow mine in foil cloche, cover seeds with plastic bottles .And you can sow carrots at the end of the month ,with fleece covering. You don't have to wait till early fall 🙂 Anyway- if you love Charles channel, like we all do, just watch his older videos, he is showing sowing times and planting times always.Greetings from Wales 🙂🙂
@@ulaw2711 Thanks for the tips Ula , I will skip cucumbers this year and sow my carrots at the end of the month with fleece covering . When can i take the fleece of my carrots ?
Thank you. You're such an inspiration. At some point could you do another video on your fruit trees? A catch up on the established trees and the reasons for the new varieties, along with all your useful information on what has done well, taste, storing etc.. thank you.
When I had an allotment I had to abandon the asparagus bed because of the couch grass forever intruding from the paths, throttling the plants. Very upsetting. .
Thanks, Charles. This is the shot in arm I need (had my other two, lol!) to get out and try no-dig for the second year after following your tips. The weeds are not at all bad thanks to the cardboard and compost topping. I should get away with a little bit of hand weeding and a top up of compost: I discovered Dobbies 60 litre peat-free this year (so much better than Aldi/Lidl rubbish) which although not as cheap as buying it by the ton, like you, is not too much of a killer for my small garden.My experimentation this year is on a small area full of old tree roots, ground elder etc which I'm putting under cardboard and planting potatoes. My plan is to have the whole bed including a 1 ft wide 6inch deep trench lined with cardboard. Slit the bottom of the trench for each potato to be inserted then cover the bed with peat-free. I may need to cover the potatoes with more as they grow. Having seen yours last year, I'm hoping harvesting will be a breeze even in my heavy, grey Lanarkshire clay! Best wishes from Scotland!
You can put tuna cans and soup cans over each bindweed plant, and never see them again, they will spiral around in the can and not get any light. The only problem will be finding lots of rusty cans in the dirt later. Definitely, the lawn before setting seed is the perfect mulch, and spread immediately, if large piles of cut grass get rained on, it starts decomposing fungally, which makes it a lot less fun to move around after. Feeding the garden from the lawn is a good way to get to zero inputs. Initial outside inputs to get the system established does help, but the ultimate goal is to establish a self-regenerating system.
Hi Charles! Just wanted to say thanks for beautiful book (No Dig Gardening Course 1) and calendar I received in the mail today. They are both so lovely and lustrous to look at. The calendar is really a work unto itself as it has a detailed sowing timeline built into the calendar as well lots of other info. My gardening skills have also taken a huge jump up this year as I've been diligently working through your online courses. Many thanks for producing such high quality information.
Thanks Charles for showing the challenges of bind weed when making new beds. I made asparagus patch last year and been picking the bins weed for a year now. Hopefully it goes away eventually.
Thank you, Charles, for showing us your work and plans for the new extended space. Making videos to tell a story is a lot of work and we appreciate this content especially in Covid times with the emerging need of rethinking how we use our arable space. Questions: At what size or stage of growth would it be safe to uncover your crops from the rabbits? I used to get up each morning, the first thing to come to mind was to inspect the disheartening damages from rabbits. Do you find beds covered with mushroom compost have less slugs than, say, green waste compost? I had really bad slug problem last year but not so much this year and the difference was my use of a new compost.
Thanks. On rabbits it depends how many there are and how hungry yours are. Here there are only a few and there are many other plants for them to eat (dandelions!), so I find that once any susceptible plants have been in the ground for 3 to 4 weeks, they are usually safe. I wonder if it was the compost which made the difference. For example if it was your first year, there would or might have been a high population of slugs. I find no difference between those two composts, in terms of slugs.
Great to see you expanding into the field, I've just made a Perennial Kale bed with 7 different Kale, some true Perennial and some short lived Perennial, I did it like your last bed you showed us ( 4 to 5 inch's of brought in compost on cardboard, things seem to be doing well with lots of growth ( and pigeon damage ) Now covered. Great video thanks for sharing.
I'm in Zone 6b here in the U.S. in late April we've had a few days that felt like summer, now it's early may and it's in the mid 40's (F) to early 50's(F). It's been a weird "Spring" can't wait till we get real warm days where I can finally plant my grown tomato and tomatillos' :)
Been working hard on the new section.. good to see the update of it all slowly coming together!! Amazing how much work goes into it all.. very smart to experiment first and see the results before creating a bigger customer base.. look forward to more updates 👌👍
“Cor, is that bindweed?” 😝 Charles, lol, so many viewers watching thinking- ha! Now let’s see how you see with a really weedy plot LIVE! 😂 No pressure! Awww, not really we trust the/your process and await with bated breath to see it unfold and follow your experiments ourselves at home. I have 3 of my 9 no dig beds made. I did use wooden sides but after seeing this today, even though I’m really nervous to, 😬 I’m going to have a go at making the rest with no sides. Lol - why do these decisions feel so life or death! I’d love to know the technical set up for the time lapse camera as I’m just starting out on new land too.
Wow that's impressive progress in such a short space of time, I hope you get permission for your pond I helped organise volunteers at our allotments last year to dig one on a spare unused plot and it's been great watching the wildlife slowly colonise it. We did have a bit of an issue with gardeners digging straight down instead of doing gentle slopes though :)
An absolute joy to watch your newly expanded garden area grow. We sieved a bunch of municipal garden waste compost (like you did) and planted our whole garden in that. So far some yellowing a bit here and there of plants. So I am reassured by Fall we should have better garden compost as it will have broken down more. Thank you for the tour!
Lovely... I look forward to the videos...I check every day for new ones....meanwhile I pus in practice your ideas. I hope to have a good crop this year. No more digging 😁
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 Everything ... tomatoes, salads, cucumbers, courgetes, potatoes, radishes, garlic, peppers, strawberries and some others. I am very happy with my spanach, never grew so much as it did this year with no dig. So I am very excited 😁
@@ancagafencu6946 You ought to be excited Anca , you have a little of everything growing in your garden , what is more fulfilling than the feeling of seeing your plants bloom and start to bear food . How long have you been practicing no dig planting ?
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 I started 3 years ago when I saw some of your videos with one bed. Experimenting with wood chips a little, deciding they are good for the paths not as a mulch. But this year we did the half back of the garden raised beds filled with compost. There are 12 beds around 100 cm by 600cm or so and a pollytunnel 6m by 3m...will see how it goes, but it looks promising...
@@ancagafencu6946 Well i ain't the creator of this amazing videos , I'm a viewer and subscriber just like you and i recently started no dig this Spring and I'm keeping a close eye on new videos to know exactly what to do . Looks like you're doing well for yourself with 12 beds , that's incredible Ancu .You sounded like you have some garden help , its always convenient to have some help in the garden or farm .
Wonderful tour! it is very exciting .. looking forward to seeing how it all comes about in time.. (watch those bunnies) we have been cool and dry too....
Excited to see you put in asparagus crowns. I did the same this spring. Can't shake the feeling that the rabbits might be nibbling the new spears. Can't wait to see how yours progress. Thanks for sharing your journey
Thank you Charles as ever, always such helpful content. I am on a second run-through your videos and have an idea for a new video... as a new gardener I really struggle to know how many plants I need for different crops for a family of four. I am learning through trial and error, but some kind of guidance would be so helpful.
Cheers Peter, glad you like the videos. That is not straightforward to answer because it depends how many of each virtual your family likes to eat, which varies, and the weather of each season which varies even more! Plus the skill of the gardener, and climate
Great space Charles, you have definitely been busy. Have you considered using some of the field to grow biomass for compost? With that much space it might be more cost effective to produce more of the material in-house. Maybe something like Sudangrass which would give you two harvests over a year.
Sunflowers would be fantastic for biomass too. They aren’t picky about soil, tolerate the dry conditions and are easy to harvest. Daikon radish for bio-drilling too (in august), pockets of worm poo when they die off over the winter! Field peas, oats, clover for soil health/nitrogen... good cover so pernicious weeds don’t take over all the bald spots.
Hi Charles, I’m so happy and excited for your newly acquired property! Thank you for being my inspiration to improve on my gardening skills! My eggplants and tomatoes are growing well! Thank you again! Stay safe and healthy!
Glad I don't have Bindweed. But I do have Creeping Buttercup and it's maddening. When I go to weed it its strong stem can destroy my plants! (pea cover crop) I don't do no-dig for the Potatoes but rather three-year rotation so the plan this year is to cover last years potato field with seaweed. I've considered collecting green waste in my neighbourhood but can't be sure they haven't sprayed Roundup. For the same reason I'm skeptical of bought compost. I have acres of disused pasture I scythe instead but it's much work.
Very interesting to see the process you employ from paddock to no dig garden bed. Yep, know all about the bindweed, i've just finished pulling it out of my beds. A never ending job until its gone - and I know eventually it will be from your comments.
Sir Charles,, you are super talented and great gardener,, helping us out with cool informative no dig method videos,, appreciate it thanks for sharing love and Respect 🙏🇮🇳
In south west Scotland we still have a ways to go before planting some things out, we had snow last week and hail two days ago ,🙄I want my kitchen table back .Looking milder now so think the frost is past us might plant my lettuce out with hoops and fleece, we'll see .Home acres looking good as always ,you to Charles 😘😁
This man and these types of videos are enormously more valuable than most people know today. Especially in today’s materialistic world. We desperately need to get back to these sustainable and simple ways of living. 🙏🏼😔
Thanks
Thank you Charles for another video. You got me into gardening 3 years ago as no dig gave me confidence to finally grow my own food for some food security and also yummier veggies. After COVID hit, my vegetable garden was so precious. You’re making a difference. Keep up the wonderful work and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I’m forever grateful. 🇨🇦
So nice to hear this!
Hi, You are so inspiring Charles and so chill. You got me started here . Thank you and will be soon joining membership.
Me too! Exactly 3 years ago. It has enriched my life beyond measure💚
I just love your videos, Charles! The rational behind them just make perfect sense, so I started out experimenting in your spirit in our small garden here in eastern Austria. Thanks a lot and KEEP ON PROSPERING!
Great to see you looking so well
John mc the chef
I can say with surety, that no dig has been such a life changer. I tried getting an early, foolish jump on some tomatoes in the basement, but the cold, fluctuating temps made it difficult to get anything out, and they all passed on.
I was really sad until I realized all of my tomatoes from the previous year have reseeded themselves. There are so many of them, its as if I lost no time at all!
I'm so grateful for this channel.
Nice to hear Argost 💚
It's like watching the "Bob Ross" of gardening...... I love it, ty C.D. and crew
I really appreciate you showing your struggles with weeds, some gardening channels refuse to talk about it as if they never get any!
I was so happy when I saw you acquired your neighbors land to expand your garden. I'm so excited to see you turn that big open field into a beautiful garden!
My husband and I have bought land in Somerset for a permaculture smallholding. Anyone interested in running in? No rent for two years and some help to start off. Thank you, Charles Dowding and others for spreading the word.
I hate to say it but your disdain for bindweed almost makes me smile because it’s oddly comforting to see you starting with new garden beds that are full of it. It’s definitely my most difficult weed to deal with and I am putting in 8 new beds this spring that will be positively full of it in no time!
Wish you success!
Rabbit eat thyme... Because they are always running late! Haha
Far out I get so excited when a new Charles Dowding video comes on. Wooooooo
The dandelions seem so prolific this year. More than enough for the bees and some foraging 💚
Indeed. Finally my local council as useless as they can be have made several verges right near me protected and 'green', meaning that they will no longer cut the grass there. Since doing so last year this year there are loads of dandelions and loads of daisies. We're talking thousands, probably in the tens.
Slightly disappointed that they didn't prep the ground a bit last year and sow some native wildflowers but hopefully they come somehow.
@@Kyle_Hubbard Wildflowers will appear! (Scattering some wildflower seeds can speed the process too 😉)
@@Lauradicus Yeah, just a really slow process. My concern was that when the grass starts getting a fair bit longer that the seeds will have a higher reduced rate at succeeding. I've spent an hour here and there over the last few weeks thinking about it and doing some research on it. The problem I've had is trying to find out local varieties, I wanted to sow local native seeds rather than just scattering a random assortment of just general native seeds to Britain. The other issue is that sourcing them is slightly tricky, just throwing them about means a good 80% of my money of which I don't have loads will be wasted and other methods have a lot of conflicting information like seed balls for instance.
Charles I’m very happy to see the new space and looking forward to new videos,2 years ago I started no dig allotment thanks to you and my plot is never empty of crops and I had lettuce all the winter inside the polly tunnel so words cannot describe what you Sir did to many of us that follow no dig.
Great to hear!
lovely tour
Those darn bindweeds.
Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
Thanks for showing us this and yes, rabbits love thyme. My rabbits have it with every meal, now that I have a 4x4f bed of it. I think it's the combination of greens with a little bit of woody stem. Their other favourites are dill, fennel, lambs lettuce and nasturtiums. They are not too keen on Rosemary and sage, but they do eat the sage a few hours afterwards. This is the same with the other spoiled rabbits in my family. I find that they don't bother my potted plants when they go into the garden, so perhaps a good solution for you would be bottomless pots for your herbs or something raised? Best of luck to you with the critters, Charles.
Thanks for tips!
Thank you Charles, for making me the best gardener I can be 😊
💚
One thing I notice about Charles' videos, unlike U.S. "homesteaders" is no heavy machinery or lits of man made materials in use. Live this guy bunches!!
Thanks Olivia
You can never go wrong with a cox's orange pippin, 'twas one of the three cordons I planted this year.
Best slug control I know of is hedgehogs.
Mum has 3 (plus young in season) on her fifth of an acre & there's nary a slug to be seen. Occasional treats of cheap cat food keeps them local.
I started a small farm on .27 acres all no dig thanks to you.
Nice work Kay
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you!!!
My daughter and I started an allotment during the first lockdown and got all our inspiration from you with no dig. We had so many lovely vegetables and our freezer was fully stocked for the winter months. We live in the south of Scotland and are so behind this year due to the very cold weather. I have actually got some radishes using your method! Also my beetroots are coming along nicely. Thankyou Charles for these wonderful videos!
That is awesome Jenny, and yes this spring is a nightmare so far, fingers crossed for you especially. even colder
What better way to spend a lazy Sunday morning than to sit in bed with a cuppa watching CD. I learn so much. The other half just laughed at me cos I said I find it all fascinating.
😀!
Amazing to see what this has become 3 years later ❤
Thanks and I am amazed too!
I have just a small suburban backyard where I'm working at growing a garden (mostly I'm battling the weeds), so I live vicariously through all of Charles' videos. In my daydreaming, my garden looks as beautiful and produces just as prolifically.
Me too - I have a 16ft x 16ft space at the front and 16ft x 20ft at the back. Same as u - in my mind I've got loads of neat rows of vegetables and flowers - it's ending up a bit jumbled but makes me happy to see things grow - I have a quail coop in one corner too - fresh eggs n fresh veg soon hopefully
You can do it!
You could install a little pond to attract the frog's and they will help with both slugs and snails
Herb spiral with a little pond on the north side would also be quite nice indeed.
However in my area we have; toads, wild ducks and hedgehogs all of which are considered to be slug eating animals; my garden is still overrun by slugs 🤣😂
@@dodopson3211 I guess that's why the animals are there lol. Just goes to show.
Good idea though.
Beware, both wild and domesticated ducks will eat your pond clean of any frogs, newts, etc and all the oxygen producing water weeds too. Best keep them out of your garden totally, and especially if you have a pond !
You might not believe me Charles, but I think you're living the dream. The rolling countryside view near the beginning of the video was amazing. Your soil looks like it's more willing to be improved than what I'm used to and the spring may be holding back her rains, but the land looks like it's ready to burst into spring in all it's glory. Thanks for sharing your gardening adventures. Your plants are the envy of many.
Love it and thankyou, good luck with your soil
How does Charles not have double the amount of subscribers? I get so excited when there's a new video he releases and the knowledge he gives in each one!
Quite agree! Thanks
Fantastic, always nice to see a new Charles video, have a great weekend 🌺
Ooh how exciting! Can’t believe how much has been developed already.
I’m probably the only person to be envious of all those dandelions 😂.........my giant tortoise would be in his element munching on that lot!🐢
Looking forward to seeing the pond.....good luck with the planning permission 🤞
Really good for the bees, too. There's not been a huge amount of food available for them because of the cold weather.
JamesF yes.....the dandelions in my garden are multiplying, so I always leave a good few for the bees 🐝👍
I love the new space and seeing different piles of compost!
Hi Charles..great morning to see you again..looking forward! RABBIT LAND🤭🌿🌸
You should add the rabbits to your harvesting programme - organic, healthy. sustainable and delicious.
Bonjour Charles, Quel beau travail vous avez fait !
When u have to " Get Permission " to do what you want with your yard , that's not the place for homesteading .
Nice job Charles & Company !
I’m dealing with bindweed too! It crept into my garden slowly and I’m always pulling it out when it’s small. I have no idea if I’m killing or just pruning it! It grows through EVERYTHING! I’ll pray for you! Haha! Tarping and planting through holes might help your new planting areas. I just LOVE this new development! Thanks for sharing. You’re helping so many!
Thank you Charles for sharing your experiences with us. You're encouraging me to do things that are incomprehensible to most people around me. You're definitely making this world a better place;) Keep going! Greetings from Poland!
You are so welcome Marcin
Love all your videos Ive been using white sheer curtains to cover peas and potatoes to keep rabbits and groundhog from eating my plants seems to be doing the job ❤
What approach did you use to keep they off your plants before Charles came to the rescue with his brilliant idea ?
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiment videos.
I’ve had to mark my beds and pots with the compost types rather than label by seeds sown or transplants. Soooo many experiments to monitor. 😁
May I suggest that folk turning/shovelling/sifting woodchips wear a mask or two. We’ve all got one in our pockets, atm. Had a bad experience last year #sporesonlungs. Hasn’t deterred me tho!!
Rabbit stew comes to mind,. My worst weed in the spring is Celandines seems to grow though cardboard and compost
Just read an article in our local Wisconsin paper that the Great Lakes Initiative funded an agricultural research grant for farmers at a small number of farms are planting corn “no dig.” The demonstration field was planted in winter rye & the special planter deposits the corn into holes without tilling. The object is to prevent soil runoff into watersheds during rains. Two of the farms are 225 acres & volunteered. They are also injecting manure into the ground instead of spraying it over the field. The object is to have something growing all the time-keeping the soil covered year-round.
Great to hear this Christine. It's a lovely practice but not obvious, weatherwise, if there was much rain for example at the time of trying to crush the rye. And some risk of slugs in a damp climate. I wish them success.
Yes, Mr. Dowding, bindweed will come up through cardboard, wood chip, and seemingly steel plate. Not really on the steel, but it does seem like it. :)
First of all can I say a BIG THANK YOU for your videos, in these Covid time with all the movement restrictions and all the uncertainties, watching the videos re-sets our "head space".
The back hedge looks perfect for keeping bees.
Here in Galicia the weather has been very unpredictable this year, in February the polytunnel got to 40C on two occasions, and only last week day time 20C night -1C. Apart from tomatoes, aubergines and peppers sadly everything else failed, even the beans rotted! I'm going off to sow another batch today, fingers crossed.
Sorry to hear that Chris, it's a difficult spring. Good luck second time round. And yes that hedge is perfect for bees, they arrive very soon.
Thanks for the film/video.
👍👏🐝🐞🌷🌷🌹🌹🌹
Very instructive and beneficial video which is worth the time and attention . What plants do you have in your soil for Spring ? 🍅🍅🌱🌱🌹🌹
Good job Charles.
I love to watch everything, what is happening in your garden,even rabbits and your neighbours horses 🤩😍
And having a pond will bring so many benefits to Homeacres ecosystem/habitat?/so good luck with permission 🙂🙂
Thank you for another inspiring video 😍🤩
Videos like this leaves you wanting more and more , very instructive and helpful . Loved seeing those rabbits as well just like you Ula . What kind of plants are you into growing ? 🌱🍅☘🍒🌹🌹
@@thomasehrlichmann4936
Trying tomatoes with different effects every year, they are so sensitive 🙂🙂
Apart of tomatoes I grow carrots,cabbages/love brassicas/,beets, spuds,onions,beans,cucumbers, leeks,courgettes,pumpkins,sweet corn,herbs,wildflowers 🙂🙂
Thank you for message 🙂
And what do you grow,if it is ok to ask?🙂
@@ulaw2711 It is very okay to ask, I am honored to share my gardening experience with you while you share yours with me. But it's a shame I don't have as many plants in your garden as you do. I started gardening as a hobby that developed last year when we went into lockdown. And I don't think I'm going to stop, I want to expand and get better and maybe build a greenhouse in a few years . I currently have tomatoes, peppers, chili , bell peppers, mint, lettuce, and onions. And I'm thinking of starting cucumbers and carrots in early fall. 🍅🌶🌱🥦 What do you think of this, is it a good time to start?
@@thomasehrlichmann4936
You can start cucumbers this month ,I will sow mine in foil cloche, cover seeds with plastic bottles .And you can sow carrots at the end of the month ,with fleece covering. You don't have to wait till early fall 🙂
Anyway- if you love Charles channel, like we all do, just watch his older videos, he is showing sowing times and planting times always.Greetings from Wales 🙂🙂
@@ulaw2711 Thanks for the tips Ula , I will skip cucumbers this year and sow my carrots at the end of the month with fleece covering . When can i take the fleece of my carrots ?
Thank you. You're such an inspiration. At some point could you do another video on your fruit trees? A catch up on the established trees and the reasons for the new varieties, along with all your useful information on what has done well, taste, storing etc.. thank you.
Cheers Chris, probably in two autumns' time
fingers crossed they gave you the nod for the new pond and shed charles! 🤞🏻
When I had an allotment I had to abandon the asparagus bed because of the couch grass forever intruding from the paths, throttling the plants. Very upsetting. .
I shall mulch the paths :) I know the problem too well
Really like the out-tro music on this 👍🏻
🎼
Thanks, Charles. This is the shot in arm I need (had my other two, lol!) to get out and try no-dig for the second year after following your tips. The weeds are not at all bad thanks to the cardboard and compost topping. I should get away with a little bit of hand weeding and a top up of compost: I discovered Dobbies 60 litre peat-free this year (so much better than Aldi/Lidl rubbish) which although not as cheap as buying it by the ton, like you, is not too much of a killer for my small garden.My experimentation this year is on a small area full of old tree roots, ground elder etc which I'm putting under cardboard and planting potatoes. My plan is to have the whole bed including a 1 ft wide 6inch deep trench lined with cardboard. Slit the bottom of the trench for each potato to be inserted then cover the bed with peat-free. I may need to cover the potatoes with more as they grow. Having seen yours last year, I'm hoping harvesting will be a breeze even in my heavy, grey Lanarkshire clay! Best wishes from Scotland!
You can put tuna cans and soup cans over each bindweed plant, and never see them again, they will spiral around in the can and not get any light. The only problem will be finding lots of rusty cans in the dirt later. Definitely, the lawn before setting seed is the perfect mulch, and spread immediately, if large piles of cut grass get rained on, it starts decomposing fungally, which makes it a lot less fun to move around after. Feeding the garden from the lawn is a good way to get to zero inputs. Initial outside inputs to get the system established does help, but the ultimate goal is to establish a self-regenerating system.
Hi Charles! Just wanted to say thanks for beautiful book (No Dig Gardening Course 1) and calendar I received in the mail today. They are both so lovely and lustrous to look at. The calendar is really a work unto itself as it has a detailed sowing timeline built into the calendar as well lots of other info. My gardening skills have also taken a huge jump up this year as I've been diligently working through your online courses. Many thanks for producing such high quality information.
Wonderful to hear Robert, thanks for your feedback. In the newly challenging weather we need all the skills we can find!
Thanks Charles for showing the challenges of bind weed when making new beds. I made asparagus patch last year and been picking the bins weed for a year now. Hopefully it goes away eventually.
Best of luck with the new beds Charles. Great video as always.
How exciting. It will be fun to see this new land transform over time. The pond will be lovely!
Thank you, Charles, for showing us your work and plans for the new extended space. Making videos to tell a story is a lot of work and we appreciate this content especially in Covid times with the emerging need of rethinking how we use our arable space.
Questions:
At what size or stage of growth would it be safe to uncover your crops from the rabbits? I used to get up each morning, the first thing to come to mind was to inspect the disheartening damages from rabbits.
Do you find beds covered with mushroom compost have less slugs than, say, green waste compost? I had really bad slug problem last year but not so much this year and the difference was my use of a new compost.
Thanks.
On rabbits it depends how many there are and how hungry yours are. Here there are only a few and there are many other plants for them to eat (dandelions!), so I find that once any susceptible plants have been in the ground for 3 to 4 weeks, they are usually safe.
I wonder if it was the compost which made the difference. For example if it was your first year, there would or might have been a high population of slugs.
I find no difference between those two composts, in terms of slugs.
Great to see you expanding into the field, I've just made a Perennial Kale bed with 7 different Kale, some true Perennial and some short lived Perennial, I did it like your last bed you showed us ( 4 to 5 inch's of brought in compost on cardboard, things seem to be doing well with lots of growth ( and pigeon damage ) Now covered. Great video thanks for sharing.
I'm in Zone 6b here in the U.S. in late April we've had a few days that felt like summer, now it's early may and it's in the mid 40's (F) to early 50's(F). It's been a weird "Spring" can't wait till we get real warm days where I can finally plant my grown tomato and tomatillos' :)
We have 57F today!
Thanks for the tour, always inspired by your garden
Been working hard on the new section.. good to see the update of it all slowly coming together!! Amazing how much work goes into it all.. very smart to experiment first and see the results before creating a bigger customer base.. look forward to more updates 👌👍
Cheers Aaron
Thanks Charles, watching and learning loads much from your videos.. So much valuable info.
Lovely to see the progress. It looks amazing. Finger crossed for the permissions
All the best Master Dowding. 😊✌️🐝❤️
14:00 Oh, the possibilities! What an adventure. Happy for you, Charles.
Exciting times
“Cor, is that bindweed?” 😝 Charles, lol, so many viewers watching thinking- ha! Now let’s see how you see with a really weedy plot LIVE! 😂 No pressure! Awww, not really we trust the/your process and await with bated breath to see it unfold and follow your experiments ourselves at home. I have 3 of my 9 no dig beds made. I did use wooden sides but after seeing this today, even though I’m really nervous to, 😬 I’m going to have a go at making the rest with no sides. Lol - why do these decisions feel so life or death! I’d love to know the technical set up for the time lapse camera as I’m just starting out on new land too.
Good luck, it's a simple purchased camera, photo every 30 minutes
Yes, bindweed seems to like to grow in wood chips if you let it. it's a real pain.
Good Saturday morning from Tennessee .
Wow that's impressive progress in such a short space of time, I hope you get permission for your pond I helped organise volunteers at our allotments last year to dig one on a spare unused plot and it's been great watching the wildlife slowly colonise it. We did have a bit of an issue with gardeners digging straight down instead of doing gentle slopes though :)
An absolute joy to watch your newly expanded garden area grow. We sieved a bunch of municipal garden waste compost (like you did) and planted our whole garden in that. So far some yellowing a bit here and there of plants. So I am reassured by Fall we should have better garden compost as it will have broken down more. Thank you for the tour!
Sounds great Tamara and thanks
Lovely... I look forward to the videos...I check every day for new ones....meanwhile I pus in practice your ideas. I hope to have a good crop this year. No more digging 😁
What plans do you have in the soil for this Spring Anca ? Good luck planting !!🍒🍒🍅🍅🌱🌱
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 Everything ... tomatoes, salads, cucumbers, courgetes, potatoes, radishes, garlic, peppers, strawberries and some others. I am very happy with my spanach, never grew so much as it did this year with no dig. So I am very excited 😁
@@ancagafencu6946 You ought to be excited Anca , you have a little of everything growing in your garden , what is more fulfilling than the feeling of seeing your plants bloom and start to bear food . How long have you been practicing no dig planting ?
@@thomasehrlichmann4936 I started 3 years ago when I saw some of your videos with one bed. Experimenting with wood chips a little, deciding they are good for the paths not as a mulch. But this year we did the half back of the garden raised beds filled with compost. There are 12 beds around 100 cm by 600cm or so and a pollytunnel 6m by 3m...will see how it goes, but it looks promising...
@@ancagafencu6946 Well i ain't the creator of this amazing videos , I'm a viewer and subscriber just like you and i recently started no dig this Spring and I'm keeping a close eye on new videos to know exactly what to do . Looks like you're doing well for yourself with 12 beds , that's incredible Ancu .You sounded like you have some garden help , its always convenient to have some help in the garden or farm .
I subscribe to you, Epic, MI, and SS me. You are by far the one I look most forward to watching. Especially your long videos.
Thanks Dan
My pet rabbit LOVES thyme. I think bunnies enjoy most any herb!
Super!! 👍👍👍
Thanks Charles - plenty of rain this weekend fingers crossed for the pond!!
Wonderful tour! it is very exciting .. looking forward to seeing how it all comes about in time.. (watch those bunnies) we have been cool and dry too....
Wow! Mr. Dowding has implemented a lot of improvements to that property.
Beautiful!!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 so exciting the new land and its growth.
Those pesky rabbits...fancy moving into their field and planting Thyme!
😆 well well! They just want to B A Rabbit! Not eating wildflowers though! 🐝
@@CharlesDowding1nodig 😆
Excited to see you put in asparagus crowns. I did the same this spring. Can't shake the feeling that the rabbits might be nibbling the new spears. Can't wait to see how yours progress. Thanks for sharing your journey
Fingers crossed for both of us.
In a year or two it's going to be really exciting to see your progress. It's already looking sharp.Well Done!
Very nice! 🤩
Thank you Charles as ever, always such helpful content. I am on a second run-through your videos and have an idea for a new video... as a new gardener I really struggle to know how many plants I need for different crops for a family of four. I am learning through trial and error, but some kind of guidance would be so helpful.
Cheers Peter, glad you like the videos. That is not straightforward to answer because it depends how many of each virtual your family likes to eat, which varies, and the weather of each season which varies even more! Plus the skill of the gardener, and climate
Looks great!
Lovely tour of the new land Charles, it’s all coming along nicely, thanks for sharing 😁
Good jobs 🤝
Thanks 🙏
Great space Charles, you have definitely been busy. Have you considered using some of the field to grow biomass for compost? With that much space it might be more cost effective to produce more of the material in-house. Maybe something like Sudangrass which would give you two harvests over a year.
Yes I have and maybe this winter for planting
Sunflowers would be fantastic for biomass too. They aren’t picky about soil, tolerate the dry conditions and are easy to harvest. Daikon radish for bio-drilling too (in august), pockets of worm poo when they die off over the winter! Field peas, oats, clover for soil health/nitrogen... good cover so pernicious weeds don’t take over all the bald spots.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Charles, I’m so happy and excited for your newly acquired property! Thank you for being my inspiration to improve on my gardening skills! My eggplants and tomatoes are growing well! Thank you again! Stay safe and healthy!
Thank you Mr Dowding for sharing with us!
I have everything crossed for the pond. Cant wait! 🙏🏻
Thanks Jayne, and I have permission but now the weather is too dry, plus Jack is too busy so it will happen in the autumn.
I will be a little bit jealous lol but I will be enjoying it all!
Got your calendar this morning - now to playing catch up.
Just fabulous, 👍🌻
Glad you enjoyed it
Glad I don't have Bindweed. But I do have Creeping Buttercup and it's maddening. When I go to weed it its strong stem can destroy my plants! (pea cover crop)
I don't do no-dig for the Potatoes but rather three-year rotation so the plan this year is to cover last years potato field with seaweed.
I've considered collecting green waste in my neighbourhood but can't be sure they haven't sprayed Roundup. For the same reason I'm skeptical of bought compost.
I have acres of disused pasture I scythe instead but it's much work.
Very interesting to see the process you employ from paddock to no dig garden bed. Yep, know all about the bindweed, i've just finished pulling it out of my beds. A never ending job until its gone - and I know eventually it will be from your comments.
Cool, thanks Annie
Brilliant stuff as always.
Sir Charles,, you are super talented and great gardener,, helping us out with cool informative no dig method videos,, appreciate it thanks for sharing love and Respect 🙏🇮🇳
Thank you kindly Azam
Muy bello gracias, saludos desde Uruguay 🇺🇾🇺🇾
Fabulous
In south west Scotland we still have a ways to go before planting some things out, we had snow last week and hail two days ago ,🙄I want my kitchen table back .Looking milder now so think the frost is past us might plant my lettuce out with hoops and fleece, we'll see .Home acres looking good as always ,you to Charles 😘😁
Thanks for sharing your weather woes Rachel, I wish you warmth
@@CharlesDowding1nodig My cat is keeping me warm just now .🤗😻
Wish I could give you some of are rain. It hasn't stopped raining in NY. Last month and what looks like this month too 🤣.