Organic Gardening: The natural no-dig way

Around ten years ago we watched some videos from Charles on YT. We had just taken on an overgrown allotment in Bristol and needed to advice. The no-dig idea is obviously appealing so we bought this book. I have just bought it again for a present for my sister. After reading and following the advice, we actually went on a course at Charles's property and it was a great and educational day out. From that point on, we have lived the no-dig system that Charles writes about in this book. We now have a small allotment in our back garden and continue to follow the advice given in this book. I can't recommend the advice given within and highly recommend the contents to anyone wanting to grow vegetables naturally and want the easy life whilst producing great vegetables whilst using natural and easy to understand procedures. If you're new to growing and want some advice then I can't think of a better person to get that advice from...

Love this. Have been using no dig for a few years to renovate my.overgrown garden. Has worked a treat. Am now learning to grow veg and keep coming back to this book as it has good detail and is well organised. I love Charles' confidence and enthusiasm. Makes me feel I cam achieve anything as long as I mulch mulch mulch. So far so good

I have really enjoyed reading this book. I like the author's writing style, from someone who clearly 'knows his onions'! It is full of straightforward advice and easy to understand. I heartily recommend it!

A very helpful introduction to 'no-dig' and the basic ideas behind it and organic gardening. It is simple to understand, well-illustrated and provides much unusual information about planting times and vegetable varieties. As one of millions of sufferers of back pain, I have been considering 'no-dig' for some years and I'm now using this book to set me properly on the road. My small rotovator is unlikely to see the light of day in future.

This is a good book, with much useful information. Dowding is not the originator of the no-dig approach to gardening, but he has done a lot to popularise it, and to demonstrate its effectiveness. Quite a bit of the book is taken up with an explanation of the philosophy behind his approach e.g. Using compost as a mulch to keep down weeds, as well as feeding the soil. There are also sections on each group of fruit and veg, with sections on the major crops such as beetroot and onions. Whilst I do recommend this book, it is not without fault. He omits less common crops such as root parsley, and he only mentions a few recommended varieties for each plant. That said, these are minor quibbles. The key message, that there is no need to dig, and that an organic no dig approach is not only easier, but better for you and wildlife is put across in a convincing manner. I have gone over to no dig, and had few weeds to clear, and excellent harvests. It works.

I belong to my local Community Gardening group and I have always tried growing vegetables using a type of 'No Dig', but it hasn't always been very successful. I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation given by Charles just over 13 months ago and was hooked into trying his methods. SUCCESS!!! I have 2 comments I'd like to pass on - 1. Unless you have access to a LARGE volume of compost it may be expensive if you live a long distance from where your local council processes its 'Green Waste' (as I do), but it is DEFINITELY worth it!!! I ordered 4 cubic metres and it was enough for 40 square metres. 2. It can be a lot of work moving the compost from where it can be dumped to where your plots are - mine were just over 200 metres away. The crop of potatoes was superb and so easy to harvest and the same was true of the squashes. I quietly smile tomyself as I see others digging eash year/rotatting their crops etc!! :-)

I live and garden in Finland so most of the info about sowing and planting dates obviously needs to be adjusted to our short growing season. If you're a beginner it's better to start with some books written by someone in your own country. But, if you already have some basic knowledge about gardening in your climate, this book is an excellent source of practical tips. I got answers to many questions to which I have not found answers elsewhere, particularly about pests and other problems. I really liked the writing style too. This is book is a source of encouragement, not just of information. It was really comforting to find out that the crops I've struggled most with (carrots, brassicas) actually are difficult, even for a super experienced gardener like the author! With carrots the main problem is getting them established in the first place. With brassicas it's mostly the numerous pests. Charles Dowding gives tips for dealing with these and many other challenges.

It is a perfect recipe for organic no dig gardening.

An excellent book laying out the concept of "no dig" gardens. The author has vast experience of this as you can see from his writings. Great book.

Charles Downing is the best at what he does and if you are looking for a single source for all your questions about gardening (since there are millions out there) then his books and videos are going to be your gardening bible.

Dieses Buch ist unglaublich gut. Der Anfang, in dem die Methode ohne Umgraben erklärt wird, ist zum Glück nicht allzu umfangreich, denn so viel gibt es dazu nicht zu wissen. Unfassbar gut ist der hintere Teil, in dem es um die einzelnen Gemüsesorten geht. Der Autor hat ein unglaubliches Praxiswissen und erklärt, wann man welche Sorte am besten aussät und welche Sorten gut danach ins Beet passen, um im Verlauf eines Jahres die maximale Ernte aus seinen Beeten einzufahren. Natürlich beziehen sich seine Angaben auf seinen Garten in Somerset (England) in einer sehr milden Klimazone, aber einiges lässt sich auch auf rauere Gegenden übertragen, vor allem, wenn man sich ein bisschen mit Frostschutzvliesen und Folientunnen behelfen kann. Insgesamt ist das Wissen von Charles Dowding auch über die einzelnen empfehlenswerten Sorten innerhalb einer Gemüseart sehr umfassend. Ich habe unglaublich viel über Gemüse und seinen Anbau gelernt. Wer allerdings einen genauen Beetplan mit Anbauanleitung sucht, ist hier aber falsch. Er gibt viele Empfehlungen und achtet auch nicht so sehr auf die Fruchtfolge oder angeblich geeignete Mischkulturpartner, was sich aus seiner Erfahrung mit diesen Anbaumodellen ergibt. Sein Fazit, durch regelmäßiges Füttern des Bodens mit Kompost ist es eher möglich, in einer kürzeren Folge beispielsweise Kohlsorten anzubauen. Ich kann das Buch für Hobbygärtner nur empfehlen. Ich hoffe, dass es irgendwann ins Deutsche übersetzt wird!

I wasnt sure which of his books to purchase, but based on the reviews went with this one. Only started reading it, and find its an easy read, with plenty on information. Still haven't put anything to practice.

Chegou certinho apesar de demorar um pouco