Charles Dowding No Dig Tour 19th May

A walk around my 3000sqm no dig market garden in late spring. All beds receive a mulch of compost once a year and I use no feeds or fertilisers.
I show you some succession plantings, which continue until October, with a range of seasonal vegetables. No dig makes it quick to re-plant and keep beds full throughout the year.

I use no slug pellets, and occasionally see slug and snail damage. Usually where I have allowed too much habitat nearby, as you see. Edges are a pest and weed issue issue.
A different problem happened in the poly tunnel, where I had overwatered small cucumber plants. I replant in the video, and explain how it's best to underwater cucumber and melon plants when they are small.

Spring has been a little warmer than usual. Even before summer, broad beans and beetroot are coming ready, plus I show you how we harvest wild rocket, and how to judge the readiness of early cabbage.
Then we look at slow growth of potatoes, caused by nutrient loss resulting from a thick layer of woodchip on the soil.

I give you hints for timing your garlic and potato harvests, and ideas for interplanting. We finish at the dig - no dig trial beds where some differences are intriguingly strong. Harvests so far are 8.39kg from the dig bed, and 10.56kg from the no dig bed, same compost used.

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00:00 Introduction
00:18 A look at the Small Garden, and a prime habitat for slugs - I show you some damage to cabbage plants
00:31 A look at some lettuce, and more slug damage, and I give some tips on how to keep them at bay
02:49 Some info on Homeacres course vacancies
02:56 I talk about succession plantings/croppings - French beans after purple sprouting broccoli
03:21 A look inside the polytunnel, and some overwatered cucumbers!
03:45 I show you how to transplant a cordon cucumber with string under the rootball
04:43 I show you the tomatoes, and I talk about side-shooting
05:52 Many flowers!
05:46 Another example of succession - climbing beans after broccoli
06:07 A look at the apple trees, and mulch used
06:35 I explain my method for mulching with cardboard after planting lupins
07:09 Using wood chip as mulch, and also topsoil
07:38 I show you broad bean plants, and give some ideas of readiness for harvest
08:09 A look at beetroot, and I explain how we deal with bindweed
09:07 I demonstrate how to harvest wild rocket
10:49 I show you cabbage plants of different varieties and explain how to tell when they are ready
12:01 A look at a bed of potatoes being used for a trial of wood chip
12:42 I show you asparagus plantings from two different suppliers, and demonstrate transplanting one I have sowed
15:04 I show you some flowers, then a bed of calabrese, and explain removing lower leaves to help prevent against slug damage
16:06 Another bed of potatoes, second earlies, and more pest damage - slugs and wood lice
17:13 More about slugs and their habitat, and I show you more damage
18:22 I show you covers against insects over a newly transplanted cabbage bed
19:20 A look at the pond…
20:31…and the bees
21:28 I show you two types of cropping peas
21:58 I show you garlic plants, and some rust on the leaves, and explain readiness for harvest
23:12 A look at another bed of potatoes, and I show you how you know when they are ready, and what to do if you see them near the surface
24:12 A look at spinach, soon to finish
24:25 I show you an example of interplanting, and explain the benefits of this method
25:20 Lastly, a look at my dig/no dig trial beds, and some more examples of interplanting

See this video for more on pest prevention:    • Pest prevention - reduce damage on di...  

More details on my dig/no dig trial beds on this page of my website: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/category...

Filmed at Homeacres 19th May 2022 by Nicola Smith, Somerset UK with maritime temperate climate, zone 8 but with cool summers.

Page edits Anna Maskell. Thumbnail photo 18th May 2022 by Charles Dowding.
My jade bracelet is made by Julia https://joodaboo.com

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