30th June No Dig Tour of amazing cucurbits, seed saving, rabbit protection, potato harvests

Strong plant growth, thanks to warm weather and the no dig method. I maintain fertility through a 2.5cm / 1in compost mulch applied just once a year.
Many first plantings we make in early spring are now finishing their harvests. I show you my current succession sowings in the greenhouse, to keep beds full of vegetables.

Weather background
Just 28mm rain fell in June, compared to the average 65mm. Temperatures were day maxima 23.7C, nights 11.5C, warmer than usual, plus there was more sun than we normally see. We have watered a lot with the hose, mainly new plantings, lettuce, and plants that are fruiting.

I'm wearing one of my new t-shirts, designed by Nicola. They are available through Teemill,
https://charlesdowding.teemill.com

The Stihl hedge trimmer is an HLA56, and we use the two hour battery https://shop.stihl.co.uk/products/hla...

Filmed by Nicola Smith 30th June in Homeacres no dig garden, Somerset UK, zone 8 climate.

My jade bracelet is from Julia at https://joodaboo.com

Cameo appearance by Adam Wood, his YouTube channel is @myco_ad

#nodig #successionplanting #marketgardening

00:00 Introduction
00:18 Melons and tomatoes in the greenhouse
01:07 Succession planting – examples
01:58 Small Garden with succession plantings
02:32 Strawberries, and I demonstrate adding compost after clearing
03:31 Purple cauliflower, and aphids
03:53 Seed saving – peas, carrots, beetroot, parsnip and lettuce
06:12 Zinnias, and French beans which followed broad beans and peas
06:48 Second planting of lettuce
07:03 Onions, and when to pull them
07:23 Dahlia, zinnia
08:15 Green cauliflower and runner/pole beans for harvests of dry beans (white beans and Borlotti)
09:30 Cos lettuce, and the first sunflower
10:08 Compost bays
11:23 A Sunberry bush, and some info on watering
11:51 Harvests of shallots and garlic (hardbacks and softnecks) and a word about rust
13:48 Squash growing through black plastic – no need to water
15:15 New plantings of multisown beetroot which followed garlic, and chard
15:36 Deer damage to beetroot plants
15:57 Carrots interplanted between lettuce
16:25 Potatoes Charlotte, some moisture shortage – storing, harvesting and keeping seed
18:23 Rye, with ears starting to ripen, and the dryness of the soil
18:58 Broad beans for seed
19:13 Beetroot eaten by rabbits – a thorough job!
20:15 Carrots, in a high bed against root fly
20:50 Piles of green waste and mushroom compost, and cow manure, with potatoes planted at the edge for a nutrition comparison
22:01 Harvesting a different variety of potato, Linzer Delikatess, to compare with Charlotte
23:40 New range of slogan t-shirts, available on Teemil website
23:59 A good tool for hedge strimming, with all the vegetation then going on the compost heap (link in description)
24:48 In the polytunnel, Little Darling watermelon, a small hanging variety – I cut it open to check for ripeness
26:47 A different variety of watermelon growing on the ground, Early Moonbeam
27:06 Loofa, and cordon cucumbers – how to harvest
27:59 How to harvest melons
28:35 Tomatoes – a black tomato variety with leaf roll
29:12 I demonstrate twisting a tomato stem around the string, and removing lower leaves
30:08 More melons, Emir – strong and quick growth
30:19 I explain the mulch used in the polytunnel – mushroom compost on top of horse manure
31:09 Some info on upcoming videos

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