It often feels like the gardening world forgets to encourage those new to growing... But not you! Nice work Charles, I’m sure you’ve helped a lot of beginners here!
Had a “blaming myself for a far less than perfect” day... when I heard your words of encouragement at the end of this video... and though I was upset with myself about stuff that was nothing to do with gardening today, I want to thank you for the words of wisdom you shared.
I have many years of "incompetent gardener" experience to recognise good advice when I see it. Thank you for making your real life experience and knowledge available to us all. Since joining the No Dig community half way into this year, I've had more successes than I ever had the whole of the time I'd been tinkering with gardening!
Great tip on not leaving seedlings for too long before planting!! I’m def guilty of this, sowing any and everything without a plan for where they are going to be planted.
Yes, this is true. I made a mistake purchasing compost that stunted my plant growth, both in spring, and now in fall. I’d forgotten and now all my “greens” seedlings that we’re planted out in this compost have officially stopped growing. 😭 All is not lost though, the peas and radishes are doing okay. 😅Thank goodness.
Absolutely true!!! This time I said to myself "I'll be happy if I get 50% of the vegetables I planted" There is the walls, the winds, the shadows, the soil, the compost, the water...well so many aspects to take care! But I know I did my best and will learn out of my mistakes.
A lovely way to frame it - it really is all about perception, isn't it? How much we can learn from nature by being still and quiet, observing without preconceived notions or judgment... and how applicable that concept is to every other interaction within humanity as well. Nature really does know best, and offers myriad lessons if we are but willing to listen. My love introduced me to your work, and I couldn't possibly be more behind what you are practicing and sharing with the world. I'm not yet myself a "gardener," and I say that in quotations as I look at what you, Scott, and others are doing more so as being good and honorable stewards of all Earth has to offer by protecting her soil microbiomes, allowing plants and soils the space and time to do what they do - respectfully observing their processes without the thoughtless, harmful interventions that are so commonplace in what have become mainstream methods - all the while rekindling and propagating these healthy, healing agricultural practices that are vital for the future of our planet... All that is to say it's a pleasure to follow your work, I thank you for all that you do in your little corner of the world, and I thank you for all that you are doing by sharing it with the rest of us. I cannot wait to implement your no dig techniques here in Virginia one day... In the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuing to learn from you and others, and supporting sustainability in as many ways I can. Take good care, always. 🙏🐝🐌🕷🌱♻️🌎
Mr Dowding, thank you for another great video! Beetroot rings and the moon phases, is a new one for me. What I would give to sit and chat with you for a bit. Thank you for what you do, I appreciate it more than words can say, God bless! 😉
Charles, I discovered your videos about 3 years ago. I then started the no dig process in my veg patch and all of your advice on soil improvements. The veg in my plots have been the best ever. Thank you. Keep the videos and advice coming.
My main recurring problem is watering. The cost for water from the town has now gotten to the point that i'm paying for my own vegetables up front. So the only singular benefit is growing them fresh and chemical free. So this year i rented a mini excavator machine and dug a 300 foot trench out to the woods to a wonderfully pure spring water creek and i ran drainage pipes going to the creek from my aquaculture greenhouses and an fresh water supply pipe coming from a ram pump at the creek up to my greenhouses and row crop fields and also to fill two 1600 gallon water storage tanks to supply everything and cut my final great expense of buying water. The best part is an constant endless supply of pure glacier water for year around growing.
@@fatherofchickens7951 I only do it through guilt, having bought a spiraliser during their peak fashion phase and it sits there doing nothing 364 days of the year! I think I got the idea from the internet somewhere, but it's really good, just a different texture or something, but it really adds to a salad or a wrap or whatever.
Dear Friend, Similarly to "out goes the bad air, in goes the Good," eh? That being said, I am now sheet composting in my small city plot, buried under the straw mulch, similarly to Ruth Stout. It works beautifully. Best wishes.
Sometimes in the spring I get a *really* bad case of aphids on my balcony. 2 weeks later the ladybugs got all of them. The first year I tried to remove heavily infected material which only made things worse. Nature finds a way on its own most of the time!
Sir I watch Roots and Refuge Jess is the lass whom owns this RU-vid channel.... she mentioned you and a great review of what she has learned watching your channel.... no dig garden... CONGRATULATIONS... I myself was chuffed as I watch your channel also
Years ago a used to hate plants and gardening after a few failed attempts , but a friend said you can grow and learn unless you fail.. and not to be afrade of failing. Every since I've just grew and grew :)
Charles, that was the most interesting video I have seen. I understand about the compost, it seems that companies now just put anything in it and call it organic but no goodness to grow your plants.
The beetroot rings and the moon phases - well, that was fascinating! I have found that compost that was good and I ordered the same year after year, suddenly went bad so had to change and it has been hit and miss ever since, although I do like the wool and bracken compost and Moorland Gold has been great in the greenhouse. Thank you :D
Thank you very much for this video. I planted beets out in February, and have not had time to pickle them yet. I won't worry about them being woody now! Also, we read in one of our seed catalogues if you plant any of the morning glory family with squash, it deters squash bugs. Well, it must work because our early volunteer squash plants all had the bugs, but the plants I set out amongst the sweet potato vines have not had any squash bugs at all, and of course they're in the same garden, just different areas. I am amazed by this! Thanks again for continuing to teach us and allowing us to share as well! Blessings to you always. --Janet and Dane
Jànet Krehbiel I get a real kick watching the cabbage moths fluttering past the brassicas that are planted in with herbs! I have grown a couple on their own for the moths to devour. The birds love the caterpillars. Picking bugs keeps them from defoliating the rest of the garden!
@@Lauradicus , yes, the only way my eggplants survived the flea beetle this year was using diatomaceous earth, and also picking them off and squishing them. This is the first year I've been successful in growing those, and we've had a very lovely harvest, with many more coming on! I've tried growing those for over twenty years! My husband and I were very diligent against the bugs this year and it has paid us well. Also, we're growing using the no dig method, so that helps greatly too. Blessings to you! Which herbs do you plant your brassicas with?
Thank you for this Charles. I now see that my small, rotting squash and my failure to get some brassicas past the seedling stage this year, may be due to factors beyond my control.
Thankyou ,good advice , I’ve been playing around with a potting soil mix for a year , and i just had my first success ,thanks to you , i sifted my own compost a little peatmoss a little worm casting and a lot of vermiculite to make it nice and light , my plants are happy .
This was a great eye opener. I think I really need to get a soil test for my garden, it's not done well for 3 yrs now. It gave me more than enough in previous yrs, so I'm sure it needs some help. Luckily spring and summer will be back before I know it, and I can be ready for it.
Wouldn't it be awesome if 1/2 the world's people were.1/2 as intelligent as plants are. I quit high school 50 years ago. Your videos take away the stress. I did not get interested in our home garden and learning more about home gardening before I subscribed to your channel. Thank you.
I like the flower you plants at the ends of the rows. I planted Gardenia and nasturtiums in my raised bed as well. This past week I removed the corn, pumpkin zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and squash plants from my beds and now I have a flower garden go on. I'm not planting a fall crop because I have to move 2 of the beds. I'm not looking forward to that but it must be done. Happy gardening from Pa.
Love how you keep flowers at the feet/head of each bed! Would love to see a video about those, which types and how you source them/grow them. Cheers Mr Dowding!
Yes that's the answer. My compost I bought for this n planting year was not good all my plants struggled to grow. Even though when I sowed them they were growing great but after transplanting they struggled. I blame it on the compost. I am making my own compost now and I hope for better growing next season.
I've noticed the same thing about squash/watermelon/cucumber knowing how much fruit it can handle! Our watermelon plant will not ripen more than one at a time. I had two fruits growing from two plants, and as soon as I harvested one ripe watermelon, the plant allowed another fertilized fruit to grow large. They are so smart!!
I love how neat and organised your gardens are ... half the time I just stare at your design, it is like a Holy Grail of no dig design. I wish you could share a sketch of your entire garden and what is sown where
I’m so glad you talked about compost health Charles. You probably remember all my newbie questions at the beginning of lockdown starting no dig beds from scratch using what compost I could get hold of. Right through the season My plants have been about 6wks behind everyone else despite early showings. I’ve struggled with all your points and questioned myself. Soil is my next plan of attack!
KarenT soil is of the utmost importance...I learned that the hard way when I added manure that must not have been ready and actually robbed nutrients from my crops a few years back 😩
Thanks Karen and Nikki too, helpful feedback for others. There is a good chance that the compost will perform better, now it's more mature. A 1cm/0.5in top dressing of multipurpose compost will help.
Hi Charles, I've experienced poor seed too, planted a pile of things and nothing come up, repeated but also added seed from a different supplier. Again nothing from the first, but 100% germination from the alternative. It's very frustrating and you really do start questioning yourself. I can also relate to the mildew on zucchini. I'm in a sub tropical climate, Queensland, and an annual rainfall of 1500 mm, so perfect conditions. I usually cut them off and compost them. Regards Dennis.
That's so helpful Charles. It would be so easy to get despondent when things don't go to plan. I've had a terrible year for beans, for example, no idea why. But then I got a surprise artichoke less than a year after planting! You've given me plenty of ideas for things to try next year and even what remains of this year. I'm so grateful because you're helping me feed myself and that is truly worth its weight in fresh vegetables!
Speaking about hot composts, I just purchased compost from my local landscape supplier and after filling my new raised garden beds with that and garden soil, my plants started to show signs of stress. I randomly checked the temperature and at 8pm it was 46 degrees Celsius about 10cm below the surface. I guess their aged compost was actually still a hot compost. I managed to save most plants and after flooding the bed a few times over a week, it’s now at 32 degrees Celsius in the hottest places.
Thanks a lot sir, have learnt a lot from your experience and it really helps … and whenever there is a hiccup its not a shock, because the way to go around is already in my mind. please do keep sharing your experience as its beneficial and educational for us.
Oh, this cool season is perfect for growing moss, and we grow moss in seedling trays to counteract the fungus that inevitably starts growing on the surface. We have an old vacuum cleaner bag that is covered with moss, and this summer we set up a lot more growing spaces just for moss in the shady areas, so we don't run out of it while gardening~
Thankyou Charles for your insights. Helps me relax a bit more instead of injecting anxiousness into my gardening by trusting nature and the signs it gives me. You are a treasure!
Thank you for the wonderful video. Your timing as always is perfect for my needs. This is my second year using your help with no till methods. I had a bountiful year even with a Japanese beetle invasion! I couldn't have imagined getting an abundance of peas, carrots,cucumbers, beets, peppers, tomatoes, corn, kale green beans,melons and zucchini using zero pesticides. I shared with many and am so grateful for you and your videos💕💓
I was planning to pull up the zucchini and yellow squash because of mildew. I'll let them be for a few more weeks to see what happens. I just turned a 3 month old pile of compost, built from your advice in a video from earlier in the summer. Is the best compost I've ever made! I was thrilled with how great it looks. I'm building the next pile bigger and hopefully even better!
Mr. Dowding, you are a godsent! I've learned so much about no-dig gardening just throughout your videos, let alone your books. Thanks to you and some other gardening RU-vidrs my garden has been a great success given that it was my first year and I basically had no clue of what I am actually doing. Right now I have a ~6 liter bowl full of cherry tomatoes, I don't even know what to do with all of them! I also learned that my garden is not at its full potential, given how much space I wasted and how different I will do things next season thanks to your advice! Well, given my mighty harvest I was happy with this season and cut down the tomatoes as I just can't wait to rearrange stuff (yeah I am a bit impatient) and once I have everything the way I want it, I'll strictly follow your advice and not disturb the soil at all! I only need to get some nice compost going and the next season can come in no time! Though one question has yet been unanswered: What do you do when your soil is not in a good condition at all to begin with? Like very sandy or rich in clay? Do you prepare the soil in any way before making it a no dig bed? Or will the compost alone fix it?
Thanks Charles, I have often had slow starts with seeds which have ultimately failed to mature, it's good to know it may not always be my fault. I'm trying to make my own compost now , quite new to veg growing so has taken time to achieve this. So thanks as I'm 72 year old lady I love your no dig approach.
This is the first year I haven't had powdery mildew on zucchini. I am growing a type that is resistant, but I also religiously removed older leaves or any leaf that looked unhappy. That kept them open and airy and I think helped with more flower production. They produced better than ever and still look beautiful and have some fruit ripening. My greenhouse grown cuc's were a completely different story.
Very useful information again Charles, thank you. I certainly do recognize that “what did I do wrong” scenario. This time it’s seeds not sprouting at all... same compost as before, a little bit warmer days and cooler nights, drier weather... on and on and on!
Charles, your videos are always so timely! Thank you for helping us to understand that the lack of success is not automatically our fault. Several issues you pointed out, I have experienced and can be linked back to trying a new organic compost. Thank you! Thank you!
Charles Dowding it was a compost I picked up from a chain of stores on the west coast of the US. Don’t recall the name, but I remember the brand colors and patterns (white with red and black)...I won’t be buying it again, and probably won’t buy from that store again.
Four people not to like this video must have their own garden that is a better one. I don't understand. Gardening is a hard work--Beautiful garden Charles.
I have learned much from you about planting and growing around our own unique weather and pest events. We’re in Alberta, Canada, Zone 3 and I now realize that there are some plants that only grow well at certain times here. Thank you, very much. 😊 Nette
My summer squash stopped flowering last month. Now, there is a growth spurt and I`m getting nice flowers and more squash. I believe the cooler nights here in PA in the states have something to do with it.
Same thing happened with my cucumbers here in the Seattle area... fruit growth appeared along with the cooler nights. Here I was thinking that a 30 degree differential would stress the plants too much. Apparently it was just enough!
This video was for me!!! New to gardening, trying to grow some fall plants and failing miserably... they are just NOT growing. I bought an organic potting mix and compost (same brand) and I'm thinking it's just not good. Will try another brand and I'm definitely starting my own compost heap ASAP. We have plenty of leaves, twigs, grass clippings, green leaves, etc around the house so it will not be a problem. Plus we now have our own chickens!!! Thank you, Charles, for the words of wisdom and encouragement.
Nice one Charles! I tend to use a seed compost (F2S etc) for small seeds but general multi-purpose for larger seeds due to their more urgent demand for nutrients. This year I had a terrible germination rate on corn, peas, beans and cucurbits. I can only put it down to the batch of compost (10 bags of a certain 4-leaf luck stuff). As you may recall, many seeds went out of stock due to the lockdown but the ones I did manage to source anew grew fine in a different compost. A bit of an "our lives in their hands" situation
I see that your corn grow well in the background.My sweet corn grow well here in Ireland in the west coast.I'm so glad corn are susceptible to temperature that is hardly 20 °C.
Charles, this video describes my year (first time gardener) to a tee. I try to remind myself "you're just starting out, you're going to have some failures". While having total joy when somehow I manage to grow some things well. I am the master of eggplant apparently!
Thank you thank you. To hear the exact problems I’ve had this year could be my compost and soil! You have given me so much hope for the next growing season. 😊 Thank you, Charles! 🥰
This was VERY helpful. I had the exact same problem with my beets this year... sprouted, and lived, but didn’t grow. Some never got any “real” leaves, but survived all summer.
You have an amazing garden. Thank you for doing youtube videos. I grow in Northern Wyoming USA. I grow a 5 acre garden for markets and use a modified bio-intensive method. Biodynamic is my goal but 5 acres is huge. Application of any method is key. I would love to travel with you to other gardens through Europe. I think you have some perspectives that are unique and have been helpful to me. Thank you.
That is awesome Scott, big job. I am well rooted here and do not travel very much, but hope to meet up one day. Hard to predict just now. Biodynamics can help you, maybe not the whole package!
Hi Charles, ohhh your the best, this explains alot particularly about the warm compost and leaving it for couple of months... I was so eager I got it on the beds as soon as it was delivered🙄
Wow I never knew that about the rings in beetroot. I tried your method of twisting a broccoli plant out after I harvested it. Works a treat. Thanks so much for everything you put into your videos. We’re in spring now in Australia so it’s all starting to kick up a bit here
Compost is a miraculous amendment to soil. It is a very poor growing medium on its own. I know from experience as a gardener of 5 decades. Try an experiment growing the same plant in soil with varying amounts of compost added. You will see diminishing returns. The reason "no dig" works so well is that the plants are growing in soil and the compost is just on the surface. The key amendment when growing plants in containers of soil is vermiculite, so that there is good drainage. I learned this from you, Mr. Dowding.
Don Rad I did a trial this spring with some of my potted veg, broccoli in one pot with just compost and in another used a thick layer of native soil in the bottom with the same compost on top. The compost only pot outperformed the mix. Variety is the spice of life!
@@Lauradicus Very interesting! Check out this experiment video by Diego Footer "The Problem with TOO MUCH Compost" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ky0fPXADLds.html&ab_channel=DiegoFooter 😁It all depends....
Poor germination/growth due to bad potting compost - I think I have experienced that, too. However, that's not always easy to know for casual gardeners like myself and we tend to blame the seed company or the weather...
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us Charles. Your garden looks better than any September garden I’ve ever seen. At some point in August, I usually let the bugs & bunnies take over my garden.
I definitely would have blamed myself. But thanks for giving me a scapegoat :) Seriously, though, very nice video, very informative, and I think I'm going to start trying multiple sources of starting compost. Wishing you all the best, Charles, many blessings to you.
I've never grown Cucurbits yet without them getting powdery mildew. We live in a warm, and, for the most part, humid country, so it's a natural breeding ground for it. It's not something I worry about, because the plants are generally getting towards the end of their life by that stage. Also, you can prune out some of the worst leaves without doing the plant a worry.
I tried a homemade spray of water, baking soda, veg oil & dish soap and sprayed my cukes at first sign of mildew in May. Worked great & I didn't see any sign of it again until end of august..so I trimmed the old off & gave the new a light spray.
This year my poll beans have grown really well, i mean real nice pants but no beans! However they are just starting now! The year from may has been wet with low light levels and cool. I guess this is the problem and it is difficult to grow them were i live. Most diggers near me there poll beans are dieing but i am confident of a small harvest. 🤞frost says off till end of oct. Good vid we must be mindful and don't panic.
