Day Course – No Dig – Wednesday 23rd August

Description

A no dig day course on Wednesday 23rd August to enthuse and inform you of easier and time saving ways to grow great food.

(This day course is aimed at adults but it is available to book for interested children aged 11 to 18. For them the cost is £97.50 and you can buy a child’s place here. Please email Nicola at admin@charlesdowding.co.uk with the names and ages of the children so we can welcome them when they arrive.)

In the garden

There is plenty to see in the garden, fully planted. Also several plantings now finishing or finished. You will see how easy it is to replant, without applying new compost.

Homeacres Experiments

We check the progress of various experiments, including the two beds of dig/no dig. And the no rotation trial with potatoes in their ninth year which harvest mid month.

Growing undercover

In the polytunnel is cropping the first summer fruits and leaves, while many seedlings continue to be propagated in the greenhouse. In the greenhouse I demonstrate the value of becoming skilled at propagation, how little space you actually need to grow hundreds of plants at a time, and thousands over the season (should you need to!). We look at module trays, compost, sowing methods and I suggest best timings for sowing and planting.

Compost making

There is lots of progress in the compost heaps. We compare results from the different sizes and types of heaps. Part of the course is about compost making, using the examples of my composting process here. Which ingredients are good to use, in what proportions, how big a heap to have, whether it needs to get hot, how long to leave it and whether turning is worthwhile. Then a look at assessing the readiness of compost, when to spread it and how to deal with the weed seeds.

We’ll look at other types of compost and the best ones to buy. We’ll discuss how long you may or may not need to keep them in a heap before spreading.

I explain the details of surface composting to feed both soil and plants for a whole year. In one dressing and with no other plant feeds needed.

My no dig day course shows you time saving tips in many aspects of growing, from watering and plant care, to easy management of weeds, and increased harvests in relation to the time and space given. Yield per square metre is a key goal, to save time and effort.