Vegetables for winter and spring harvest, sow and plant in early autumn

In the middle of September I’m showing you what we’ve been transplanting today. How we do it with a no dig approach, it’s quick and simple, At midday this bed was carrots, now harvested and then we spread 2.5cm / an inch of compost, before popping plants into prefabbed holes.
This is spring cabbage, we also planted cauliflower for spring, and then I show you spring onions. All of these will give harvest next March, April, and May. We have some frosts here in winter, down to -6C 21F in recent winters, maybe lower this winter.
We finish in the greenhouse where we’ve been sowing recently, in my CD60 module trays mostly.. The small seedlings are for transplanting in the greenhouse and polytunnel by mid-October.
You can still be sowing a few vegetables for planting outside, if winters are not too cold. See my Calendar of Sowing Dates, available online and from my website signed by me charlesdowding.co.uk/product/...
We offer it also at half price when purchased with my new No Dig book, for which (at checkout) you can request a dedication charlesdowding.co.uk/product/...
My dibber is available here www.gardenimports.co.uk/produ...
Module trays video • New Charles Dowding mo...
In North America, find them here allaboutthegarden.com/collect...
Filmed at Homeacres, Somerset,UK by Nicola Smith on 15th September 2022.

[@stevenbp101]

Always the best looking garden in town. (Old guy from Arkansas)🇺🇸

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Cheers Steven!

[@johnfletcher4017]

Charles is the vegetable garden no dig goat been watching him since lockdown started the man the legend love him

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Cheers John, nice comment

[@alisonburgess345]

I planted some cabbages out last autumn and they grew slowly in the cold and lots of rain - my gosh, they are the most delicious sweet and crunchy cabbages I've ever had. You'd never get them that good in the grocers. DO THIS FOLKS!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks so much for sharing this Alison, and it's true they do grow very slowly at first!

[@cornenho]

What I do! 😊😊

[@DarthBalsamic]

I've got to try that myself. I hear this alot with these sorts of foods that are grown naturally and not store bought.

[@frankherbert6476]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig We're zone 6 here in our locale in the US, with plenty of low temps below freezing and snow....

[@ThinkSustain]

Do you think you could do this in Canada and other cooler climates?

[@homesteadN]

Everyone seems to forget about the winter garden

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, and I hope less now, for those with suitable weather at least!

[@RalfyCustoms]

Thanks Charles, September has become the 2nd spring, big love to you and yours Ralfy

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

So true, and same to you!

[@naturegirlmia]

Your garden is so beautiful!!!! Here in Ohio our field corn is almost ready to pick. Feed for our poultry. We raise it in beds and pick by hand. My husband threw red clover into the beds when the corn was about a foot tall. Now we have a lush bed of clover after the stocks are removed and will let it rest the bed for a year. Its also nice to turn the hens into as it grows. The next step will be a nice bed of green manure to plant into too after the card board and compost is added when we get ready to plant into it again. He has learned a LOT from you!!!! Thanks for what you do!!!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That sounds amazing and thank you very much for sharing a different approach, using similar principles. It's wonderful how one can develop methods like you describe, according to different situations and the fact that you have chickens for example. Say hello to your husband!

[@robertevans8024]

Charles, you're doing so much that isn't on video. I would really love watching you do the simplest of things such as sowing seeds in the greenhouse, spreading compost or anything else you might feel isn't so educational, interesting or worth recording. Your compost videos are some of my most favorite. I don't know what it is about making compost but I really love watching videos about it and doing it. Taking old vegetation, brown cardboard, kitchen scraps, etc and transforming it into such a valuable product is fun, interesting and fulfilling, to say the least. I hope you will continue to make compost videos in the near future. They never get old and I've watched your compost videos over and over again, may times. Your videos really help get me through the winter blues when I can't garden. I would love to order a calendar or two if you can mail them to the U.S. 🤔??? 🕊️🙏💟

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Robert, and I reckon to have covered a lot of the things you request, such as this tools and techniques video kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5STfaWEd9qGn5Y. And the video about sowing seeds last January. Yes we ship calendars to the US and all over the world, but I'm afraid the shipping is expensive by Royal Mail! charlesdowding.co.uk/product/charles-dowdings-calendar-of-vegetable-sowing-dates-2023-signed/ Thanks for your nice comment about my videos.

[@tbunny711]

Anyone else catch that cool way he covered the winter radishes? It's not just a row. I'm going to try to remember that square situation, I never would have thought of it

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, blocks of plants make covering easier!

[@seekwisdom5102]

I have a tray of romaine and also planted seeds in the corner of my tomato hoop. I seeded bok choy a little way back trays along with a variety of chicories. Last week I transplanted under the tomato hoop and they are marvelous. I hope they can stay nice during the winter. I am 8a and don’t have too harsh winters here. My baby cabbages are same size as yours and will plant them outside this week. First time I will “garden” in the winter, super excited

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for sharing and that sounds great

[@glassbackdiy3949]

Timing propagation for maximum production has long been my downfall, since I've just bought a 2nd hand 15'x10' greenhouse I'm determined to improve my production and extend the season, I've just ordered your 'Vegitable Garden Diary' book to start planning for next year! Thanks as always Charles, you're an inspiration!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Well done, best of luck and thanks

[@deepa203]

This is the first video I've watched after subscribing to your channel and so inspiring!!! It was our first summer trying gardening and we learnt several different ways of how things could go wrong. Our beautiful cabbage and sprouts were lost to some bugs, we still don't know what bugs they were and have got loads to learn. Glad to have found your channel. Thanks very much

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Happy to help! Brassica plants suffer many pests, see my Pest Prevention video kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJPJaHduZc9opdU

[@deepa203]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thanks so much for your help. Appreciate that

[@nkaradogan34]

Just what I needed. About to sow seeds for winter/spring

[@gardengirl7446]

Your flowers are GLORIOUS CD! The whole garden is a wonderland! ❤ Linda in Canada

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thank you Linda!

[@robertling9872]

Thank you king Charles for sharing this beautiful NoDig gardening video.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@HeavenlyLights]

I am inspired now mid-September. Yippee.🌿🌻🌼 Cabbage, Onions, Cauliflower, Cilantro.

[@StayPrimal]

Thank you Charles !

[@K4HLER]

Impressive garden 👌

[@MaLuisa_Peinado_Vallejo.]

Lovely video. Thanks Charles. 🥰🥰

[@yabbadabba5514]

As always, thank you charles for sharing your incredible knowledge 👏

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

everything looks amazing, I can't wait to plant out some bits this week!

[@user-op4fb4kj7o]

Great video as always Charles. I’ve heard it said that autumn is the new spring and I think it really helps to think in that way. Have been trying a few options over the last winters but have honed it down this year to winter radish / pak choi / cima di rapa in the greenhouse and lambs lettuce / broad beans outside. Hoping for some tasty winter / spring harvests but also will no doubt learn more to improve next time around. Much appreciation and thanks to you. 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds promising 🌱!

[@michaelo6124]

Idea for a video: overwintering onions. Explaining the whole idea on how short day onion variety is grown in the long day time zone over winter, for spring harvest .

[@anniemaymcneely2013]

Yeah I would be interested in that

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Afraid I'm unlikely to have time for this, but also you've got the information you need here. So late August, transplant September, or another possibility is to plant sets in October. And that's it. I'm not overwintering bulb onion plants here because I allow some of these spring onions to grow larger and that gives us early onions.

[@janetgrangerdollhouseneedl4856]

Love this! So inspirational! Me and my husband have today been offered an allotment, and we are raring to go. I bought some of your 15 cell trays a few weeks ago, and they are a game-changer. I had no idea that getting the module tray right could make such a difference to seed-sowing. The strong construction and large drainage hole make them a joy to use.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Good luck! Janet and thanks for your comment!

[@khmergreen]

Always looking Amazing!!

[@danyoutube7491]

I was umming and ahhing about sowing more now, and having experienced a few cool mornings this week I decided against it (apart from a single radish :)). Looking at the recommended sowing times on the backs of seed packets for things like lambs lettuce didn't fill me with confidence either (though actually it says sowing indoors can be done at any time of year, perhaps my drafty 'greenhouse' shelving will be enough protection!). But now I've seen this I think I will go ahead and set a few more seeds off; it can't hurt because I've got more than enough for my little patch.

[@anjaalt2682]

Lambs lettuce is very hardy, you should grow it only over the winter. I grow it both inside and outside in Ireland.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

The best way to find out is to sow a few seeds! This is a good time to sow lambs lettuce for harvest in late winter and April, when you will be very grateful for it.

[@ximenaisabeljimenezgalindo9044]

Hola Charles,adoro tu jardín , gracias cómo siempre por tu experiencia compartirla 🌷🇨🇱

[@naomi2646]

Thank you Charles. I enjoyed the visit to your garden. Always a relaxing pleasure and good information

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

My pleasure!

[@jsmith3980]

We just started our garlic yesterday and will be sowing more soon....thank you Charlesfor the timely prompt.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

😀

[@borqnaplashkov4385]

Ooh! Just today my claytonia has sprouted and I was in awe with the tender spiky leaves! 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely comment! I love them too and I'm amazed how different they are to the subsequent leaf shape

[@cptnd3851]

I just finished planting 150 garlic bulbs, excited to throw my onion/carrot/brassica trays into the ground later this month. Thanks for all the helpful videos!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How amazing and you are ahead of the curve with your garlic planting. We are planting next week, good luck!

[@whatsworthonearth8700]

Dear Charles, I am delighted to use your sowing cell trays which came the other day. They are of much better quality than I ever had before. If I had not seen your strong seedlings and plants in those trays I would say they are too small. I haven't godt my own compost just yet, and no beds but I will plant them in boxes and enjoy every bit of them. I am really quite excited about it because it's my first try of winter sowing in September. 54,94 N Wish me luck!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wonderful! I do wish you luck because at 54°, that can soon turn pretty cold, and dark!. Don't delay at any point with your plantings 🌱

[@beauvaisboy]

I Followed your calender this year and next years spinach,beetroot and onoins are all in.My second batch of salads are still growing strong as are my "haricots verts" No dig has made my first year such a pleasure. So easy and really productive Thank-you 👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wonderful Jonathan, thanks for your feedback

[@namthomson1124]

Thanks 🙏 😘

[@anapaulacrawford5837]

Doing as much i can in the heat under ingrown lights. Hopefully we get a decent winter sinces our spring was summer and more summer. God bless!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Ana, I wish you success!

[@williamallison1029]

Enjoyed very informative and encouraging Charles thanks BA94 N Ireland Antrim

[@denisebrady6858]

OH CHARLES !!! My signed book arrived & I can't put it down :):) Thank You so much it means such a lot to me. Cheers Denise- Australia

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Happy to hear that Denise! We are shipping quite a few to Australia, I'm impressed by the interest.

[@denisebrady6858]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Charles you shouldn't be as you are the Master of Gardening. :):):)

[@dbBrothersdb]

Fast summer.. enjoyed the garden ")

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Good!

[@jimmydemetriou7847]

Thanks Charles. We enjoyed our first baked Uchiki Kuri this evening, and it was amazing. sliced 1cm thick, lightly coated with a drizzle of oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Sweet, nutty, and lovely dense flesh. I saved some seeds from todays squash and next year will try sowing them as well as the seed left over from when I bought the seeds 2 years ago. I started very late this year, so hoping to get going on time next year. X

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to hear this Jimmy! They are so rapid, good for the late start 😀

[@lidiagarcia5378]

MARAVILLOSO!!! EXCELENCIA VIVA!!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@SirWhig-esq.]

Your Dahlias look amazing Charles ❤ Ive just sown some winter chard outside under glass, so im hopeful for them. 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Good luck! I'm glad to have filmed the dahlias because as I write this it's about to freeze!

[@pial3270]

I got your 2023 calendar. We removed all the overgrown shrubs and thorny blackberries. Unfortunately we had to dig due to the roots and planted winter green manure ready for planting in spring. We do not have ready compost and with the size of our garden it will be very expensive. So I will be composting the green manure. You’re channel is a must go for us beginner gardeners.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Pia and that's a good start. I want to concentrate the compost you can buy or make into the areas for vegetables especially.

[@scottishtomte]

What do you think about broadcast sowing seed directly into the beds instead of going through the module stage? Sara Bäckmo demonstrates this with overwinter Lambs Lettuce plants in one of her videos where she's using beds like yours by her "wife's cottage". She says to ignore the advice on the seed packet about spacing, broadcast sow then pick plants from the "meadow" and the gaps soon fill in. By pure accident, this September I've ended up with a raised bed covered with tiny kale seedlings, presumably from some big old seeded plants I had chopped up and added to a bin over some finished compost. 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Self seeding like that has happened to me as well, vegetables can be like weeds! For sure this is a way to start plants but if you noticed the detail of what I'm saying, the beds we transplanted here had other vegetables cropping until this morning. Starting from seeds needs an extra three weeks, when something else could be giving harvests.

[@polapietka4839]

💚

[@berthaperez8010]

❤️

[@jhart7304]

you remind me so much of my brother-in-law. He and my sister have an organic farm on the pecos river in new mexico. could be twins. 😂

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How amazing, perhaps we are in some cases are away, and thanks for your comment

[@UrbanWhiteBuffaloFarm]

Hello Charles, Steven Minnesota US zone 4A I am just finding your channel. So I am brand new here. I hear that you sir are a veritable wealth of knowledge. I am skilled at growing but have no technical or scientific foundation to draw upon. So I watch so many channels to see the good and the bad so I can elevate my knowledge so I can plant with certainty it was done appropriate for the weather conditions and should be able to expect a reasonable harvest. I caught the calendar comment however do you have one tailored to the US climate zones? Good to meet you sir take care bye for now Steven

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

This is nice to see Steven, and I appreciate your approach based on knowledge that works! My calendar needs modifying for your climate. You could use the outline date plan but would need to sow 2 to 3 weeks later in early spring, up to about May, then same, then earlier from August

[@farmyourbackyard2023]

My book arrived today! I was so excited to see your signature. Thank you for taking the time to do that. I’m definitely one of your biggest Oklahoma fan girls. 😅👏🌻🙈

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How lovely and it's a pleasure!

[@farmyourbackyard2023]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig 🌻

[@ferhang6590]

Hayellerimin bahçesi 😇

[@ramthian]

สวัสดีค่ะพี่❤

[@cliveburgess4128]

I am working on my fall garden here in sweaty fl. I am always amazed at the size of your seedlings! mine at 3 weeks are tiny, seems to take forever, I'm thinking it's just the heat? I can't leave them in full sun, they will cook, but I'm trying to be ready for when it cools down, thanks for your ongoing inspiration, Clive.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That's interesting Clive and in Florida I would be sowing these later, by which time the sun should not be sizzling the leaves and they do benefit from full light, which helps them grow fast. Good quality Compost as well.

[@cliveburgess4128]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you for the reply, yes! I think i am too anxious to get growing, we haven't even had a hurricane yet, probably shouldn't have said that!

[@jenbear8652]

I’m in Ohio and my seedlings are always pitiful compared to his too

[@sarah_farm]

Bravo! Your videos are a product of your unwavering work ethic. The dedication you bring to your craft is truly commendable. And it's an honor to have you visit our channel, we can discuss more about our experiences in harvesting and building farms.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thank you Sarah, I have no time for that, keep up your good work

[@inguracka]

I do struggle with date adaptation from materials as im in zone 5a +unpredictable weather. We had our first frosts already, way earlier than you would expect :( i think this is the end of season for me

[@angelad.8944]

Invest in some Brassica seed, varieties from China like mustard greens, etc. You can plant them now and they can handle up to -10C no problem. I have even had them survive winter right under the snow and I am in 5b Canada. 😊

[@Rajmaclart]

Was that a red sun sunflower I saw? 🙂

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Maybe Ryan, it was given me by Emma Kane

[@olgasmile6977]

👍👍👍!!!

[@saschathinius7082]

That is my task for this WE

[@JagdgeschwaderX]

Ooh, I was half way through you video and I spotted your sprouts and that really hit a raw nerve. My plants looked fantastic last year, sprouts were forming and then they all started to 'blow' as in the leaves all opened up on them. I didn't get a single sprout. I searched around and the best I could find is that they like perfect conditions and they don't like wind which can cause it. I live on Anglesey which is extremely windy at times. No idea if it was true but I was put off from trying this year.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh dear, that is upsetting after all your time and effort put into growing them for most of the year, and I know that feeling from long ago, before I discovered hybrid varieties. I'm pretty sure that what you were growing was an heirloom, open pollinated variety such as Evesham Special, which is no longer special at all because seed companies have not looked after these old varieties and they don't grow like they should, resulting in these wastes of time and space by people such as yourself. Find a seed catalogue and look for F1 varieties according to the season you want to harvest them in. They like your climate! And you will need to stake them I think.

[@lat1419]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig it is sad that the open pollineted varieties have become degraded, especially garden staples like Gardeners Delight tomatoes Brussels, etc. I have noticed that too. Now I always try and plant F1 and an heirloom, to hedge my bets. I had some success with open pollinated sweet corn, with saved seed giving stronger and more productive plants, which was a real surprise here in coastal Wales (wet and windy). There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding F1, and it might be helpful to remind people that these are "naturally" made crosses not GMO, and "heritage" can include a lot of bad seed.

[@JagdgeschwaderX]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks Charles, I will give that a try it's very possible we chose the wrong seeds. Thanks for sharing your knowledge :)

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

@@lat1419 Impressive! You are doing great gardening there and thanks for the suggestion, I have been thinking to make a video along these lines. There are a lot of very strident people out there who are really critical of F1 and I know it will bring them out of the woodwork!

[@lat1419]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig well, perhaps I'm showing my age, but I've stopped pandering to ignorance. I'm a scientist by training, part honours in plant physiology and pathology (half a century past). The misunderstanding of F1 vs GMO, and pitfalls of open pollinated need to be corrected. It's heartbreaking to see people put so much time and effort into gardens and get so little in return. I do "mad" things as little experiments, but that's how we find out our limits in our environment. F1 always give a good result, at least in our garden. Summer wouldnt be the same without Sungold!

[@beatakowalewska891]

Cuda, same cuda😍

[@UncleJ2058]

I d like to find out more about whether or not different types of soil are suitable for no dig. I have a book that says if you can't drive a stake into the soil 8 inches when it's dry, the soil is not suitable for no dig because it is too hard packed, unless perhaps you treated the soil.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I have gardened successfully using no dig methods on clay, stony soil and now the silty soil here. What you read there is nonsense! And there is a lot of nonsense out there so be careful what you believe. Clay soil when dry goes hard. Hard is not the same as damaged or compacted. No dig will work on your soil.

[@jamesmorgan7651]

I simply love your videos. Awesome garden. No dig is working awesome here in central MO (6B). Have you tried or do you grow cool flowers in your zone? I will be transplanting and direct seeding a variety flowers in the fall and would like to know if this a practice you implement in your own garden. Keep them coming Charles :)

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks James and that's nice to hear. I grow violas and pansies over winter for flowering in early spring, also I have some daffodils and tulips to flower in spring

[@jamesmorgan7651]

Do you plant most flowers seen in your videos in late winter/early spring and set them out in spring? What date do you sow the violas and pansies? I'm interested in sowing frost-hardy flowers in the fall and having them sit in-ground until spring.

[@w4447]

nice video Charles. Does your book have a inter planting calendar or chart in it? If so which book has it I believe you've written two. Also all those flowers and I didn't see one bee. Are they doing well Charles?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It would be highly complicated to make one chart for all those possibilities. In my new book, No Dig, I give interplanting possibilities for each vegetable. It's the 12th book I've written. Yes the bees are doing well and it was turning cold when we made this video, so maybe that's why you didn't see them. I've seen a lot on these flowers this summer.

[@littlemogocreek]

Hi Charles, thank you for sharing as always. I was after some of your module trays here in Australia however, your initial selected supplier informed me that they were unable to supply them as first thought. Has there been any work done on selecting someone else over this side of the world for your trays?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes quite a bit of work, however the insurmountable issue seems to be cost of shipping and they would be too expensive apparently, sorry!

[@angelad.8944]

Very similar over here as well Charles. The rains have given everything a nice boost. I just came in from the garden. I have been serenaded by hundreds of starlings in the trees all afternoon. They are on the move. A sure sign of autumn. We had a cold front come in and give us a cool 6C last night. Just when my eggplant is in it's prime! I think they need my mini greenhouse solution. 😁 I saw celeriac behind you there. Quick question, what size to harvest celeriac? I have discovered 4 of them in the garden. I vaguely recall getting them for 50 cents and thinking I would give them a go. They are about 8cm now. I truly thought they were celery until today, haha.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice to hear this Angela and you're doing well. We are forecast 4C tomorrow night, not good! For celeriac, it's not a question of size because they can get very large and indeed we want them to. Just harvest before the leaves mostly die and that could be as late as December. They do stand some frost.

[@angelad.8944]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Wonderful, thank you.

[@leighnicholson609]

Thank you Charles 😊 useful propagation advice. My apples have brown rot and I have been putting the rotten apples in the compost bin Awh! 😮 Is that a bad thing to do? Others say it is? Also how do I treat it?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I have more brown rot than usual this year as well and I've put them in the compost heap and best ignore what others say!

[@leighnicholson9263]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you Charles I will place rotten apples in compost heap. Do you have any suggestions as to how to help the Apple trees get rid of the brown rot. I treated them with organic neem oil last year and it didn’t seem to work for them? Any advice I am grateful of. Thank you Leigh

[@tmy1065]

I used a commercial “potting soil” for sowing and my seedlings do not have a root ball like the ones in the video. ☹️ Good compost really makes a huge difference. Hopefully I’ll still get something to harvest 🤞🏼

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh dear, it sounds ds a bad mix, hope they grow when planted out asap!

[@cfr69]

Hi Charles, is it too late to sow spring onion seeds for growing over winter ? I just sown some yesterday and wondering if they will be OK!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It depends a little where you are but I think they will be fine, just one can never be hundred percent sure. We sowed some just a week ago

[@rubyquinonez5966]

soy fan de los girasoles me enamoras con eso! ....dime mister charly!... que distancia tiene cada plantula de esas? voy a empezar a experimentar con un poco de tierra a nivel de piso las plantas no crecen igual en macetas , no tienen esa vida y brillo como se ven tus vegetales!.. estoy dispuesta aprender de todo😍😚😚😚😚😚😚por cierto me gusta esa camisa de cuadros💟👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

¡Gracias Ruby, es una camisa cara! Hay diferentes variedades y tipos de girasol, así que asegúrate de saber si es grande o pequeño. Los grandes necesitan 50 cm de espacio y el pequeño unos 30 cm. Buena suerte

[@somethingsbrewingIRL]

Hi Charles, Does green manure ever figure in your no dig overwintering plan?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Occasionally yes. Mostly I prefer to grow vegetables, I want lots of food! And if you want to overwinter any green menus, they need to have been in the ground before early to mid October, in order to have time to develop a worthwhile root structure. During winter there is usually little new growth, especially from seed. Another way of looking at this is that with no dig, soil is always covered and protected through winter by the mulches, of compost on beds and woodchip on paths. And then it's ready for early sowings in spring, with fewer slugs than where green manures have been growing

[@MyScottyboy1]

I've got runner beans just in flower. South coast UK. Will I get beans? Your thoughts guys.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

A few I expect, thanks to your being 'deep south' and coastal, therefore no frost until late autumn.

[@lucianaporchietto]

Can you plant straight into ground or do you need to plant in pots first?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

In the ground Luciana

[@katiethompson5568]

Hi Charles I am a new gardener only been doing it for 2years and I grow in pot,I seem to have a borax deficiency can you please tell me how I add it to my garden and do I buy it in a packet, please help x

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Well done and I don't know Kati, sorry

[@andrewsauteur7748]

Just wondering do you eat your sunflower ? 🌻 🤔

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I don't, the seeds of these ornamental varieties are small and take ages to de hull

[@araceli8973]

How is possible that your cells grow soo quickly?? Watching your videos I'm start wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm giving them too much water or too little... Some advice? Thank you from Madrid, Spain

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

They are rapid it's true. My CD home-designed module cells help seedlings to grow faster. They are quite small volume of compost means it's hard to waterlogged the roots of small ceilings and they thrive in that small space, with good drainage out of the bottom as well charlesdowding.co.uk/shop/gardening-products/

[@rubygray7749]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Ha ha, which bed do you plant the ceilings in !?!

[@bobbilynnmiller742]

If we don’t have a greenhouse, do we need to start the seedlings under lights this time of year ? Or just outside in modules ?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Outside in modules can work for sure, as long as perhaps there is a mesh cover against storms of hail, depending on your weather in summer time. You will have stronger plants from natural light, compared to indoors

[@bobbilynnmiller742]

Thank you , Charles for your help ! You are such a huge blessing !

[@insidethegardenwall22]

Charles, Unlike you, I’m lazy in the winter and let the garden rest. So I’m thinking of cover crop. But I still have fall brassicas in the ground for at least another 2-3 weeks. Do you cover crop or interplant overwintering brassicas (or whatever) with cover crop?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Occasionally we sow mustard as green manure because in winter it's killed by frost, so that's easy. You could try that! I prefer not to because my plants of brassicas are rooting everywhere in the soil, keeping it very alive and we spread compost underneath them in November to December, so the soil is covered. Plus this results in fewer slugs for when we make new plantings in spring, often in March as soon as the brassicas are twisted out, and the ground is all ready for new vegetables.

[@insidethegardenwall22]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you so much! I was tossing this and that idea but couldn’t figure it out. Your suggestions make sense and I will try them this year. Really appreciate your taking the time to answer questions!

[@GoldenSphereity]

Can I do something like this in Quebec? I’m in zone 5b I haven’t taken out my carrots yet and I still have butternut and corn growing

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It's not a certainty and these would have needed Surrey in early September at the latest. I would ask around locally to see what people manage to bring through your winter

[@GoldenSphereity]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I feel so honoured that you replied, I’m originally British, living in Quebec, this was our first year growing a large garden, we grew 60-70lbs of tomatoes, 40 lbs of potatoes, okra, lettuces, peas, we started grape vines, etc… I was astonished that I was able to grew so much from seed. If ever I’m in the Uk, I’d love to visit your garden. I had a question about my purple carrots, they don’t taste sweet, they seem bitter, the arugula and water cries are also very strong and sharp. Our tomatoes and cucumbers were really sweet, I find my herbs have a really strong scent and overpowering taste. Just wondering why this could be?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

@@GoldenSphereity Nice to hear. Those strong flavours are totally normal, especially for plants with red colour which makes them more bitter. Healthy, no dig soil gives more of whatever the characteristic flavour is and salad rocket for example is pungent. The stuff you buy is is often grown in dead soil or hydroponically even which makes it very mild in flavour.

[@andykyriakides2144]

What is dessimating my brassicas ?? . I started planting them out 2-3 weeks ago , under a mesh cover , to protect them from white butterflies and the pidgeons , but the leaves are being eaten away by something else instead . Is this the work of flea beetles Charles , and do any of the plants have any chance of recovery ??

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It's possible that you had caterpillar eggs on the leaves when you transplanted, that cover needs to come off and have a look! If it's flu Beatles, the holes will be small and very round. Or it could be slugs! Check at dusk with a torch

[@andykyriakides2144]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig as always , thank you .

[@davidshinn6501]

Charles ,are these spring onions single sown as you usually multi sow in clumps?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

These are multisown with 6 to 8 onions in each planting hole, so it must be that the camera does not show that very clearly. They are small seedlings and that's perhaps why it's perhaps looking like singles or doubles

[@iteerrex8166]

Would be awesome if someone experienced translated these dates for colder zones like 6 and 5.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I have friends in Minnesota who say that most of these dates work for them, but for sure they need some adjusting also for microclimate. Your summers are hotter and your winters are colder: sometimes those two can balance out a bit.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Ok thank you Mr Dowding.

[@rickthelian2215]

Hello Charles How are the worms doing under the plastic?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Busy! Looks promising

[@ginettemariaquirosbrenes1274]

Como un hombre tan mayor tiene la energia para cembrar y yo mas jiven ciento que trabajar 8 hiras al dia estoy super cansada , sera que recive ayuda de alguien

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Jaja "un hombre tan mayor" me hace sonreír, me siento joven, y espero que encuentres más energía y algo de ayuda.

[@pattidownes5832]

Hello Charles, are the 'holes' around the Spring Cabbage left as they are or filled in?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Leave as is. One job less!

[@mikefriend7570]

I’ve grown red cabbage in New Zealand this winter, which has been VERY wet and they have not grown a heart, whereas the ordinary cabbages planted at the same time are good….any ideas why?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Red cabbages do not make hearts in the winter. Here the latest sowing date is in May, for making heads or hearts in the autumn, and then you store them through winter.

[@kasiaukow4817]

przykro że nie ma polskich napisów , a tak było dobrze

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Są tam teraz Kasia!

[@kasiaukow4817]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Dziękuję😃🤗😄

[@trattoriinpensione6633]

Your lates book Is in english only?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

A German version is appearing in February. Other translations will happen but nothing is yet planned, international publishers need to see the book which they're doing at the moment.

[@joshuagarner1654]

I live in Oklahoma no such thing as autumn

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh dear. I hope late summer is good!

[@hoosierpioneer]

Had cabbage, bok choy, cress in a container, looking good at 2 wks, then worms destroyed them and the seedings in a flat😡

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, they needed protection from butterflies and moths. Gardening is full of lessons like that. My Pest Prevention video has tips kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJPJaHduZc9opdU

[@charlesduffy8612]

Why does my rhubarb flop over at this time of the year

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Because its season of growth is finished and that is nothing to worry about! It goes dormant through autumn into winter and then revives very early, even before winter finishes

[@charlesduffy8612]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you I can get on with my mulching now

[@dramatriangle]

❤