Charles Dowding's Vegetable Course

Charles Dowding grew up on a dairy farm in Somerset. After graduating from Cambridge, he worked for a hotel in the Inner Hebrides before starting to grow organic vegetables commercially on the family farm in the early 1980s. In 1990 he left behind what was by then a large market garden to live in France and Zambia. Returning to Somerset in the mid-1990s, he established a bed and breakfast and vegetable growing business at Lower Farm in Shepton Montague, Somerset. There, Charles's salad bags were the main output from his two-acre garden of permanent raised beds and fruit trees. Charles runs vegetable-growing courses and lectures and writes books on his unique growing techniques. Since 2012 Charles has begun a new garden at Shepton Mallet in Somerset which he has designed using no-dig principles. Charles Dowding received the RHS Elizabeth Medal of Honour in March 2024, one of the highest honours in horticulture.

• IntroductionJanuaryFirst principlesTools you needA few accessoriesJobs for the monthFebruaryGrowing in the space you haveRaising plants under coverWhy no‑dig?How no‑dig worksJobs for the monthMarchSowing outsideWhat kind of beds?Keeping paths weed‑freeDealing with weedsHow to grow tomatoesSeed freshnessHow to grow spinachHow to grow leeksJobs for the monthAprilPricking outExamples of commonperennial weedsHow to grow potatoesOrganic fertilizersKeeping on top of weedsIntercroppingHow to grow lettuceHow to grow carrotsPotting on tender plantsCreating no‑dig bedsJobs for the monMayHow to grow basilTime to plant outHow to grow peasSalads: planning cropsHow to grow sweetcornHow to grow dwarf French beansA year of harvests from two undug bedsSome common annual weedsJobs for the monthJuneHarvesting salad cropsHow to grow runner & climbing French beansHow to grow peas for shootsHow to grow chard & beetrootHow to grow courgettesJobs for the monthJulySecond croppingHerbsHow to grow chicory/radicchioHow to grow summer purslane and land cressHow to grow onionsVersatile vegetablesTaking on an allotmentJobs for the monthAugustTackling pests and diseasesHow to grow radishesGreen manuresHow to grow oriental leaves & rocketHow to grow endiveHow to grow cabbagesWhen to waterTackling potato and tomato blightJobs for the monthSeptemberSeed saving tipsHow to grow garlicHow to grow lamb’s lettuceGrowing salads in containersGrowing under coverUsing organic matterTackling slugs and snailsHow to grow winter purslaneJobs for the monthOctoberCompanion plantingGrowing winter saladsMaking your own compostMulching to control weedsJobs for the monthNovemberCrop rotationGrowing perennial vegetablesMaking your own wooden bedsTypes of composts & manureHow to grow broad beansJobs for the monthDecemberChicory for forcingPests in winterWorking with the moonBuying composts & manuresStoring vegetables for winterJobs for the monthSuppliers & resourcesIndexAcknowledgments

This book is essential reading to gardeners of all abilities. The advice given is honest, truthful and fresh without trying to impress its readers and that is what makes this book so impressive. It is the best all round garden book I have read in years and worth every penny of the cover price. This is definitely no ordinary run of the mill book and should be on every gardener's bookshelf even if you have to beg, steal or borrow it.