March has been remarkably dull, one of the least sunny months I’ve ever recorded, at a time when we are hoping for the first rays of warm sunshine. Nonetheless, it has been mild (nights average 5C, days 11.5C), and growth is okay if not brilliant. There are tons of plantings you can make now, as in transplants 3 to 5 weeks old, and new sowings direct. See my newsletter update for those details.
Until late April, I cover all new seeds and transplants with fleece, as in the photo. While under cover, we have huge pickings of new salad from 6-7 month old plants.
Multisown onions transplanted and with fleece on top for two weeks
I pulled back the cover, just to show you what the onion seedlings look like, they are a little flat, but fine!
Under cover, growth continues to be abundant, this is in a polytunnel. Wallone endive and Red Lace mustard, garlic too all planted October
Last August, we collected chard seed, and it’s the first time I had saved some. The results have been quite extraordinary with the healthiest plants all winter and remarkably productive.
Polytunnel no dig salads picked for 4 months already, of outer leaves
Red Russian kale which I sowed a month earlier than other plants in the tunnel, same as the chard, for a larger root run through winter
From the online courses, we have created these bundles of information. The two completely new ones are Pests, and Diseases.
The most common pest currently here, is slugs. No dig makes a huge difference by allowing higher populations of slug predators such as toads and ground beetles. Also it helps to have no weeds, so there are fewer leaves for slugs to hide under. We are also seeing many rabbit holes this spring, and fleece covers are great against them.
August view and already these are second plantings, Brussels sprouts after carrots for example
Planning example of three strip trial, end November with the year’s second and third plantings including broad beans sown in the empty beds
March 30th, calanrese bed now has turnips under fleece, most spring onions survived winter, broad beans look strong, lettuce recently planted after kale and spinach after parsnips.
An Amazing, Confidence-Building Course for No Dig Beginners
I can't recommend this course highly enough. We are just starting our new allotment plot and building it entirely around the no dig method. Charles Dowding's online course has been absolutely amazing. It provides clear, step-by-step explanations for everything, which has been perfect for us. It has given us both the practical skills and, just as importantly, the confidence we needed to progress with our project. It's an invaluable resource for anyone looking to start their own no dig journey.
As a relatively newbie to the vegetable garden I found myself mega motivated to make the most of my small garden. Amazed at the wealth of knowledge laid down in this book and I for one will be glued to it. First job a small greenhouse, then we’re off!!
This is the 3rd time of buying Charles’ no dig calendar and, as always, I can’t wait for February to start sowing. That’s how good it is! The photos are so inspiring and the information gives you complete confidence to not only give it a go, but succeed! The layout means you’re unlikely to miss anything and I especially value the overview at the back which allows you to go straight to the vegetable you’re interested in and see which months you can sow and how many times during the year you can sow. In this way there is always something ready to plant. There is a wealth of other really useful information besides when to sow. I would highly recommend the calendar for anyone who wants to grow no dig veg on any scale.
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