Charles Dowding
Skills For Growing - Online Course
Skills For Growing - Online Course
Sowing, Spacing, Planting, Picking, Watering and More
Skills for Growing online course teaches you how to save time, effort and money. With the skills you learn, you’ll find gardening even easier, and learn how you can produce fine, healthy harvests without the hard work!
We look in depth at the key processes of growing. I cover saving your own seed, propagation, multi-sowing, spacing, methods of harvesting and watering, and more. I cut through some of the myths that can make your life in the garden harder and less productive.
I show you how to adapt your knowledge of growing in different circumstances, and you learn how to grow different plants at different times of the year.

Content
- 6 modules containing 18 lessons – see below.
- All lessons contain instructional videos, the majority of which are exclusive to the course and not on YouTube.
- There is a multiple choice quiz at the end of each lesson, for enjoyment and to consolidate learning. A certificate on completion of the course can also be sent via email on request.
- There are no downloadable PDFs or worksheets.
- You will have lifetime access to the course, which allows you to refer back to any part at any time.
Introduction and glossary
Module 1 – Skills and knowledge for a full garden, all year
I cover tips for good growing, and outline key skills. I also provide examples to support your planning and explore succession and rotation.
- Lesson 1 – Tips for good growing
- Lesson 2 – An outline of key skills
- Lesson 3 – Planning, with three examples
- Lesson 4 – Succession and rotation
Module 2 – Seeds, sowing and planting
You’ll learn new skills for successful seed saving and propagating strong seedlings. We also look at multisowing and transplanting.
- Lesson 5 – Seeds and seed saving
- Lesson 6 – How to propagate strong seedlings
- Lesson 7 – The benefits of multisowing
- Lesson 8 – Transplant or sow direct
Module 3 – The importance of spacing, with examples
We look at how and why to space carefully, and when to use close or wider spacing.
- Lesson 9 –The how and why of spacing
- Lesson 10 – Examples of close spacings
- Lesson 11 – Examples of wider spacings, and Spacing Guide
Module 4 – Watering and harvesting
I cover when and how to water, and harvesting methods and timings.
- Lesson 12 – When and how to water, and how much
- Lesson 13 – Harvesting methods and amounts
- Lesson 14 – Harvesting timings
Module 5 – Covers and winter gardening
We look at how you can use covers to promote growth through increased warmth, and to protect from pests. Plus we look at managing frost and other winter garden factors.
- Lesson 15 – Covers for speeding growth and pest protection
- Lesson 16 – Winter gardening, and how to manage frost
Module 6 – Containers, perennials and herbs
You’ll learn about growing in containers, and how to grow perennials and herbs.
- Lesson 17 – Growing in containers
- Lesson 18 – Some perennials, and herbs
Going Further
I finish with suggestions for taking gardening to an even greater level of ease and energy.
- Lesson 19 – New skills for new energies
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I have been no dig for 4years and your course is making think more about succession and winter planting. Thank you
I've followed Charles for a few years now. My first impression of the skills course is it is easy to follow, very well laid out and informative.
Hi. Im new to gardening and and have found the course Skills for Growing an absolute game changer in my outlook to gardening and can highly recommend it to everyone. I took on an allotment/ jungle in July 2024 and have knocked it in to some kind of shape with the aid of various books and videos and have started to see some rewards. however if I had known about Charles’s techniques and ethos I could have not only saved myself a lot of hard work but would also of had a plan for going forward and maximizing my returns on the effort put in as well as improving the quality of the soil at the same time. I’m looking forward to putting all the lessons that the course has taught me in to action in the future. Bless you Mr Dowding.
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