Courses and talks

Charles Dowding's vegetable growing courses, in the barn and gardens at Lower Farm.

 COURSE DATES 2012

Space available on all courses until marked 'full' (12 people)

COURSE VOUCHERS make great presents, pay by card over the phone or post a cheque (payable to me) and I shall send you a voucher, redeemable by email or phone on any date with spaces.  
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Courses run from 10:30am - 4pm

• Wednesday 29th February, 1 place left
• Sunday 11th March, FULL
• Wednesday 14th March, 3 places left
• Saturday 31st March, 7 places left
• Saturday 14th April, 10 places left
• Sunday 22nd April, 8 places left

 With newly planted salads -yes you can walk on undug beds!

Most of the course and lunch are outside in fine, warm weather. Otherwise indoors with a view of the gardens, also in polytunnels, and with a wide ranging slide show. Ground covered includes:

• clearing grass and weeds in different ways - mulching rather than digging
• keeping soil clean of weeds - a prerequisite to having time for creative work
• different composts/manures, when and how to use them for best results
• different ways of making compost, what ingredients work best

• sowing and propagation - in modules (greenhouse) or direct in the soil
• seasonality and timing of sowings for strong, healthy growth
• influences of the moon, biodynamic preparations, copper tools

• uses of fleece and mesh to speed growth and protect from insects
• understanding slugs and how to lessen them
• best ways to pick crops and at what stage, especially salads
• advice on polytunnels - size to use, orientation, what to grow in them
• advice on fruit, especially apples - there are many varieties in the new orchard

Cost £75 includes refreshments and a lunch of Lower Farm salad, soup, cheese, home-milled bread, apple juice and cider.

To book a place(s), please either pay by phone with a credit card (01749 812253), or send a cheque payable to Charles Dowding with your details, then you will receive confirmation.

Accommodation is available at Lower Farm 

For further information, send mail to enquiries@charlesdowding.co.uk

Click here for contact details and directions.

Some of the many responses to my course days:

     "Thank you for such a wonderful day and especially the tour of your beautiful garden. We came away very happy and excited having learnt so much." Cobi and Mark Snelson    

 "I attended one of your courses just over a year ago in the snow! Inspired, I have not looked back." Pat Cottam, N.             Devon

 Charles - a big thank you for such an inspiring day. I came away feeling able to think of my garden as a friend to be nurtured rather than a problem to be solved. Sue Kent, Wiltshire

          "I want to say a big thank you to you both for the course on Wednesday I really enjoyed it. Charles— I was amazed            by your knowledge and experience and your willingness to share it with us--- I left feeling I had had a veg and salad            growing life changing moment. This really is something that should be taught to everyone ,working with natural                    cycles rather than disturbing them it just makes complete sense." Steve Parry, Swansea

             "We have been trying your salad picking method and it has been a raving success. We have lollo rosso and oak leaf lettuces on the go along with various mustards, rockets etc., and have been picking for the last 8 weeks or so in the polytunnel. Despite feeding 8 + people twice weekly and contributing to countless events on the garden, the lettuces hardly look as if they have been touched. The only casualties have been those picked by volunteers stuck into the old ways of doing things. (I’m sure they were enjoyed just as much though)"  Jenny Howell, Cardiff Riverside Market, Outreach Project

Impact on my gardening by Lindsay Williams

More seed tray growing with mixed varieties, and pricking out . More focus on spreading compost considering the lack of worm life in the garden soil. Definitely more focus on compost management in my small area. I have always known this was central and my garden design reflects this and it is great to have my enthusiasm for this reinvigorated. I do also want to find a source of cow/horse manure and a source of straw. I was educated about the benefits of turning one compost heap into the other bin, once in the heaps lifetime. Then I definitely need more focus on the routine of planting early, in March and April, and planting again (a second time) in July and August.  

“Thanks very much and I feel very inspired. Your system is the most comprehensive development of a no-till principle for British conditions that I know of.”
Patrick Whitefield

"I enjoyed the course on Saturday so much. Coming to Lower Farm and seeing your garden in all its abundance and beauty was a pleasure in itself. Seeing and hearing about the way you grow really helped me assimilate what I’d read and inspired me enormously." Ann Askwith

              “I found the whole day utterly inspiring and the lunch was delicious!”
              Julia Sawhala

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for the excellent course two weeks ago.  It was all that I was hoping it would be. As an ecologist, your approach is so respectful and in-tune with nature and so obviously works -  your garden is beautiful and inspiring (and I love the ridge and furrow look!).  Even more excited about my allotment now!" Tessa Knight, Bristol

“Thank you so much for such a fascinating day on October 4th. Martin, Sharon and myself came back totally inspired. Just amazed at the amount of production from so little energy input and such an efficient use of space and of everything produced. In a world of ever increasing pressure on land resources this has to offer an alternative.”
Martyn Bragg at Shillingford, Exeter

"I just wanted to say thank you for the course on the 1st of October it was a revelation to see such a variety of produce, which looked so healthy on a relatively small site. It was inspirational and has made me rethink the way I am working my own garden.
       You might be interested to know that an organic veg garden I visit regularly which has terrible weed problems is rotavated every year.
       Thanks again
Debbie”

“Just a quick note to say thank you for Wednesday and how much I enjoyed the day. It was so relaxed and easy going and incredibly informative. I think your style is great and we all could all learn from both the gardening approach and the general 'way to live' approach. It was a very nice group of people, but again largely helped by your style – and lunch was delicious!”
Laura Cowan

"We had a lovely and inspiring day, and the lunch too, please thank Susie - maybe you set us too high goals that we cannot reach?"
from Penelope Hobhouse

"I would like to book my dad on your next course...we really enjoyed the day and I know he will too."
from Ludovic Blackburn

"Charles I just wanted to write and thank you for the excellent day at Lower Farm. Your holistic and respectful approach rang very true and although a relative newcomer to growing veg I actually found this an advantage as your revolutionary techniques made complete sense."
from Angus Hill

“Charles I came down to your course in early November of last year. You may possibly remember - I was the one who motored down from Scotland and drove back immediately it was over.
The day proved to be invaluable and we have made enormous strides over the last 12 months to the extent that a lot of people are saying a lot of positive things about the range and quality of the salad leaves - so much so that it is our intention to begin selling locally next spring/early summer.”
Phil Howarth

from Duncan Hector, 10.4.2010: "Just so that you know what happened to my winter salads which I potted in the greenhouse according to your book - they have continued to produce all through the winter. When it was minus 6 degrees I did move them onto a heat mat for a week or two but otherwise no heat. I have cropped weekly (enough for two with plenty to spare) since the first week of November and this is now the 6th month of cropping and the quantity is getting ridiculous. The mustards, chard and endives have gone completely mad and I am still picking from flowering Pak Choi and Rocket plants." 

             from John Kennet, 11.04.2010: "It's been a year now since Becky and I came on your course, and I,thought I'd just let you know that things are still going well in the garden. Since my last update in the summer I have built a succession of compost bins, and bought a poly cloche/tent so I could overwinter a few things and get going earlier this year. Apart from that, all I have bought is more compost and seeds. The beds that I cleared last spring have remained weed free, despite mostly being left empty over the winter. More proof (as if you need it) that not digging is the best way of gardening. We continued to have lots of salad well into the autumn, and a good crop of mizuna survived the winter under cover providing a reasonable picking on boxing day and lots of early salads in February and March. The Kale eventually outgrew the slugs and the last few stalks have just gone to the chickens, much to their delight. This year's first sowing of salad has been transplanted into the raised bed under cover, and the second is just starting in the potting shed. I've got tomatoes, cucumbers and peas starting off too - with more planned over the next few months. Charlotte potatoes have been chitting for the last few weeks and I planted them out today. It has been fantastic watching the garden come to life over the last few weeks, and I'm looking forward to a full year of produce. Thanks again for showing me how easy it can be."

  visit of farm apprentices in September 2011

ILLUSTRATED TALKS

I give talks throughout the year, mostly in winter, the cost is around £115 (includes £25 to Send a cow) + travel expenses.

See the COMING UP banner for future talks and teaching, including days at West Dean and Great Dixter.
Responses to my talks:

"It was a brilliant lecture and I can see that it will take on in the village as well as in our school project." Ann Bethell, Mucky Pups at Nunney, November 2011

"I would just like to thank you on behalf of the club for your talk on Tuesday.  It was a tremendous success with many favourable comments from our members.  We also had several visitors coming especially to hear you." Ann Brooks, University of Bath Gardening Club April 2010

"The gardeners among us were fascinated by what you said and by your photographs, and much enjoyed your wisdom and advice. It was striking how many people were talking about it afterwards." Lord Wilson of Dinton, Master Emmanuel College Cambridge, November 2010

"Thankyou most sincerely for such an informative and interesting presentation, the members would like you to speak again."
from Liz Lockwood, The Donheads Gardening Club, November 2006

"My thanks to you for giving us such an interesting talk last night, it ended our season a really high note."
from Peter Firmlin, Drayton Probus Group, May 2007

"It is a great pleasure to write to thank you for such an inspirational talk last night. Judging by the questions you were asked and in conversation with folk afterwards, many are keen to try out your recommended methods of vegetable growing."
from Eliaine Northam, Henton Gardening Club, January 2008

"Your talk was very interesting and most enlightening, and the slides of your produce were wonderful, we are all returning to our gardens with renewed enthusiasm."
from Daphne Jones, Duncliffe Garden Club, January 2009

"You sent us all away full of enthusiasm and several members spent the following weekend building raised beds, ready to plant out and using your excellent books as reference."
from Jane Evans, East Pennard Gardening Group, February 2009

"Thank you very very much for coming to speak at EAT DORSET last weekend. Your talk was very much appreciated and we had some really enthusiastic feedback from people who had listened to you." Annette Smallwood October 2009

"It was a great talk which you gave us here in Bristol on December 1st. We all enjoyed it and the lovely photos also...I'm so glad we had a good turnout so that we could share your expertise with other people." June McDermott 2009

Finally....a recently received recommendation from Richard Webber of Cambridge:

"I bought your "Salad Leaves for all seasons" book. While I don't claim to have read it all, nor followed everything you say (through laziness and lack of time not disagreement), we have had the most consistent supply of salad leaves this year. Far better than many previous years of glut and famine. And all this is down to the simple avenue of just picking the outer leaves as needed."