Propagation

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*The information contained in this pack has been taken from Module 2 of my online course, Skills for Growing, so if you have purchased this course, or just Module 2, you will already have the information. For any queries, please email anna@charlesdowding.co.uk

Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

This knowledge pack is about skills for successful propagation. It covers how to save or buy seeds, how to sow them, and how to then transplant the plants. I explain whether to sow under cover or outside, and also how to multisow in module cells.

Sow in nine out of twelve months

Being consistently good at propagation is a vital part of having fresh and stored harvests throughout the year. You can sow in nine out of twelve months. This helps to keep your beds full with succession sowings. Much of what you grow after midsummer and through autumn is from second sowings.

Features of successful plant raising

There are three main aspects:

1. Using top quality seeds.
2. Using suitable trays, according to each vegetable you sow.
3. Sourcing a really good compost for filling trays, and also pots, whichever type you are using.

The compost

You can either buy compost for propagation, or you can make it. Purchased composts vary a lot, even with the same brand name and description. While with homemade, you know what’s in there. I recommend some proprietary brands.

Why compost, not soil? Compost has a fine crumb structure, good aeration and decent drainage. Although soil may be great for plants in beds, it is often dense and wet in cells and pots.

1. A compost that is good for propagation has four qualities. In order of importance they are:
2. Being nutrient dense
3. Having good drainage
4. Being able to old moisture
5. Being weed free

I cover these details in this YouTube video, published in January 2023.

Transplanting

I use this word, because if one says planting, sometimes that’s thought to be ‘putting seeds in the ground’. For which I reserve the word sowing.

An important bit of knowledge you’ll learn in this section is the size of transplant, for ease of planting and good results. My method is about raising small but strong transplants. Then setting them in the ground when they are as little as three weeks old. Sometimes less, and sometimes more, depending on which vegetable it is, and also on the time of year.

I show you the use of my long-handled dibber. This easily and quickly makes holes to set plants in deep. Spacing is regular and harvests are higher. Plants are cosily together (‘companion planting’), and well supported by going in deep. Having the stems all below ground level is an important part of successful transplanting.

Knowledge pack contents – includes text, photos and video:

• Seeds and seed saving
• How to propagate strong seedlings
• The benefits of multisowing
• Transplant or sow direct

Planning

*The information contained in this pack has been taken from two of my online courses, No Dig Gardening and Skills for Growing, so if you have purchased these courses, you will already have the information. For any queries, please email anna@charlesdowding.co.uk*

Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

Planning your plot and your growing, a knowledge pack about how you can set up and plan your cropping for a whole year. With much advice about succession planting, and whether or not you need to rotate your vegetable crops.

Beds for ease of creation, and use

I consider bed width and orientation, and whether you need sides to your beds, or probably don’t! I explain the value of sides to beds in some situations, and the many reasons you may not want them. With no dig, it’s fine to tread on soil occasionally. It is firm yet open. This means you can have beds of any width, and align them in whichever way works best for you in the context of your site.

Pathways to add value

I explain the benefits and importance of well-maintained paths, with examples from different parts of Homeacres, and from my previous garden at Lower Farm. Also how to clear paths of weeds and how to keep them weed free, and why this is worthwhile. I explain reasons for having paths of different widths, and how narrow paths without bed sides can increase your cropping.

Planning

I give many examples to support your planning methods. This is knowledge to help you make viable choices about what to plant where and when, through all the seasons. It’s easier with no dig because there is neither much ground preparation, nor weeding.

I explain examples from my intensive cropping and intercropping at Homeacres. From May to October my beds are full, and some are double-cropped with interplants.

Succession and rotation

The knowledge in this section is closely linked to no dig methods. Your super healthy, undisturbed soil can successfully grow the same family of vegetables year after year. I’m not too sure for how long, but in one trial I’m getting close to 10 years of growing potatoes and brassicas in the same ground. Harvests are still good, and plant health is excellent.

This makes it easier to keep sowing and planting closely, including in small spaces. There’s not much room for any conventional rotation in one or two beds, if that’s all you are cropping. Plants of many types are constantly mixing their roots and leaves, which is actually a nice form of companion planting.

I give examples of which vegetable can follow which vegetable, and explain why. With this knowledge, you can work out your own successions, according to what you want to eat.

Knowledge pack contents – includes text, photos and video:

• Bed width and orientation, sides or not
• Making a bed
• Paths – how they feed your plants and how to look after them
• 3 examples of planning
• Succession and rotation

Spacing

*The information contained in this pack has been taken from Module 3 of my online course, Skills for Growing, so if you have purchased this course, or just Module 3, you will already have the information. For any queries, please email anna@charlesdowding.co.uk

Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

This knowledge pack explains why spacing is important. Plants grow quite differently, whether close or further away from their neighbours. Much as plants need space to grow to their full potential, they also do not start well in wide open spaces.

Each vegetable has a potential best spacing, at which it can grow to a decent, but not excessive size. It will find sufficient nutrients and moisture, and harvests will be even and regular.

Close spacings

I explain how close spacing can be a form of companion planting. Small seedlings, especially, do not thrive when there are wide distances to their closest neighbours. Plants are like people and companion planting actually means, literally, companionship.

Having said that, if you space vegetables too close, much as they will grow, the harvest might not be what you are wanting. Or they may be difficult to pick from – with lettuce, for example, you may not be able get your hands around each plant to remove the outer leaves.

Proximity can also result in more diseases, such as mildew, because leave stay damp for longer. There is less air circulating around each plant. And another downside of spacing too closely can be difficulty of weeding, if there are many weed seeds germinating.

Growth changes with spacing

You’ll learn how the space between plants affects how quickly they start cropping, as well as how big they grow.

You can vary spacings according to desired results. For example, if you want baby carrots, or small lettuce leaves for a quick harvest by cutting, then space closely. If you want larger carrots, and longer lived lettuce plants, give them more room.

Try some different spacings and not just the ones suggested on seed packets. I explain this with all common vegetables.

Close spacings are fun and can give higher yields. They are easier with no dig because of lower weed pressure. Try my suggestions, to see how much food you can harvest from small areas.

Knowledge pack contents – includes text, photos and video:

• The how and why of spacing
• Examples of close spacings
• Examples of wider spacings
• Spacing Guide (downloadable PDF)