July 2025

Written by

Charles Dowding

Last Updated

July 1, 2025

It's dry here, although we were fortunate to have 40 mm/1.6 inches of rain in June. That fell on soil already very dry from a remarkable sunny spring. In conditions like this, as long as you have sufficient water, the extra light is a positive. And no dig makes a makes a helpful difference.

Melon Malaga in my greenhouse, two huge fruit only! Sown 28th March

Speed of Growth

This is maximum time, keep up as best you can.. Thanks to extra warmth and good light levels, I feel like I'm running every day to manage the extraordinary amount of new growth. The photos below give an idea, 14 days apart.

No dig helps massively because there is less weed pressure, and that saves so much time. Nonetheless, see the section on weeding below. It's important!

My trial beds on 15th June, dig bed left and no dig right. We were harvesting a lot of peas and are about to start pullling potatoes

Same view 14 days later, with leeks after potatoes and cabbage plus beets after peas. Under the white covers beyond is new celery.

Weeding is easier with no dig

Perennials in particular need constant attention. If you leave bindweed just one week, it can grow like you see in the photo and those leaves are sending energy back to the roots. Keep on it as best you can and as time allows. The soft mulch of no dig makes removal easier.

I received this comment on YouTube, highly encouraging regarding horsetail or Equisetum. Also it’s a positive affirmation of no dig.

“Horsetail has almost driven me insane but I'm winning now. It's almost given up after 2.5 years, either covered or through persistent continual removal (daily).

I did try digging over one bed to see if it would help, but I don't see it made any difference. The horsetail came back the same as in the undug bed next to it. And it dehydrated the soil. A waste of time and energy.” (from Jez Bird)

Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis, regrowing after one weeks, needs removing of the new growth with a trowel. That all goes on a compost heap with no prior treatment.

Watering

This surprised me AFTER we had watered the bed to make it easier to transplant leeks from 7 cm pots. The holes I made with a trowel revealed incredibly dry soil deeper down. It had been growing kohlrabi, and they had clearly extracted a lot of moisture

Watering is a big job, potentially. I hope you have sufficient water, because plants can then be large and strong, since sunshine powers growth.

When there is a need to water, I apply it selectively and by hand. Water value is helped I reckon, by the magnetic field the tap water passes through. This field also softens water, I have no more scale on the kettle.

Celery Tango F1 transplanted 83 days ago on 4th May, was sown 11th February. It's the most watered vegetable, to keep growth strong and the stalks tender

New online course, No Dig

My original course came out in February 2019, from writing the year before and videos mostly made in 2018. This winter, I decided to re-organise the whole course, and re-write much of it. There's a massive amount of new content, new photos and some new videos.

In the time since 2018, my understandings have grown a lot. As has the extent of Homeacres garden. I have tried many new methods and vegetables. I share and explain the knowledge in this new version.

Potatoes Charlotte, year 11 in the same ground. I explain the freedomes of no and less rotation in the course.

If you have the older course, you can upgrade for free. Please message anna@charlesdowding.co.uk if you need help.

The photos below are from my Three Strip Trial. My work on trialling really helps with understanding soil and plants. I am shocked how forking soil has broken structure and resulted in cracking plus drying The forked beds over 10 years have given 7% less harvests than no dig in the adjacent strip.

Comparing soil treatments, after dry weather, this is no dig on 22nd June

Comparing soil treatments on the same day as above,, this soil was forked last December, and has the same compost mulch

Offer

For the next two weeks, until July 15th, we are selling the new no dig course at half price. Even if you don't use it straight away, you have lifetime access, so grab the opportunity!

We're also running offers until 15th July on all the online courses. It's my desire to spread this wonderful knowledge as much as possible.

A result of good soil care is growth like this. Beetroot Boston multisown 117 days 1st March, homemade compost has woody bits but not too many!

Problems!

Few things go to plan. So I have created a pests and diseases course. I share the simplest and most natural approaches. Know your problems so you can prevent or deal with them.

The aubergines in my polytunnel are an example of that. They were covered in aphids until two weeks ago, but finally are making strong growth in the new warmth.

Also that’s because the predators have arrived, on time and as every June. I now see many ladybirds and ladybird larvae on the leaves. All I have done is to wet leaves regularly to keep aphid numbers at a lower level. They are still present and become ready food for ladybirds and hoverflies when they arrive.

These aubergine plants were covered in aphids. I kept watering them off and now they are host to many ladybird larvae, keeping aphids under control. Variety is de Barbentane

See you around

Please see my Events page. I'm at Hampton Court this Wednesday, 2nd July. Then at Serge Hill, Tom and Sue Stuart-Smith's amazing garden for a no dig talk in the evening. On July 12th I give a talk after a garden tour at Four Acre Farm, Kate Forrester’s amazing holding near Ringwood. I think this is all sold out.

The following day, 13th July, I welcome Gaz Oakley to Homeacres and we celebrate food and fire. The next weekend I'm in Ireland at a beautiful organic garden in County Limerick. There are two one-day courses of background learning plus practical no dig in the extensive garden.

August has me speaking at two festivals in Berkshire. One is The Wellness Way at Wasing, and one is at Hardwick estate near Reading, the Organic Growers Gathering 22nd to 24th August.

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For day courses in this hotel garden, 19th and 20th July

Need more space?

Interplanting is a way of economising space, and helping plants to establish thanks to shelter and mycelial interactions with existing plants. My recent video explains the method, and advantages.l.

This wonderful method is the subject of a book I'm currently writing.