January 2025
Compared to mild weather in December, January looks to be much colder here. I recommend not to sow anything. It's far easier to wait until February and results will be similar if not better from sowing slightly later.
In spring, later sowings catch up.
Currently as I write on 2nd January, the garden is mostly green, but I expect plenty of white going forwards.
Food for winter, such value from beetroot
Yesterday, before the forecast frost of -6°C, 21°F for 2nd/3rd January, I harvested some magnificent beetroot. They are Cheltenham Green Top, an old long and slightly pink beetroot, with soft and sweet flavour. Multisown 1st June, transplanted 18th in clumps of three to four plants.
Because they were multisown and transplanted (during which time the bed had turnips finishing), the taproot is corrupted and slightly forked. However, most of the edible part is above ground, they're not like a parsnip. A few were difficult to pull because of a beautiful long root going down.
Because so much of them is above ground, they are vulnerable to frosts of about -5°C or lower.
More harvests
Today second January we are picking salad leaves from the polytunnel, and adding them to outdoor ones such as lambs lettuce, chervil and winter purslane / claytonia. Of these three, the claytonia is easily the most productive and I picked a bucket of 1.2kg from 40 transplants that went in the ground really late, on 30th October. They have grown without protection, an even the rabbits don't eat them.
Their only downside is how frost of about -3°C can turn some leaves brown. In contrast, lambs lettuce keeps its quality to -10°C or lower.
These are approximate figures based on my observations of 40+ years.
Pests, weeds, problems!
Yesterday, I received a reply to my newsletter, that I make gardening look too easy, and should explain more about pest damage, and how to prevent it, and diseases. So I have popped in the photo above, which is the first time I've had this problem, it's a new pest here. Harvest 90% gone!!
The RHS say to use the phrase "pest and predator". But there are more slugs than predators here, even though I have a pond. see many frogs and toas, and high populations of beetles, which eat slug eggs.
They key point is that slug damage is minimal, thanks to plant health.
What I seek to avoid is turning my writing into a doctor's surgery. I've been on panels at gardeners question times, where a whole hour was spent answering pest problems. It's deflating! I'm not saying they don't exist, but somehow we need to find the balance point, and find ways to garden that fit with soil and nature, so that problems are less.
No dig is the best start point for this!
The trial beds below have just finished their 12th year, you can find extensive details here. Last year the bed I dig every December (on left) yielded 89 kg, compared to 99 kg from the No-Dig bed. Both beds receive the same amount of compost.
So with no dig, you are increasing your harvest by more than 10%, for doing less work, and no extra compost. The figures for 12 years are 1120.72 kg dig, and 1268.92 kg no dig.
11% more harvest over 12 years of the trial, for the same amount of compost and two hours less work.
No dig health is from leaving soil life to flourish
My preference is to concentrate on positive health, while always acknowledging potential issues. The photo below is an encouraging example.
Middens - earthworm creation
Middens are a fascinating earthworm creation on the soil surface. Look closely at a healthy, no dig soil and you often see circular mounds of varying size. They may be simply old plant stems and leaves. Or they can be larger hillocks of even 25 cm, 10 in diameter, comprised of wood chips, small stones, worm casts, and old plant material. They are both a source of food, and protection from birds for the worms in their channels below.
I'm fascinated to see these signs of their activity. With the mustard stems, they gather them for their middens in a circular pattern above the burrows. If you go out at night with a torch in summer mainly, and the soil surface is damp, you can see them using the top half of their bodies to forage in a rotating manner, to pull decaying material towards the entry of their channels.
It's an ongoing process because you see the circular pattern for a long time, especially when soil is moist and mild, meaning high activity levels.
Earthworms Lumbricus terrestris
Charles Darwin was moved to write a seminal book The formation of vegetable mould, through the action of worms, with observations on their habits. Pub John Murray 1881. This quote gives a flavour of its contents:
"It may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important part in the history of the world as these lowly organised creatures."
Worm food and more
Soil structure is key to so much, and earthworms are our biggest ally for that. Together with sufficient food for plants, via organic matte.
In addition I am using rockdust (and other methods) to raise soil paramagnetism, a neglected quality. An energy for growing - it's one part of my energy gardening courses here.
Application rates are hard to judge, ence my photo to give ou an idea. It's at 2 kg/m² left and 1 kg/ m² right, roughly the upper and lower limits of how much to use. You can now buy a fine grade which I'm checking, while this is the regular 0-4mm Pro-Grow from Veolia. As well as being paramagnetic, it's to remineralise soil with trace elements, maybe every ten years.
Planning
I'm now working with GrowVeg, and we have created a Charles Dowding Planner, based on their existing one.
Embedded in my version of the planner are principal features of my work, including no dig, minimal rotation, close spacings, rapid succession planting and interplanting.
There are videos relevant to every season, and I send newsletters of advice.
After buying this planner, you have access also to a team of helpers, people not bots, who are trained in my methods. They can answer questions, 20 hours out of 24.
There is information on the best layout for your garden, what to grow next and how to protect your plants from diseases.
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 9th-10th I'm at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, not speaking, just mingling. There's a lot happening there.
January 17th I speak at a dinner in Chichester, at The Barn as in photo, about growing more in less space, and new energies for gardening.
January 18th I give a day course at West Dean College, but just saw it sold out, though with a waiting list.
January 23rd to April 13th is a Soil exhibition at Somerset House, London, it looks intriguing!
Early February I give workshops and talks in The Virgin Islands, Caribbean, for Green VI.
February 21st I give a talk about no dig at the Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Festival. They have loads happening including a BBC Gardeners Question Time, twice.
March 19th is the first of many courses with me at Homeacres. Courses are excellent for gaining new understandings and learning new methods, also in time for full implementation during 2025.
April 12th to 13th, two workshops in Denmark, email contact Emil Rindom <rindom@bio.au.dk>
May 10th, lecture and practical at Nije Leige, NL
May 15th a day of course and practical in Anchorage, Alaska, for master gardeners and public
May 16- 18th, lectures and practicals with master gardeners and publicin Juneau, Alaska. Details to follow.
Mid-June Visit Homeacres as part of the England Gardening & Homesteading Tour, in partnership with McMurray Hatchery
June 21st I return to speak at Crops not Shops summer festival, over summer solstice. Their event is close geographically to Glastonbury, and with relaxed energy.
Most definitely with you on the pest front. Strike a balance and don’t focus on eradication. Accept nibbles and losses as part of the journey. The pursuit of perfection is pointless.
Interesting about the allium leaf miner. My leek crop was smashed this year and all leaf miner. My fault for not covering early enough. We live and learn.
Envious of those beetroot, I never knew they could store so well, thank you. We will look out for you in Oxford this week!