Charles Dowding is something of a legendary gardener. He coined the term "no dig" and created an entire movement and method to home and market gardening - all focused on the health of the soil. Charles is the author of 16 books - his latest, "Grow Together" being released just yesterday, April 9, 2026.
I visited Charles at his market garden, Home Acres, in late February and we covered a lot of ground. We get into how no dig began, what thirteen years of side-by-side dig versus no dig trials actually show in the soil data, and why he waited 20 years to write his first book. We also talk about humanure and a trial that produced surprising results, copper garden tools and the work of Viktor Schauberger, water memory, structuring devices on the hose, and a farmer in the Austrian Alps a hundred years ago who sang to his water and had the best crops in the region.
It was an honor to visit Charles at his homestead, even being late February (perhaps the slowest time of year for a garden) it was still filled with life and growth.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro/Origins of Gardening and Market Gardening Journey
03:06 Discovering No Dig Gardening
06:53 The Role of Cardboard in No Dig Gardening
09:48 Addressing Purity in Gardening Practices
11:41 Climate Change and Its Impact on Gardening
14:13 Education and Transition to Full-Time Gardening
16:05 The Benefits of No Dig Gardening
18:26 Exploring Humanure in Gardening
22:55 Comparative Trials in Gardening Practices
26:15 Innovative Water Management in Agriculture
32:25 The Distinction Between Farming and Market Gardening
34:50 Nutrient Density and Soil Health
37:06 Starting from Scratch: Soil Remediation Techniques
38:26 The Spiritual Connection to Gardening
43:29 The Power of Observation in Gardening
46:16 Water Memory and Its Impact on Gardening
51:21 Favorite and Least Favorite Crops & Favorite Food Memory
53:58 New Book Release: Grow Together
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Episode 7
