Charles Dowding has written many books on vegetable growing and contributes regularly to many magazines, including Permaculture, Gardeners' World, Gardens Illustrated & Grow It!. He gives regular talks, advising gardeners on best practice and runs courses on organic, no-dig gardening. He is a regular guest on radio and TV. A veteran organic grower, he has practised no-dig gardening for years, providing produce for local and London markets, running a small farm in France, then producing salad on surface-composted, undisturbed clay soil, which grew bountiful crops and few weeds. He has run experiments to compare differences in growth between vegetables on dug and undug soil, discovering different patterns of growth in most seasons, with slightly lower yields and more weeds and slugs on the dug beds. years, providing produce for local and London markets, running a small farm in France, then producing salad on surface-composted, undisturbed clay soil, which grew bountiful crops and few weeds. He has run experiments to compare differences in growth between vegetables on dug and undug soil, discovering different patterns of growth in most seasons, with slightly lower yields and more weeds and slugs on the dug beds.years, providing produce for local and London markets, running a small farm in France, then producing salad on surface-composted, undisturbed clay soil, which grew bountiful crops and few weeds.

He has run experiments to compare differences in growth between vegetables on dug and undug soil, discovering different patterns of growth in most seasons, with slightly lower yields and more weeds and slugs on the dug beds.years, providing produce for local and London markets, running a small farm in France, then producing salad on surface-composted, undisturbed clay soil, which grew bountiful crops and few weeds. He has run experiments to compare differences in growth between vegetables on dug and undug soil, discovering different patterns of growth in most seasons, with slightly lower yields and more weeds and slugs on the dug beds. Photo: Stephanie Hafferty.