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How to Create a New Vegetable Garden: Producing a beautiful and fruitful garden from scratch
The UK's leading no-dig gardening expert, Charles Dowding, draws on his years of experience to show how easy it is to start a new vegetable garden.
Any plot - whether a building site, overgrown with weeds or unwanted lawn - can be turned into a beautiful and productive vegetable area. Charles's no-nonsense and straightforward advice is the perfect starting point for the beginner or experienced gardener.
The book takes you step-by-step through everything - from planning, clearing the ground and the early stages of starting a vegetable garden, to growing in polytunnels and greenhouses. There is also helpful guidance on how to use mulch, ways to minimise digging, and planting/sowing tips across the seasons.
Filled with labour-saving ideas and the techniques that Charles uses to garden so successfully, How to Create a Vegetable Garden is illustrated throughout with photos and tales from Charles's first year in his new vegetable garden.
Any plot - whether a building site, overgrown with weeds or unwanted lawn - can be turned into a beautiful and productive vegetable area. Charles's no-nonsense and straightforward advice is the perfect starting point for the beginner or experienced gardener.
The book takes you step-by-step through everything - from planning, clearing the ground and the early stages of starting a vegetable garden, to growing in polytunnels and greenhouses. There is also helpful guidance on how to use mulch, ways to minimise digging, and planting/sowing tips across the seasons.
Filled with labour-saving ideas and the techniques that Charles uses to garden so successfully, How to Create a Vegetable Garden is illustrated throughout with photos and tales from Charles's first year in his new vegetable garden.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2015
50 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dowding
33 books883 followersCharles Dowding has been pioneering organic, no dig gardening since 1982, when he began growing vegetables on a 6,000m² plot in Somerset, UK. From the beginning, his no dig methods delivered healthy, abundant crops, with fewer weeds and no need for synthetic inputs. At the time, nobody else was growing commercially at this scale without digging, and Charles has been refining the approach ever since.
Today, he shares the simplicity and power of no dig gardening with a global audience, through his books, courses, YouTube videos, social media, and regular travels to connect with growers around the world.
Charles published his first book, Organic Gardening, in 2007, and has since written 14 more. His most recent titles include New Energies for Gardening (April 2025) and Compost (September 2024). He also produces an annual Calendar of Sowing Dates, packed with practical tips based on his trials and growing experience.
From his 1,600m² Homeacres market garden in Somerset, Charles continues to experiment with crops and methods – comparing dig and no dig plots, testing new varieties, and refining techniques. The garden yields around £35,000 of produce annually and serves as a living example of how low-input, soil-first methods can lead to healthy plants and sustainable harvests.
Charles is passionate about helping others find joy and success in growing food, and believes that no dig is not just a method, but a mindset.
Today, he shares the simplicity and power of no dig gardening with a global audience, through his books, courses, YouTube videos, social media, and regular travels to connect with growers around the world.
Charles published his first book, Organic Gardening, in 2007, and has since written 14 more. His most recent titles include New Energies for Gardening (April 2025) and Compost (September 2024). He also produces an annual Calendar of Sowing Dates, packed with practical tips based on his trials and growing experience.
From his 1,600m² Homeacres market garden in Somerset, Charles continues to experiment with crops and methods – comparing dig and no dig plots, testing new varieties, and refining techniques. The garden yields around £35,000 of produce annually and serves as a living example of how low-input, soil-first methods can lead to healthy plants and sustainable harvests.
Charles is passionate about helping others find joy and success in growing food, and believes that no dig is not just a method, but a mindset.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 21, 2022
The title of this made me excited because that is exactly the prospect facing me this spring--creating a garden from what was previously a lawn.
But unfortunately this book didn't really help me in the way I was hoping. Dowding is a firm believer in no-till methods, which are probably great if you have more time or money than I do. The second issue is that he is in the UK and this book is extremely UK-gardening centric. The principles should be the same, yet by the fifth or sixth mention that "careful gardeners can grow lettuces even in the winter" I was just ready to give up. I'm glad that your soil isn't frozen solid, Mr. Dowding. If I can dig down through the generous Minnesota snowfall to even reach the ground, I sure as heck can't get my shovel into it.
Probably a better book for someone in different circumstances for me. Instead I'm going to find someone with a tiller to dig up my front yard in a week or two :D
But unfortunately this book didn't really help me in the way I was hoping. Dowding is a firm believer in no-till methods, which are probably great if you have more time or money than I do. The second issue is that he is in the UK and this book is extremely UK-gardening centric. The principles should be the same, yet by the fifth or sixth mention that "careful gardeners can grow lettuces even in the winter" I was just ready to give up. I'm glad that your soil isn't frozen solid, Mr. Dowding. If I can dig down through the generous Minnesota snowfall to even reach the ground, I sure as heck can't get my shovel into it.
Probably a better book for someone in different circumstances for me. Instead I'm going to find someone with a tiller to dig up my front yard in a week or two :D
July 31, 2017
How to Create a New Vegetable Garden: Producing a Beautiful and Fruitful Garden from Scratch
I have never had much luck in my garden and this was just the book I needed so it was not down to luck anymore.
A wealth of information for successful gardening with the no-dig organic method.
The veg in my local shop has not suitable for vegetarians printed on the back of the bags, so I am looking forward to growing my own.
Many thanks to Goodreads and Sheila for a copy of this book, it was much appreciated and will really help me for years to come.
Highly recommended.
I have never had much luck in my garden and this was just the book I needed so it was not down to luck anymore.
A wealth of information for successful gardening with the no-dig organic method.
The veg in my local shop has not suitable for vegetarians printed on the back of the bags, so I am looking forward to growing my own.
Many thanks to Goodreads and Sheila for a copy of this book, it was much appreciated and will really help me for years to come.
Highly recommended.
May 24, 2015
Nicely experimental approach to different techniques - and what works best for different vegetables.
September 5, 2021
Charles Dowding is the master of no-dig. A seasoned gardener myself and I still learned quite a few things that I’m looking forward to trying out. I especially appreciated the honest side by side trials he conducted to show the benefits (or lack thereof).
An Abraham Lincoln quote from the book:
“A garden is never so good as it will be next year.”
Here’s to next year and beyond!
An Abraham Lincoln quote from the book:
“A garden is never so good as it will be next year.”
Here’s to next year and beyond!
April 11, 2020
If you’re really new to gardening you will probably want to read this in conjunction with watching Dowding’s YouTube videos.
March 5, 2020
This book has lots of practical advice for gardening, and a glossary at the back for newbies who don't understand all the terminology (if only I had realized this early-on, instead of at the end!).
Sometimes, Dowding's descriptions of what he did and how different crops compared between dig vs no-dig got a little boring; I would have been happy had those simply been summarized in the tables, without lengthy explanations, and would have preferred the book to be mostly an instruction manual ("First do this, then do this when this happens") and indeed, those types of paragraphs I did find extremely interesting. He covers things I hadn't considered, like what attracts slugs, what to do about it if they arrive, which materials are effective and cost-effective, etc. It does contain a lot of valuable information.
I picked up the book after seeing a few of Charles Dowding's YouTube videos on "no-dig gardening" and think I'll definitely be re-visiting this book when I have a yard of my own.
Sometimes, Dowding's descriptions of what he did and how different crops compared between dig vs no-dig got a little boring; I would have been happy had those simply been summarized in the tables, without lengthy explanations, and would have preferred the book to be mostly an instruction manual ("First do this, then do this when this happens") and indeed, those types of paragraphs I did find extremely interesting. He covers things I hadn't considered, like what attracts slugs, what to do about it if they arrive, which materials are effective and cost-effective, etc. It does contain a lot of valuable information.
I picked up the book after seeing a few of Charles Dowding's YouTube videos on "no-dig gardening" and think I'll definitely be re-visiting this book when I have a yard of my own.
August 6, 2017
This is a great book for inept gardeners like me! I have bought so many gardening books which have assumed some kind of prior knowledge that I have somehow managed not to acquire.
This book is different - so clear that even I have managed to make some progress.
Inspirational!
This book is different - so clear that even I have managed to make some progress.
Inspirational!
July 2, 2017
Very informative and well presented book. Charles Dowding has done an excellent job writing detailed descriptions and illustrating each step with before and after photographs.
February 6, 2022
I have tried as a total beginner to start a vegetable garden several times in the past with very little success. I won’t say I’m there yet, but this is the first book that has really explained things sufficiently for me to understand how to really start and simplify things enough (because there’s usually too much information and a suggestion that a lot of unnecessary things are necessary when it turns out they’re not!).
It’s very easy to read and with lots of pictures to aid the explanations, lots of specific detail on different types of vegetables and explains where you may want to research further and provides references for further reading.
It will also keep me busy for a few years as there are also sections on more advanced aspects like growing in polytunnels, perennial vegetables and hotbeds.
There are a couple of things I think are missing / I would have liked a little more detail on, but I can’t justify taking it down to 4 stars for those as they are pretty minor and others may not be bothered about garlic or how to test whether horse manure has any chemical weed killer content.
It’s very easy to read and with lots of pictures to aid the explanations, lots of specific detail on different types of vegetables and explains where you may want to research further and provides references for further reading.
It will also keep me busy for a few years as there are also sections on more advanced aspects like growing in polytunnels, perennial vegetables and hotbeds.
There are a couple of things I think are missing / I would have liked a little more detail on, but I can’t justify taking it down to 4 stars for those as they are pretty minor and others may not be bothered about garlic or how to test whether horse manure has any chemical weed killer content.
January 25, 2022
At a quick glance, this book looks lovely and just begs to be read. The fonts are easy on the eyes and the images are high quality with most of them showing gradual transformation. One montage for instance shows the changes in a section of the garden from November, to February, to June, July, then October.
My full review available here: https://ecohoods.wordpress.com/2022/0...
My full review available here: https://ecohoods.wordpress.com/2022/0...
April 5, 2020
Great practical resource
Dowding's books are all pretty good. If you’re just starting out, even as an experienced gardener but with a new plot, this particular one will be super useful.
Dowding's books are all pretty good. If you’re just starting out, even as an experienced gardener but with a new plot, this particular one will be super useful.
March 16, 2022
A nice, handy book for anyone wanting hints and tips about growing veg. I remain to be convinced about the No Dig method but there are enough pearls of wisdom here to make it a useful reference book.
April 11, 2020
There's a wealth of topics covered in this book, with lots of nuggets that I'll need to refer back to later when it's particularly relevant. One to keep handy on the shelf.
March 9, 2021
So-so. It is more for gardening in the UK.
July 29, 2021
Fantastic well written book, thanks to Charles Dowding I am slowly converting my garden to No-dig.
June 6, 2022
Brit-specific, but very detailed and reinforces the need for patience and creativity and compost!
February 27, 2025
A marvelous book. Packed with an abundance of usefull information in an easy to understand way.
April 27, 2020
A really good introduction to the no dig gardening method. If you're interested in growing veg or indeed growing anything, then I highly recommend you investigate the no dig approach, as it makes your plants healthier, crops better and is overall easier. A win-win situation! :)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews