Charles Dowding grew up on a dairy farm in Somerset. After graduating from Cambridge, he worked for a hotel in the Inner Hebrides before starting to grow organic vegetables commercially on the family farm in the early 1980s. In 1990 he left behind what was by then a large market garden to live in France and Zambia. Returning to Somerset in the mid-1990s, he established a bed and breakfast and vegetable growing business at Lower Farm in Shepton Montague, Somerset. There, Charles's salad bags were the main output from his two-acre garden of permanent raised beds and fruit trees. Charles runs vegetable-growing courses and lectures and writes books on his unique growing techniques. Since 2012 Charles has begun a new garden at Shepton Mallet in Somerset which he has designed using no-dig principles. Charles Dowding received the RHS Elizabeth Medal of Honour in March 2024, one of the highest honours in horticulture.

'This is such a lovely, lovely gardening book.' Fennel & Fern blog 'Charles' journal is a good aide memoire, peppered with tidbits of useful information and a blank, lined page per month encourages you to use the book as a diary. We always assume it's our fault when we have a failure, but this might not always be the case. Keeping records is vital, especially if you are a progressive gardener, who is always trying different spacings, varieties and techniques.' Sunday Telegraph 'This is a sensible and very clearly presented book for those who want to tackle the art of no-dig gardening without being bamboozled by jargon. You will definitely have a clear understanding of the technique after following this guide through the year' English Garden 'A useful addition to your bookshelf' Grow Your Own magazine

Charles Dowding grew up on a dairy farm in Somerset. After graduating from Cambridge, he worked for a hotel in the Inner Hebrides before starting to grow organic vegetables commercially on the family farm in the early 1980s. In 1990 he left behind what was by then a large market garden to live in France and Zambia. Returning to Somerset in the mid-1990s, he established a bed and breakfast and vegetable growing business at Lower Farm in Shepton Montague, Somerset. There, Charles's salad bags were the main output from his two-acre garden of permanent raised beds and fruit trees. Charles runs vegetable-growing courses and lectures and writes books on his unique growing techniques. Since 2012 Charles has begun a new garden at Shepton Mallet in Somerset which he has designed using no-dig principles. Charles Dowding received the RHS Elizabeth Medal of Honour in March 2024, one of the highest honours in horticulture.

'This is such a lovely, lovely gardening book.' Fennel & Fern blog 'Charles' journal is a good aide memoire, peppered with tidbits of useful information and a blank, lined page per month encourages you to use the book as a diary. We always assume it's our fault when we have a failure, but this might not always be the case. Keeping records is vital, especially if you are a progressive gardener, who is always trying different spacings, varieties and techniques.' Sunday Telegraph 'This is a sensible and very clearly presented book for those who want to tackle the art of no-dig gardening without being bamboozled by jargon. You will definitely have a clear understanding of the technique after following this guide through the year' English Garden 'A useful addition to your bookshelf' Grow Your Own magazine