No-Dig Children's Gardening Book

Charles Dowding (Author) Charles Dowding is an innovator of no dig, organic growing since 1983, who has built up a large and dedicated following on YouTube, where he presents videos teaching practical skills. His weed-free methods are about growing more easily, in less time, by understanding and working with natural processes. An established author of books for adult gardeners, this is Charles's first book for children and families. Charles also writes for national and international magazines and appears on TV and radio including BBC Gardeners' World. He sells produce and teaches courses from his vegetable garden in Somerset, where he lives. www.charlesdowding.co.ukKristyna Litten (Illustrator) Kristyna Litten is an awarding winning illustrator based in Yorkshire, England. Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 2010, Kristyna has gone on to illustrate and write numerous picture-books for children and her enthusiasm for nature, typography, fashion, architecture and pattern has led to many exciting projects with a wide variety of clients, such as Aardman, Gucci and DFS, and across many mediums. Though her passion lies with children's books and publishing, her love for design and a fresh challenge brings energy and originality to every new project.

Having converted the adult world to give up digging, no-dig guru Charles Dowding sets his sights on young gardeners with The No-Dig Children's Gardening Book. This perfect stocking filler explains in simple terms Charles' hands-off approach to the soil, where digging and feeding are replaced by Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.mulching and weeding. After 40 years of spreading the word in books and calendars, and more recently through YouTube and social media, the method is now mainstream, with no-dig being the primary approach at RHS Garden Wisley.This kids' guide follows Charles' biggest and best-ever no-dig book for adults, 2022's glamorous mustard-bound bible, No Dig. It's finally time to trade in the spade.

• The basics of setting up a flower or vegetable bed (and Charles is an advocate of starting with a small area) - Sowing seeds indoors and straight into the soil - Spotting what's a weed and what's not - Planting vegetables and fruit - Easy annual flowers - Growing wildlife-friendly plants - Ways to attract insects, birds and other wildlife to your garden - Making your own compost - making biodegradable plant pots - Seasonal planting, including projects like growing a giant sunflower (and seeing whose grows tallest) and growing and carving your own Halloween pumpkin - Vegetables need company! Planting close together - What grows when? Simple visual chart of Spring, summer, autumn and winter growing - What is healthy soil? (Illustrated non-fiction spread, inc. fun illustrations of worms, etc)