Plants

Charles Dowding, the master of no-dig gardening, developed his highly successful methods of vegetable growing through 30 years experience of growing and selling vegetables and extensive experiments. Through his courses at Lower Farm in Somerset and his three previous books, he has won a keen following. Beginners and experienced veg growers alike find that his methods work and that he opens their minds to new possibilities. Now he has distilled the essence of his courses and ideas into one book. In it you will find out how to grow vegetables the Charles Dowding way. Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Course is both a straightforward guide to success and an inspiring source of ideas for achieving a more productive vegetable garden for less effort.

Lower Farm, run by Charles and Susie Dowding, has been part of Sawday’s Special Places to Stay collection for 12 years.

Click the link on the left to visit Sawday’s to find out about accommodation at Lower Farm and our other characterful, independently-run places to stay across the UK and Europe. All have been inspected and selected because we like them – what makes each ‘special’ varies hugely, but common to all are owners whose personality, friendliness and local knowledge ensure a memorable stay.

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Growing vegetables can be a tricky business, and even the most experienced of gardeners will occasionally need to turn to a trusted tome for some handy advice. The Veg Grower’s Almanac is just such a book – a compendium of month-by-month tips, advice and items of interest.

With sage advice from old Gardeners’ World hands coupled with tips on the best varieties to grow and timely advice on how best to look after your plot, this attractive collection blends practical advice with evocative writing and fascinating facts. Illustrated throughout with charming drawings and sketches, The Veg Grower’s Almanac is a welcome additional to any gardener’s shelf – from hands-on instructions for preparing a seed bed or trying new varieties of tomato to fascinating little-known facts about our favourite crops.

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The content of this book originally appeared in The New Kitchen Garden, published in 2015.

‘An endless selection of delicious produce you can plant, grow and then cook with.’ Raymond Blanc OBE

Now you can create your own delicious edible garden at home!

More and more people are being inspired to grow a little of what they eat at home. But while starting your own kitchen garden may seem like a daunting task at first, Grow & Cookmakes it easy.

Award-winning author and gardener, Mark Diacono, has distilled years of knowledge into this pocket-sized book. Whether you are new to gardening and only have a small window box or you are much more experienced with the space to experiment, this user-friendly handbook will inspire and help you. Mark is here to show you that there are plenty of options for everyone and lots of exciting new varieties to discover.

Each variety in the book includes a wealth of information on when to sow, growing tips, potential problems, harvesting and plenty more. There are hundreds of varieties to pick from that can be grown and then used in your kitchen.

Mark separates the growing guides into three groups:

* Vegetables
* Fruit & Nuts
* Herbs & Spices

Whatever you choose to grow should suit your lifestyle. You might prefer something tough and sturdy that doesn’t need too much love or time commitment, or you might get pleasure from the steady graft of looking after your veg patch. Whichever your circumstances, your kitchen garden should bring you joy both in the growing process and then in the kitchen.

Grow & Cook is the essential pocket guide for modern gardeners.

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Zero-cost, low effort and a long term solution to your fresh produce needs!

Huw Richards set himself a challenge – to be self-sufficient by growing his own fruit and veg for free for a year. He succeeded, and now wants to help you do the same.

Grow your own food in your home garden, allotment or container and look forward to a bountiful harvest year-round. You can plant fruit and veg at home without spending a penny and Huw Richard’s shows you how.

Packed with tried-and-tested advice, this gardening book covers:

– Finding a space to grow – in the garden or on a terrace or balcony – and sourcing the materials you need
– Deciding what to grow your crops in (the ground, a raised bed, or containers)
– Clear growing instructions on more than 30 species of popular annual and perennial crops
– Huw Richards’ 52-week journal of how he grew his own food for free for a year without spending a penny
– Advice on how to go about selling your produce to raise money to expand your growing area

Author Huw Richards is a man on a mission. He is passionate about teaching you how to garden and grow your own food. Years of experience and trying different things has taught Huw how to garden with little money (or without a garden) and he shows you how to do the same! Grow Food for Free teaches you how to produce no-cost, low-maintenance fruit and veg – and finding low-cost ways to overcome common gardening worries.

Learn about the space you need and how to prepare it, make your own compost, tackle weeds, pests, and diseases, and how to get hold of your first set of seeds! Discover strategies to expand your garden. Can’t afford a raised bed? Try repurposing an old wooden pallet. Don’t have money to buy lots of different seeds? Look in your kitchen cupboards for food that you can plant. This home gardening book shows you everything you need to barter, borrow, repurpose, and propagate your way to a bountiful harvest without burdening your bank balance!

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Expert planting advice for growing fruit and vegetables in pots from the acclaimed English garden – with 50 delicious recipes

Beautifully illustrated, Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots provides clear, practical information on growing fruit and vegetables in containers, whether that be a window box or a terracotta pot on a balcony. Aaron Bertelsen of the acclaimed English garden at Great Dixter will guide you through what to grow, which pots to use, give personal tips on varieties to choose, and advice on cultivation and care. Featuring more than 50 delicious recipes, Bertelsen shows that lack of space is no barrier to growing what you want to eat, and proves that harvesting and cooking food you have grown yourself is a total pleasure, with dishes that showcase a few perfectly chosen – and personally grown – ingredients.

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Growing you own produce is the only way to enjoy delicious, garden-fresh fruit and veg all year round. This practical manual gives you the lowdown on everything from finding the right tools and choosing which plants to grow, to nurturing your crops and bringing in your first harvest. The easy-to-follow advice will help you get started straight away and become a confident and successful kitchen gardener.

• Get going with growing – discover which plants are best for you and how to make the most of your outdoor space
• Prepare your plot – learn how to set up and maintain healthy beds for your fruit and vegetables
• Grow tasty veg – choose your favourite veggies from asparagus and broccoli to courgettes, sweet corn and many more
• Grow your own fruit salad – get quick results from fast-growing berries and learn to nurture slow-growing tree fruit and exotic greenhouse produce

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More than 150 recipes for making the most of your home-grown fruit and vegetables – from warming soups and bakes to vibrant summer salads and tangy preserves.

There is nothing as satisfying as growing your own produce – home-grown fruit and vegetables, picked and used at the height of freshness, are more tasty and nutritious than any supermarket offerings. Not only that, but they also cut down on food miles and can be a far more budget friendly way to eat. Home-grown Harvest is a celebration of the bounty you can grow in your garden, back yard or even windowbox. Cultivating your own fruit and vegetables does not have to mean eating the same dishes days in a row to use up produce. Instead, this book will show you how to use creatively what you grow in an array of exciting combinations. Simply organised, the book makes each vegetable or fruit the star of its own chapter, providing a wealth of different recipes to use up any gluts you may have (from the garden or a trip to the farmers’ market). From fresh dishes such as Triple Tomato Risotto with Basil or Strawberry Tiramisu, to preserves and chutneys, which can be stored for future use, each recipe is selected because it is rich in fresh produce. With handy tips and hints for preparing vegetables, and beautiful photographs throughout, Home-grown Harvest is an invaluable guide to cooking seasonally and eating very well indeed.

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Huw Richards Collection 3 Books Set (Veg in One Bed, Grow Food for Free & The Vegetable Grower’s Handbook):

Veg in One Bed:
Grow your own vegetable garden with this practical, straightforward gardening guide.There is nothing more fulfilling than growing your own home produce. You don’t have to be a seasoned gardener to produce a healthy, flourishing garden – all you need is a few seeds, water, sunlight, good advice and patience!In just one raised bed, author Huw Richards, shows you exactly how to grow vegetables organically, abundantly and inexpensively so you have something to harvest every month of the year.

Grow Food for Free:
Grow your own food in your home garden, allotment or container and look forward to a bountiful harvest year-round. You can plant fruit and veg at home without spending a penny and Huw Richard’s shows you how.Packed with tried-and-tested advice, this gardening book covers:- Finding a space to grow – in the garden or on a terrace or balcony – and sourcing the materials you need- Deciding what to grow your crops in (the ground, a raised bed, or containers)- Clear growing instructions on more than 30 species of popular annual and perennial crops.

The Vegetable Grower’s Handbook:
A recent study suggests 38% of British adults use their gardens to grow herbs and vegetables. But with the ever-growing pressure of balancing family life with a career, a lot of today’s green-fingered gardeners simply lack time for vegetable growing.Huw is on a mission to change that!Whatever your horticultural hopes may be, Huw Richards brings you a veg-growing guide that is sure to shape the next generation of green-fingered gardeners like never before, full of top tips on smart gardening, without compromising on time, effort or money.

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Be inspired to cultivate and cook amazing new crops with this seed-to-plate guide to more than 50 out-of-the-ordinary edibles.

Whether you’re new to grow-your-own and determined to make the most of limited space with a truly gourmet harvest, or a seasoned grower looking to spice up the kitchen garden with brand new flavour experiences, Incredible Edibles has something for everyone. It offers step-by-step instructions, giving you the confidence to grow some unusually tasty crops; from the well-known turmeric and goji berry, to the more exotic cucamelon and strawberry spinach. It includes guidance on how to store, keep fresh, and preserve your crops so that nothing goes to waste.

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Lyra and Pantalaimon have journeyed north, in search of the missing children and Lord Asriel. But the frozen wilds are harsh and unhospitable, and fearsome enemies are waiting at every turn. If Lyra is to succeed in her quest, she must enlist the help of unexpected allies: an armoured bear and a witch queen. The path ahead will lead to dark truths and grave danger . . .

The second book in a stunning three-volume graphic novel adaptation of Northern Lights, the first of which won the Prix Jeunesse du Festival d’Angoulême.

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This sumptuous book showcases the work of one of today’ s most highly regarded floral designers. Paula Pryke leads you through every decision, from the choice of a theme to the selection of individual flower varieties, offering a wealth of ideas along the way.

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Peppa and her friends have been invited to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee garden party, but when they get there things start going wrong! Can Peppa save the day?

This lovely new story will be a royal hit for Peppa fans of all ages, It’s a perfect storybook to share at home in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

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