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Is this book the answer to the age old question of, how do we get more children into growing?
It could well be, as Charles Dowding releases his new title – the ‘No-Dig Children’s Gardening Book’ this week.
If you’re unfamiliar with Charles then there’s every chance you’ve missed out a technique of growing that you’ll want to hear all about.
Charles Dowding, is one of the people behind the rise of ‘no-dig’ growing, which – for those not in the know – is the idea of disturbing the soil as little as possible. The reasons, I hear you ask? Simple, undisturbed soil results in happier soil structure, healthier plants and fewer weeds.
What’s not to enjoy? I won’t go into any further detail on the method here, for more on that – take a listen to my previous podcast with Charles from 2022 by clicking here.
Now, Charles has several previous books on the method, but this – I believe – is the very first for children! If you’ve ever tried to garden with children, you’ll know of the constant battle between trying to keep them interested long enough whilst making sure that the jobs are simple enough for them to complete. This is the simple reason that no-dig is ideal for children – a relatively lower level of work (arguably much less work) with even more to show for your efforts!
Within these pages Charles has managed to explain the techniques fully, whilst not speaking down to its target audience – no mean feat really. Starting with explaining just why its important to respect our soil and how that, in turn, benefits us all in the long run.
Wonderfully this rather slim book takes in both vegetable and flower growing, with fun projects such as growing a giant sunflower and pumpkin carving – that will have the children hooked for years. Speaking from experience with my own children, a giant sunflower is enough to induce a love of all things plants forever more.
Accompanied by a swathe of illustrations Kristyna Litten (do make sure to look at her Instagram for seriously wonderful drawings!) this is one book that’ll not only teach, it’ll look beautiful on either an adult or children’s bookshelf too!
The No-Dig Children’s Gardening Book is out now from Welbeck Children’s Books with an RRP of £12.99 or you can buy it now here for just £10!
Do check out Charles’ Instagram page where you can find him at @Charles_Dowding and you can also find him on YouTube by searching for Charles Dowding.
Join me next week for another gardening book review from The Potting Bench…
View From The Potting Bench 