Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What can you plant now, and what is still too early to sow or plant out? In this tour just after the spring equinox, I show you what is growing well here at Homeacres and share a few timely spring planting tips.
Spring can feel full of promise, but the weather is still unsettled and frost is still possible here in our zone 8 climate. You’ll see lettuce, wild rocket, radish, broad beans, carrots, spring cabbage, kohlrabi, peas, leeks and salads, with thoughts on watering, spacing, direct sowing and module planting.
I also explain why patience is necessary for frost-tender crops, and how fleece and covers can protect young plants from wind, cold and pests.
➡️ GET OFF MY LAND - Free webinar, Friday 27th March at 10am: charlesdowding.co.uk/collections/events
➡️ New online short course - Greenhouse & Polytunnel Growing: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/greenhouse-and-polytunnel-growing?variant=54235763048771
➡️ Fleece made from plant matter: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/biofleece-plastic-free-fleece?variant=49013317435715
➡️ Long-handled dibber of my own design: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/long-handled-ash-dibber?variant=49015163191619
➡️ Sowing Calendar: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/charles-dowding-s-calendar-of-vegetable-sowing-dates-2026?variant=53843592642883
Filmed by Nicola Smith at Homeacres No Dig Garden, Somerset, UK
You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members:
youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join
#springplanting #nodig #vegetablegarden #nodiggardening #growyourownfood
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Lettuce recently planted - using a dibber
01:04 Fleece on hoops compared to lying flat
01:25 Wild rocket, how to cut, no need to water
02:06 Broad beans
02:30 Salads in the polytunnel - mustards, winter purslane, rocket, lettuce
03:19 Radish in the polytunnel- Rudi variety, and endive
04:22 Leeks, multisown - harvesting one from clump of two
05:20 Upcoming webinar - Get Off My Land
05:48 New online course - Greenhouse and Polytunnel Growing
06:08 Cleaning polytunnel plastic
06:27 Tulips
07:06 Carrots - timing of sowing, protection against pests
08:07 Badger damage
08:27 Radish and peas from early sowings
09:04 Coriander
09:35 Lettuce under fleece and more carrots
09:56 Purple sprouting broccoli from late sowing, Claret variety
10:21 Compost heap - rats
11:09 Peas sown direct
11:37 Kohlrabi under fleece and peas for shoots - different spacings
12:22 Bed with mixed plantings and varied spacings - cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots
13:34 Some weeds, good to hoe
13.54 Spinach eaten by woodlice, onions
14:10 Peas eaten by pea weevil, and radish
14:29 Potatoes, lettuce and beetroot - some damage
15:42 In the greenhouse - many sowings in module trays
What can you plant now, and what is still too early to sow or plant out? In this tour just after the spring equinox, I show you what is growing well here at Homeacres and share a few timely spring planting tips.
Spring can feel full of promise, but the weather is still unsettled and frost is still possible here in our zone 8 climate. You’ll see lettuce, wild rocket, radish, broad beans, carrots, spring cabbage, kohlrabi, peas, leeks and salads, with thoughts on watering, spacing, direct sowing and module planting.
I also explain why patience is necessary for frost-tender crops, and how fleece and covers can protect young plants from wind, cold and pests.
➡️ GET OFF MY LAND - Free webinar, Friday 27th March at 10am: charlesdowding.co.uk/collections/events
➡️ New online short course - Greenhouse & Polytunnel Growing: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/greenhouse-and-polytunnel-growing?variant=54235763048771
➡️ Fleece made from plant matter: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/biofleece-plastic-free-fleece?variant=49013317435715
➡️ Long-handled dibber of my own design: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/long-handled-ash-dibber?variant=49015163191619
➡️ Sowing Calendar: charlesdowding.co.uk/products/charles-dowding-s-calendar-of-vegetable-sowing-dates-2026?variant=53843592642883
Filmed by Nicola Smith at Homeacres No Dig Garden, Somerset, UK
You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members:
youtube.com/channel/UCB1J6siDdmhwah7q0O2WJBg/join
#springplanting #nodig #vegetablegarden #nodiggardening #growyourownfood
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Lettuce recently planted - using a dibber
01:04 Fleece on hoops compared to lying flat
01:25 Wild rocket, how to cut, no need to water
02:06 Broad beans
02:30 Salads in the polytunnel - mustards, winter purslane, rocket, lettuce
03:19 Radish in the polytunnel- Rudi variety, and endive
04:22 Leeks, multisown - harvesting one from clump of two
05:20 Upcoming webinar - Get Off My Land
05:48 New online course - Greenhouse and Polytunnel Growing
06:08 Cleaning polytunnel plastic
06:27 Tulips
07:06 Carrots - timing of sowing, protection against pests
08:07 Badger damage
08:27 Radish and peas from early sowings
09:04 Coriander
09:35 Lettuce under fleece and more carrots
09:56 Purple sprouting broccoli from late sowing, Claret variety
10:21 Compost heap - rats
11:09 Peas sown direct
11:37 Kohlrabi under fleece and peas for shoots - different spacings
12:22 Bed with mixed plantings and varied spacings - cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots
13:34 Some weeds, good to hoe
13.54 Spinach eaten by woodlice, onions
14:10 Peas eaten by pea weevil, and radish
14:29 Potatoes, lettuce and beetroot - some damage
15:42 In the greenhouse - many sowings in module trays
