Who's Charles Dowding? Everything you need to know about the gardening YouTuber

As people turn to gardening during uncertain times, Downing and his "grow-your-own" advice videos have become a helpful source of distraction and productivity.

Despite his recent boost to prominence, Charles Downing started growing vegetables in 1981 and a year later was creating a 6000m2 market garden, the first of four he established and runs.

These are across two countries and on a range of soils - and use a "no dig" approach.

He believers that plants which take no digging make it "easier to grow the same amount of food in a smaller space, and with less time needed for weeding".

It can also be practiced without spreading much organic matter, he says.

What's his story?

Since 2013 he has created numerous videos on the Charles Dowding Channel, "to demonstrate and explain the methods and virtues of how I and a growing number of gardeners save time, for better results".

He has written books since 2006 and contributed to gardening gardening publications including Gardeners World, Kitchen Garden, Country Smallholding, Permaculture, Grow Your Own, Which? Gardening, The Daily Telegraph, and RHS The Garden.

Operating from Homeacres in Somerset, he conducts courses but also travels around the country and abroad giving seminars and advice on his 'no dig' methods.

But his YouTube videos give gardeners the knowledge to enjoy harvests "in less time", and teach about easy soil preparation through 'no dig', best sowing dates, how to be weed free and how to protect crops from pests.

What's a YouTuber?

In recent years, people creating their own videos and posting them to YouTube have become famous or well-known in their own right, and are known as YouTubers.

Popular examples are SORTED Food, a group of friends who run a culinary food channel guided by suggestions from their subscribers, and PewDiePie, a Swedish YouTuber, comedian, and philanthropist, who his mainly known for his Let's Play videos.

Pop star Justin Bieber's career was given a huge boost when he first started by posting his own songs on the channel.

How can I find out more?

Mr Dowding is featured in another Yorkshire Post article in which he explains the 10 mistakes beginner gardeners might be making.