Yurt camping and woodland craft courses such as green wood working, basketry, hurdle making and bee keeping are all available at a new business enterprise called Forest Garden Shovelstrode, located in the High Weald of Sussex.

The setting is based around 6 acres including an ancient woodland and a vacant paddock that has been recultivated into the early stages of a Forest Garden with a newly created wildlife pond.

Forest Garden Shovelstrode is a place for people to come and learn the principles of Permaculture demonstrated in the Forest Garden and also a range of woodland craft. A shop will sell products such as honey, eggs, green wooding tools and locally produced crafts.

Charles Hooper and Lisa Aitken have worked on a plan since 2009, searching for ways to live more self sufficiently and sustainably from a small area of land. Forest Garden Shovelstrode sets out to inspire others in a similar way.

With the help of a European grant, work began in earnest in September 2010, with renovations made to stables creating a kitchen, farm shop, shower and WC facilities, a new parking area and a new storage barn was erected.

Now with Spring arriving, they plan to welcome visitors for camping from the Easter weekend, Friday 22nd April with courses beginning in June.

2 yurts are available for hire, the first being a traditional Mongolian style with painted wooden poles, the other is a locally produced hand crafted yurt made of coppiced wood. The yurts are both located in the woodland in a peaceful environment. The yurts are both fully equipped with a log burning stove and many creature comforts to create a truly wonderful camping experience. Glamping at its best!

Courses begin in May:-

Sunday 22nd May – Intro to Bee Keeping
Wednesday 1st June – Introduction to Vegetable Gardening
Saturday 11th June – Basket Willow Weaving
Thursday 16th/Friday 17th June – Green woodworking
Friday 15th July – Hurdle making
Sunday 17th July – Children’s Green woodworking
Friday 22nd July – Flintknapping
Saturday 20th August- Beeswax Products

Click here for more information on all courses offered.

Further courses take place right up until October.

To learn more click here to visit the Forest Garden Shovelstrode website.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Forest Garden Shovelstrode for Rural Smallholdings Magazine

This post was submitted by Forest Garden Shovelstrode.

The 2011 Edible Garden Show is being staged from this Friday 18th March to Sunday 20th March at Britain’s most famous agricultural venue, Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

Billed as ‘THE Ultimate Grow Your Own event for visitors and exhibitors alike’, The Edible Garden Show 2011 will provide a unique opportunity for people from all walks of life, whether town or country dweller, realist or dreamer, novice or experienced gardener to unite with like minded individuals, learn from the professionals and purchase from the wide range of gardening essentials on show.

Whether your interest lies in growing your own fruit and vegetables, running a smallholding, poultry keeping, organic herbs, sausage making, bee keeping, home baking, home brewing, or you just have a general interest in being self sufficient, the Edible Garden Show is the place to visit for all those with an interest in growing your own.

As well as exhibitors, the event will include a host of seminars and a packed programme of practical demonstrations. The British Beekeepers’ Association and The Poultry Club of Great Britain are both supporting this years show and experts from both will be on hand to give demonstrations and advice. The event also has the support of the Women’s Institute. Rachel Green – one of the UK’s foremost authorities on food – has signed up to front the WI Cookery School at the show.

She will join experts from the Women’s Institute’s famous National Cookery School at Denman College, Abingdon, who will be providing cookery demonstrations and offering advice to visitors on everything from preserving, jam-making and pickling to baking your own bread and getting the best out of your home produce.

Diarmuid Gavin, the Mirror’s new gardening correspondent and TV presenter, will be at The Edible Garden Show 2011 on the opening day of the show on Friday 18th March. The popular 46-year-old garden designer fronted a number of BBC programmes including “I Want a Garden,” “Planet Patio” and Home Front with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

His inspirational designs have won him accolades at the Chelsea Flower Show and he is the author of a number of bestselling gardening books including Diarmuid Gavin’s Big Ideas and Outer Spaces. The celebrity gardener who launched his new Daily Mirror column on Saturday March 5 will join the Mirror team on the opening day of the show on Friday 18th March.

Garden Gurus Pippa Greenwood and Paul Peacock will be on hand for help, tips and advice at the show’s Miracle-Gro sponsored ‘Experts Theatre.’ Both renowned for their newspaper and magazine columns and specialist gardening books.

TV Presenter Botanist James Wong, renowned for his award winning “Grow Your Own Drugs” BBC TV series will be talking about Incredible Edibles on Friday March 18th – Offering a light-hearted, dynamic and innovative alternative to conventional ‘spuds and sprouts’ gardening talks, James will be revealing how growing your own can be so much more cutting edge than you might think.

Incredible Edibles reveals the astonishing array of rare, exotic and luxury foods that can be grown by even the most ardent gardening phobic. From Himalayan goji berries and cocktail-sized kiwi fruit, to fragrant saffron and oh-so-trendy wasabi, an enormous range of fruit and veg are not only hardy in our blustery North Atlantic Island, but can unbelievably be easier to grow and more productive than a grow bag of tomatoes.

Visitors to the show can also enjoy a 15% discount for advance booking with current discounted ticket prices being £11 for adults, £9 for children aged 6 and above/Senior Citizens, whilst children under 6 go free. Book now to get your early bird discount.

Tickets may also be purchased at the gate on the day of the event (subject to availability).
Gate Prices: – Adults – £13, Child age 6 – 16 – £11, Child Under 6 – Go free – 1 Free with a paying adult, Senior citizen 60+ – £11

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Once winter chill sets in, you start looking for things that you can do around the smallholding that don’t require you to work out in the damp and wind. At the same time, temperatures are usually mild enough in most of the UK for smallholders in the drier English counties of Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk to take advantage of dry spells to plant out winter hardy seedlings of spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli and cauliflower.

If you live in the wetter areas of the UK or are plagued with the snow this year, December is best left to laying plans for the next year. Unless you get an unexpected break in the weather, many building projects just don’t make sense, unless they involve refurbishing the indoors.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Before you start laying plans for the coming year, take a look back at the year drawing to a close. What worked? What didn’t? Did you have a budget? If you did, how well did your expenditures agree with that budget?

Now, look at the coming year. Make a list of things you would like to do in the next year.

 Do you plan on a selling produce at market? Then go through the seed catalogues and select the crops you want to grow. If a certain variety has done well for you in the past, stick with it. For example, the tomato Early Girl does well in areas where summers are short and cool. You want to place your seed order this month so you have seed in time to start seedlings in January and February for the cold-weather crops and February and March for warmer weather crops.

 Do you plan on selling eggs? Then work up a budget that includes all the costs you will have, chicken coop repairs, feed, ground oyster shells or other calcium source, etc. Make sure you will be able to turn a profit.

 Develop a garden layout for the produce you plan to grow. This includes planning crop rotations and succession plantings.

 Start looking for new marketing ideas, especially if you want to expand your market. Maybe you have products that you can produce on your small holding that could become value added products—fresh strawberries can become jam, syrup, dried nuggets, blueberries can become jam, syrup, dried berries and frozen pies, apples can become chunky applesauce, butter, dried rings, fruit leather and frozen pies. If you develop flavour intense recipes using wholesome ingredients, you can ask higher prices than the grocery stores.

 Develop some definite marketing plans based on your goals.

 Develop an action plan. Schedule when each task needs to be done and assign someone to do it. Now is the time to develop the general overview for the year and then break everything down into jobs that need to be completed within certain time frames.

 Most importantly, make sure you draft a budget that includes all of your overhead. Remember to include all the business costs—petrol for the small tractor and/or rototiller, seeds and seedlings, bedding for the animals, mulch for the fruit trees, etc. Only by taking the time to look at your real costs can you develop a plan that turns your smallholding into a profit-making venture.

December is the perfect time to look back over the previous year. And it is the best time to look toward the coming year. You will never regret taking the time during this holiday centered month to start preparing for the coming prosperous year.

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Denise Rutledge for Rural Smallholdings Magazine

For all those harvesting the crops on their smallholdings, allotments and in their gardens this month, we’d just like to wish you all a Happy Halloween. We decided to try growing squashes for the first time this year and have had great success. We were put off in the past because we thought they would be hard work, need too much watering and so have been putting off growing them for a few years, but they really were easy and very productive.

We’d also like to share this inspiring video from Ecoworks Nottingham which shows their amazing squash harvest this year, all 2.5 tonnes of them! Ecoworks activities are based on Community Gardens and the FRESH Market Garden and Training Centre, both on the Hungerhill Gardens Allotment Site in St. Ann’s, Nottingham.

Ecoworks is a community organisation with the interests of people and the environment at its heart. They exist to promote the interests and personal development of people who are socially disadvantaged by delivering activities connected with the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the environment.

Click here to visit the Ecoworks website to find out more about:

• Organic vegetable and fruit growing
• Healthy eating courses
• Accredited horticulture training
• Craft workshops including strawbale building and willow weaving
• Chemical-free veg boxes
• Harvest Cafe (vegetarian and vegan catering van)
• Volunteering opportunities (growing, IT, cooking, admin, catering, stalls and festival events)
• Mental Health Support on their community gardens. Also the home of Straw Bale Building.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

With the debut of the Edible Garden Show being postponed until 2011, the planning for next years show is well underway and they are currently offering early bird rates to exhibitors.

Billed as ‘THE Ultimate Grow Your Own event for visitors and exhibitors alike’, the Edible Garden Show will provide a unique opportunity for exhibitors to present their products and services to the buying public and stands are available to book now. Exhibitors can currently enjoy up to 25% discount but this offer ends on the 30th of September 2010 so book now to avoid disappointment.

The 2011 Edible Garden Show is being staged from Friday 18th March to Sunday 20th March at Britain’s most famous agricultural venue, Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

The Edible Garden Show 2011 will provide a unique opportunity for people from all walks of life, whether town or country dweller, realist or dreamer, novice or experienced gardener to unite with like minded individuals, learn from the professionals and purchase from the wide range of gardening essentials on show.

Whether your interest lies in growing your own fruit and vegetables, running a smallholding, poultry keeping, organic herbs, sausage making, bee keeping, home baking, home brewing, or you just have a general interest in being self sufficient, the Edible Garden Show is the place to visit for all those with an interest in growing your own.

As well as exhibitors, the event will include a host of seminars and a packed programme of practical demonstrations. The British Beekeepers’ Association and The Poultry Club of Great Britain are both supporting this years show and experts from both will be on hand to give demonstrations and advice. The event also has the support of the Women’s Institute. Experts from the WI’s famous National Cookery School at Denman College, Abingdon, will be providing cookery demonstrations and offering advice to visitors on everything from preserving, jam-making and pickling to baking your own bread.

Visitors to the show can also enjoy a 15% discount for advance booking with current discounted ticket prices being £11 for adults, £9 for children aged 6 and above/Senior Citizens, whilst children under 6 go free. Book now to get your early bird discount.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Gardening through the winter on a smallholding is easiest if you choose the right crops. Some plants need heat to do well—tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans—in fact any plant that produces a fruit doesn’t do well when days get short and temperatures drop. Yes, the green bean is a fruit, even though we eat it as a vegetable. The only fruiting vegetable that is an exception is the green pea. It likes to mature in the cooler temperatures of early spring. But it doesn’t do well when temperatures drop in the autumn. So even the green pea doesn’t work well for winter gardening.

Fortunately, most root vegetables and leafy green vegetables tolerate the cold very well. Some plants like purple sprouting broccoli actually require the cold weather of winter to flower. Starting seedlings of purple sprouting broccoli in autumn means you will have beautiful purple broccoli clusters to decorate your fresh salads with. Only someone with their own garden (does that sound like someone who owns their own smallholding?) is going to enjoy that delicious treat.

Almost every member of the brassica family loves cool temperatures. This is great because this is also one of the most nutritious families of vegetables. Broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips and rutabagas are all excellent sources of both calcium and vitamin C when the soil is nurtured properly. Broccoli and kale are excellent sources of Vitamin A as well.

Which of the brassicas are the best choices for overwintering? The leafy ones. Broccoli leaves are very tasty and can be used like kale in soups and salads. Brussels sprouts actually taste better if they’ve been nipped by a bit o’ frost. Kale is also good to have in the winter garden because you can trim off the outer leaves and continue to harvest all through the winter and into the next spring. I have enjoyed the tenderest kale shoots in the spring, sprouting from kale stalks that died back because they weren’t protected from the harsh elements. The plant is amazingly tough.

Root vegetables overwinter in the garden very well. Consider overwintering carrots, parsnips, beets, celeriac, turnips and rutabagas in the garden instead of harvesting them. If the beds are mulched properly the roots won’t freeze. If you cover the beds with greenhouse plastic and pvc hoops, you can harvest fresh greens and vegetables all winter long. The flavour will be fresher and sweeter.

Spinach and lettuce grows slowly in a winter garden, but if you plant an abundant bed of greens in the autumn, you can use the cut and come-again technique to enjoy salads all winter long.

To start a salad garden in the middle of the winter, prepare seed flats with 72 cells (too few cells and the plants have to get too large before you can transplant them; too many and the plants aren’t vigorous enough to tolerate the move into the cold). Use a starter mix that is designed for starting seeds. Sprinkle lettuce seeds on top of the soil and cover the flat with plastic (lettuce needs light to sprout). Follow planting instructions for other greens. Now place the seed flats in a warm and bright location in your home. When the seedlings are about 2 inches tall and the roots well developed, start putting the flats outside during days that are above freezing. This will toughen or “harden” them off.

Now, you can plant the seedlings into your prepared garden bed. The best day is one that is overcast but not raining. That way you know temperatures are less likely to drop below freezing. Do avoid planting when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing. The shock may be too great.

Believe it or not, you can start radishes and beets in cell trays as well. It’s a trick that some Canadians use to get a head start on spring gardening.

Last of all, don’t ignore growing your own celery. You can use the green leafy outer stems all winter to season soups and stews. In the spring, the celery will flower, and you will be able to harvest your own celery seed and make celery salt.

For more about winter gardening on a smallholding see WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Ways to Keep Your Winter Garden Warm and WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Preparing your planting beds.
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Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

If you want to enjoy a productive winter garden, you will have to trap the sun and insulate plants from the cold. It isn’t as hard as you might think. And it doesn’t have to be expensive either. For years, I had a winter garden even in Canada’s fabled harsh winters. In the UK, keeping your winter garden warm is much easier.

I’ll share with you the easiest and cheapest way to keep your plants cosy. Go down to your local hardware store and purchase PVC pipes that are the lightest schedule available (schedule 40 is too stiff) and 3/4-inches thick. You will want each length to be three metres long. You will also need to purchase rebar that is small enough for the pipe to slide over.

Here’s how to calculate how much PVC pipe and rebar you will need. Measure the length of your planting bed/boxes. You will need one 9-metre pipe for every 3 metres of bed. Add one extra pipe for the second end of the bed. Now, multiply the number of pipes by 0.5. That will tell you how many metres of rebar you need.

Now, gather the rest of the tools you will need—a heavy maul and one u-strap to attach each rebar post to the box (if you have wood sides on your grow-beds). Mark where each pipe is going to go. This will be right beside the edge of the grow box or bed, making sure that the pipes will span the grow box or bed at a right angle. Use the heavy maul to pound the rebar stake into the ground. Leave at least 15 cm of rebar exposed above the box side. Bolt the rebar to the box using the u-straps.

Slide pipes over all the rebar stakes along one side of the bed. Now, gently bend the pipe down so it can slide over the rebar on the opposite side of the bed. This will be next to impossible if you try to do it in the middle of the winter. The pipes will break instead of bending unless you apply heat from a hand torch all along the length of the pipe, but especially to the middle third. It’s also a lot easier to do this job with the help of a friend.

Once you have that done, you can cover the beds with plastic. While greenhouse plastic is the best option because it will last for 5 or more years, if your budget is really tight you can use clear construction plastic. You will need enough plastic to enclose the entire grow bed. Plan on adding an extra 15 metres to the length of the bed. Drape the plastic over the hoops, making sure that it hangs evenly to each side and at the ends. I tuck the ends like an envelope, folding in the sides first and then pulling down the centre.

There is a great clip on the market that I used in Canada and the U.S. known as the Garden Clip® Fastener. It holds plastic to PVC pipes securely in all but the most windy conditions. This is the best way to secure your plastic. But I know that other methods work as well. For years, I couldn’t afford the clips, so I used materials I had on hand. For years I just gathered all the stones in my garden and put them on top of the plastic that reached the ground. To keep wind from blowing under the plastic, I mulched all the way around my grow bed with grass clippings saved over the summer. Then someone gave me some lumber so I stapled the plastic to sections of board. When I needed to get into the grow box, I just removed the stones, or propped up the boards. I decided that shorter beds were more convenient because I could often just reach in from the ends instead of having to move several rows of stones.

I have found that placing plastic jugs full of water in the grow bed helps keep the beds warmer. If you paint them black, they do an even better job, because they absorb heat from the sun. You can also use black plastic pails. If you place one 40 litre pail every 6 metres, on the north side of the bed, the plants will capture all the rays they need while the black pail will catch the heat, even when the sun isn’t shining brightly. Using a dark mulch helps as well. In the spring, I’ve used fresh grass clippings as a mulch (that saved my tomatoes from a late frost one year).

Of course there are more expensive ways to keep your winter garden warm. You can invest in a greenhouse. Acrylic or fibreglass panels offer the most efficient heat retention. Acrylic stays clear longer. Glass lets sun and warmth in very well, but unless you invest in double panes, all that warmth will flow out at night unless you cover the greenhouse with an insulating blanket. Even with insulated glass, installing insulating shades is highly recommended.

You can also install water pipes in the bottoms of your grow beds. By running hot water through the pipes, you provide warmth to the root zone which then transfers to the entire grow bed. This is a costly option best saved to a small greenhouse in which you want to nurture some tropical treasures or grow winter tomatoes.

So now you know how to keep your grow boxes from freezing. The next step for preparing a winter garden on a smallholding is to choose the right vegetables. We’ll share why fruiting vegetables don’t do well in a winter garden in WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Choosing the Right Winter Crops

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Preparing your planting beds

Winter farming is one of the best ways to enjoy fresh produce year round. If you plan carefully, you can enjoy fresh salad greens, peas, beets and carrots all through the cold winter months. And you can get a head start on your spring garden while you are at it.

One of the most important concerns for a winter garden is light. Days are shorter and the sun is also lower in the sky. No matter how beautiful a greenhouse or cold frame you build, if it isn’t placed in a location where it will get the maximum light available, the plants inside will not do well. So the first thing you must do is plan the location for your winter plantings so it can take advantage of any sunny days you have.

Once you have the right location selected, then you need to consider the needs of the plants. While you can plant straight into the ground, you can only do this if you prepare the ground carefully. The first step to proper ground preparation is to double dig the area.

Double digging is a technique that aerates the soil while bringing nutrients up from deep in the ground. The basic technique is the same no matter what size of bed you make. First, you remove the top layer of soil from an area that is one spade wide by one spade deep. Set this soil to the side. Fill the resulting hole about half full with compost. Add lime and a good quality organic fertilizer using the recommendations on the package. It can be a good idea to add some kelp meal at this stage as well, once again using the recommendations on the package.

Now, dig down so you loosen the soil beneath the mulch about one spade depth again. This will mix the mulch and fertilizer together with the subsoil. If you notice that this fluffs everything up so that the trench seems to be full, don’t worry. That’s what you want.

Now move over one spade’s width. Dig down one spade’s depth, tossing that soil onto the soil you just loosened up. Fill this new trench with compost, lime, fertilizer and kelp meal. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench, mixing the compost and everything else.

Repeat these steps until you have loosened the entire planting bed. When you reach the end, add the soil that you set aside. The main thing that you will notice is that when you are done, you will have the equivalent of a raised bed, with the soil being anywhere from 10 to 15 cm higher than the ground around it. The roots of your plants will love it!

You don’t want to walk on all your hard labour, so stick with beds that are around one metre wide. This is an easy width to work with because you can reach into the middle of the bed without losing your balance. Much wider than one meter and the bed becomes less functional.

Even if you plan on using grow boxes, double dig the soil beneath each grow box. There are several reasons to do this. 1) You can work manure into the very bottom layer (instead of compost). The manure will provide bottom heat all through the winter, but because it is in the bottom of the trench it won’t burn the roots of the plants. Next spring, the beds will be ready for a second double digging and produce a wonderful crop. 2) It will improve your yield considerably and support the health of your plants. 3) Aerated soil does not conduct cold as effectively. You don’t want the cold coming in from the side and damaging the roots of your plants.

Many smallholders find that putting a low border around each bed is helpful. While bricks are high enough, they conduct cold. Surrounding the bed with 100mm by 200mm sleepers will insulate the bed from the cold.

The next step for preparing a winter garden is to cover and insulate your planting beds. There are several ways to do this, which we will discuss in the next article, WINTER PLANTING ON A SMALLHOLDING: Ways to Keep Your Winter Garden Warm.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

The Women’s Institutes’ National Cookery School is to play a key role at The Edible Garden Show after agreeing to stage a series of cookery demonstrations and other food-related events at the show.

The WI National Cookery School, based at Denman College in Oxfordshire, has become one of the UK’s most popular cookery institutions since its launch last year.

Allie Hogsbjerg, a spokesman for the WI, said: “We are delighted to have been invited to provide cookery demonstrations at The Edible Garden Show. It promises to be a super show and experts from the WI will be on hand throughout the event with great ideas and recipes for your home-grown produce.”

But it’s not only cookery advice that the WI will be concentrating on. Their team will also run seminars on preserving, baking and even bread-making.

There will also be a high-profile event on the opening day where the WI will be promoting its ‘SOS for honey bees’ campaign aimed at highlighting the plight of the honey bee and the vital role they play in pollinating plants for fruits and crops.

Allie Hogsbjerg said: “Home-grown food, sustainability and safe-guarding the honey bee are all massively important environmental issues. The Edible Garden Show is an excellent vehicle to promote our various campaigns and help to educate the public about the benefits of growing their own food.”

The Edible Garden Show is the UK’s first-ever national garden show dedicated exclusively to ‘Grow Your Own’ food. It has been launched amid the phenomenal explosion of interest in ‘Grow Your Own’ and is a “must-see” event whether you are a seasoned gardener who spends every spare minute on the allotment or a complete novice daunted by planting a few vegetables in the back garden.

The Edible Garden Show 2010 will be staged over three days from Friday, March 19 to Sunday, March 21 at Stoneleigh Park – Britain’s most famous agricultural venue.

The ultimate Grow Your Own event, the show is targeted towards anyone passionate about Grow Your Own, Brew Your Own… or anything to do with healthy eating or home produce. From fruit and veg to bread making, from poultry to organic herbs, and from bee keeping to home brewing, there will be something of interest for all the family.

Tickets for The Edible Garden Show are now on sale via the ticket hotline 0871 231 0847 or on-line at www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk

Admission is £12 for adults, £9.60 for over 65s and children aged 11-16 (20% concession on the full adult price), with under 11-year-olds free when accompanied by a full fare paying adult (maximum two children per adult). Students with a valid Student’s Union Card also qualify for the 20% price concession.

For information on how to become a sponsor or an exhibitor at the show, contact Show Director Anna Campagnoli on 07876338400.

You can find out everything you want to know about the show and all the very latest news from the Edible Garden Show website.

About the WI National Cookery School:

Founded on years of experience and culinary expertise, the WI Cookery School programme combines the teaching of traditional skills with innovative and creative ideas. The WI Cookery School offers a fantastic range of over 100 day schools, residential courses and family courses.

For information on the full programme of courses, call 01865 391991 or email info@denman.org.uk

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

]]> http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/running-smallholding/smallholder-events-wi-cookery-school%e2%80%99s-a-tasty-dish-at-the-edible-garden-show/feed/ 0 http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/smallholding-properties/smallholder-events-the-edible-garden-show-2010/ http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/smallholding-properties/smallholder-events-the-edible-garden-show-2010/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:55:12 +0000 Rural Smallholdings http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/?p=1397

Amid the current huge growth in interest in self sufficiency and grow your own, a new national garden show dedicated to these topics is being launched this year.

The Edible Garden Show is being staged from Friday 19th March to Sunday 21st March at Britain’s most famous agricultural venue, Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

The Edible Garden Show 2010 will provide a unique opportunity for people from all walks of life, whether town or country dweller, realist or dreamer, novice or experienced gardener to unite with like minded individuals, learn from the professionals and purchase from the wide range of gardening essentials on show.

Whether your interest lies in growing your own fruit and vegetables, poultry keeping, organic herbs, sausage making, bee keeping, home baking, home brewing, or you just have a general interest in being self sufficient, the Edible Garden Show is the place to visit for all those with an interest in growing your own.

As well as exhibitors, the event will include a host of seminars and a packed programme of practical demonstrations. The Women’s Institute National Cookery School is also set to play a key role with their series of cookery demonstrations and food related events.

The new show has already won official endorsements from the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners, and the Royal Agricultural Society of England, two of the most high profile organisations in the gardening and agricultural world.

Billed as ‘THE ultimate Grow Your Own event for visitors and exhibitors alike’, the Edible Garden Show will also provide a unique opportunity for exhibitors to present their products and services to the buying public and stands are available to book now.

To book tickets for The Edible Garden Show 2010 and learn more about the event, visit the show’s website here.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine