Spend a day discovering the basics of growing your own veg with River Cottage Head Gardener Jonny Callis and take inspiration from the produce and gardening methods used in the River Cottage Kitchen Garden. At River Cottage, we believe that growing your own veg has the power to change your life. In these times of intensive farming, reliance on harmful pesticides, and the detrimental effects on our environment, we need to be more reliant on our own patches of safe soil. If you’re keen to learn more about transforming your patio, garden, or allotment into a productive veg plot, come and Get Growing!
This hugely informative day is led by our Head Gardener Jonny Callis, an expert in organic gardening who is responsible for keeping our chefs supplied with the finest organic veg. He will guide you through a combination of theory and practical demonstrations, including tours of our famous walled Kitchen Garden and abundant polytunnels.
From planning and tools to considering what to grow and where, seed sowing, pruning, pests, and disease management, this is the perfect introductory day for both the curious and the committed. You will learn a comprehensive range of skills and techniques focused on vegetable and fruit growing, including a cookery interlude with one of the River Cottage chefs. Don’t miss the chance to visit River Cottage garden courses and enhance your gardening knowledge!
“I enjoy growing my own vegetables, however, am very much a novice gardener. Our course tutor was very knowledgeable, patient and I learnt so much. I am so inspired and he has given me a huge confidence boost to get outdoors and grow more veg. Thank-you for a lovely day” HP, March 2023
10:00 - 17:00
You’ll begin your River Cottage experience with a 10-15 minute walk through the wonderful pathways down to the farm, enabling you to really soak up the views of the valley.
You will meet our Head Gardener over tea or coffee and tasty treats fresh from the kitchen.
You will start by discussing what current space you have and which areas you most want to learn about during the day. Jonny will talk about the amazing variety, value and flavours you can achieve by growing your own vegetables and give practical advice on tools and site.
Jonny will take you on a tour of the kitchen garden to learn about crop rotation, the perfect compost, pruning and making your soil work for you.
Be inspired by a seasonal vegetable cookery demo, with a chance to have all of your veg questions answered by one of the River Cottage chefs.
Food is always the focus at River Cottage, and a delicious seasonal two-course lunch will be one of the highlights of your day.
Grow what you eat. How to choose what crops to grow, rotation and companion planting.
Step back outside to take a guided tour of our polytunnels and learn the practical benefits of growing under cover. Jonny will teach you the fundamentals of propagation, so you can raise your plants from seed or cuttings. You’ll also plant up your seed trays and Jonny will talk you through the next steps to follow once you have taken them home.
Know your enemy! In the final session, you will learn about organic solutions to deal with the most common garden pests and diseases.
By now you will be probably be bursting with questions, so this will be your opportunity to take away some of our Head Gardener’s expert advice for successful growing at home.
At the end of the day you’ll head back up the hill to the car park, full of confidence to get the most out of your garden. You'll take home an Information pack from your day and the seed trays you'll have planted and an organic seed packet.
This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.
We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines available to purchase.
If you would like to stay at the heart of River Cottage, we offer overnight accommodation at River Cottage HQ in our beautiful 17th century farmhouse. We have three stylishly refurbished bedrooms for B&B plus the 2-bedroom Gardener's Cottage. These get booked quickly so for more information go to rivercottage.net/stay to book. Alternatively, we have put together a list of our local accommodation which includes B&Bs, self-catering, hotels and camping.
We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements or allergies when booking.