Workshops

Sally runs several workshops at Empire Farm. The cost of the workshop is £95

A day with Becky Searle  Sat 28 March 2025 

We are delighted that Becky is coming to the farm to lead a workshop on growing vegetables. Becky is a freelance gardening writer and kitchen gardener. Her book Grow a New Garden  was published in 2025. She has a regular feature in Kitchen Garden Magazine and writes for Gardener’s World Magazine, Homes and Gardens Magazine and Telegraph Recommends. Her own garden has been featured in The Guardian and Modern Gardens Magazine. More details to follow – watch this space

An introduction to growing fruit and vegetables with an emphasis on resilient growing   12 April 2025 

Sally has long been interested in climate change.  In recent years she has been looking at how we can make our gardens more resilient to the changes and this resulted in The Climate Change Garden  which she wrote with Kim Stoddart.

This intensive full day course looks at growing organic fruit and vegetables, while thinking about the challenges ahead from climate change. Climate change resilience starts with the soil so we start with looking at soil, mulching and composting, and creating hugelkultur beds for added resilience. Traditional crop rotations may not always be the best approach so Sally looks at alternative approaches, such as polyculture and continuous cropping. She will also cover the choice of vegetables and seed saving. Perennial vegetables have a key role to play in the climate change garden. Sally has been growing a wide range  of edible perennials at Empire Farm for many years. She has a new perennial veg garden and she will discuss the options that are available including forest gardens, edible hedgerows and meadows. This is followed by a session on growing soft and top fruits and how climate change may impact their performance.

The day will include a tour of the kitchen garden, greenhouse and allotments.

The cost of this course is £95. The numbers on these days are limited to 10 people. The price includes all tuition, course notes, a copy of one of Sally’s books, a light lunch and refreshments during the day. The day starts at 10 am, with arrival from 9.45 am. There is a final Q and A session  and the course ends with afternoon tea and cake  at about 4 pm.

Date Sunday 25 April 2025   You can buy tickets for this even on Eventbrite