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Urban Kitchen Garden

Urban Kitchen Garden


So, you’ve got the River Cottage bug but not the land to go with it? Don’t worry, not everyone has a smallholding, access to an allotment or garden to grow their own, but that needn’t stop you from bringing a wealth of delicious homegrown produce to your kitchen table. Even if you live in the heart of the city, you don’t have to just dream of the good life, you can create your own Urban Kitchen Garden. 

We’ll show you how to take advantage of the smallest spaces, maximise vertical opportunities, tailor your food wishlist to suit your situation, and to see that with the urban microclimate you may have some big advantages over your rural compatriots.

The morning will include an overview of the fundamentals of growing your own vegetables so that everyone has the grounding to create and make a success of their urban patch. We’ll look at the basics that are behind successful growing on any scale – including different methods of sowing and planting, watering and feeding, pest control, and the principles of rotation and succession– and apply them to the Urban Kitchen Garden.

We’ll also be looking at different approaches to choosing what to grow, helping you to draw up a wishlist of food that suits the opportunities and constraints of your garden and your life.

We’ll look at the different ways you can grow your own on your urban patch. You’ll learn how to create raised beds, about growing in pots, hanging baskets, on window sills, taking advantage of existing structures, the possibilities of ‘3D growing’ using edible climbers, and interplanting, looking at the pros and cons of each. 

The River Cottage Kitchen Team will then serve a delicious seasonal lunch using ingredients from the Kitchen Garden.

The day will include a tour of River Cottage HQ, including the Kitchen Garden and the courtyard area, to see how we’ve taken advantage of comparatively small spaces to grow a whole range of fruit, veg and herbs using the different methods discussed in the morning. We’ll also consider some opportunities that climate change has made possible - your wishlist options maybe wider than you thought - food such as olives and peaches can be added to the Urban Kitchen Gardeners menu. The River Cottage Garden Team will be on hand to answer any questions you have about establishing and maintaining any of the growing areas we visit.  

The productivity of your edible urban oasis can be greatly improved with careful attention to a few details, and the final session focuses on getting the most from the Urban Kitchen Garden. This will include the importance of selecting the right varieties, maximising your growing season, ensuring continual harvests, and sourcing what you need.

So, whether you want to maximise the harvest in a small garden, make your balcony a mini-allotment, turn you’re courtyard into an edible jungle, or bring a little River Cottage to Swiss Cottage, this course is for you.

Advice: We run three garden courses at River Cottage HQ, which share some core elements and as such we suggest that you will only need to attend one of the courses. The choice is Allotment, Urban Kitchen Garden or Veg Patch

Please note that Hugh does not attend this event

Price: the price of this course is £145 per person incl VAT

Location: This course is run from River Cottage H.Q on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of H.Q. will be provided once you have booked.

Wine/drink: We are a licensed venue. We also have a Bring Your Own policy and we do not charge corkage. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines. We will be serving Elderflower cordial and iced water from our own well.

Accommodation: If you need local accommodation, click here for a list of hotels and B&Bs, recommended to us by our customers. We don’t have camping facilities ourselves, but for information on local campsites and self catering accommodation, call the Lyme Regis Tourist Information Office on 01297 442 138. They will be very happy to help.

Age: We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. We put these guidelines for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.

Time: 10am-5pm

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