We have loads of courses from veg growing, fruit growing, to poultry keeping, seed saving and clay oven building.
So scroll down through them all and see what interests you. We’ve tried to include plenty of information on course content so you know what to expect, however this means there’s a lot of info on this page!!
We believe that good food and good cooking go hand in hand with growing your own fruit and veg and so we provide hearty home made lunches on all our day courses, made with fruit and veg from the garden where possible, with home made bread, and eggs are from Anna’s farm.
We can also provide gift certificates, and tailor made courses for groups, email us to inquire. We have a concession rate of €55 for a day course for students, O.A.P.s, and those in receipt of social welfare, just ask.
Evening classes- create your own kitchen garden, a 6 week evening class in the basics of growing veg, with a half day practical on October 16th.
This course will cover siting your veg plot, sorting out the soil, raised beds, why and how?, successful seed sowing, manures and composts, and growing the vegetables! A 4 week fruit growing class will follow.
2 venues-
Claregalway Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 9:30pm, starting Sept. 21st
- A class planting different types of seeds.
Gort Wednesdays, 7:30pm to9:30, starting Sept. 15th
Saving you own Seeds - Saturday 25th of September
A one day course in all the basics of how to save your own seeds. Covering vegetable families, cross pollination, hand pollination, growing, harvesting and storing. It’s actually very easy to save alot of your own seeds and save alot of money too!! We’ll have plenty of seeds and plants to work with at this time of year. Tea/ Coffee and lunch provided. Cost €75
Beginner’s veg growing 1 and 2 - Saturday 18th of September & Saturday October 2nd
Day 1 : getting started, soil types, soil preparation, successful seed sowing, how to grow potatoes, salads and peas.
Day 2 : Maintaining soil fertility, managing pests and diseases, how to grow cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, leeks and garlic, carrots and parsnips.
Book either day separately or together as a complete course. Cost €75, or 125 if you book both days together.
Polytunnel Gardening - Getting the basics right for next Spring and Summer - Saturday October 9th
This course would suit someone who has just bought a tunnel or is considering buying one, or who feels they are just
not getting the best out of their tunnel. We will cover successful seed sowing and plant propagation, growing healthy tasty tomatoes well, growing courgettes and cucumbers, basil, french beans and sweetcorn. We will also discuss manures and liquid manures - oh the joys of it all!!!! At this time of year there will be all the plants growing in the tunnel to have a look at, so it’s a good time to get sorted for next year.Cost €75, or 125 if you book both days together.
Orchard Husbandry - planning, planting, pruning - Saturday November 9th
Learn about soils, aspect, shelter, rootstocks, varieties, heritage fruits, correct planting, staking, and the basics of pruning. We will also cover plums, pears, damsons, figs and cherries . Cost €75
Building and cooking with cob ovens - Taking names for next course -date to be set..
Liam Carrol (left) and the oven at the garden
This 1 day course will cover the basics of working with clay and how to build a cob oven. This will be a very practical course. Our own cob oven will be lit and used to demonstrate cooking techniques and the lunch made, as well as some baking. There will also be session on yeast baking and dough proving etc. Liam Carrol will be the course tutor, and has lots of experience building with clay, and cob construction. This promises to be a very interesting and flavorsome course!!
Cost €75.
Growing and cooking soft fruit- Taking names for next course-date to be set….
This one day course will cover growing strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, loganberries etc. and also how to jam, jelly, preserve, freeze, make ice-cream, and bake with the fruits. There will be class time, garden time and a practical cooking session. Lunch, tea/coffee, and plenty of dessert supplied!! Course notes a swell of course, with recipes. Cost €75
Spring Chickens- Taking names for next course - date to be set…
This is a very popular, one day poultry keeping course,
that we have run
several times. The courses covers, housing, fencing, buying chickens, sourcing feed, breeding, and also keeping ducks. This course is popular with the young and the old so children over 10 can be accommodated on this course but the day is too long for the under 10s. We cook an egg themed lunch and include tips on egg storage and recipes.
Cost €75 or €100 for adult and child together.
Tailor made courses:
If you have a group of 6 or more people looking to do a particular course or cover other aspects of gardening or biodiversity, not covered here, contact us and we might be able to organize a course tailor made especially for your group. This might suit schools, tidy towns groups, cancer care groups, allotment holders, or resident committees.
We provide home cooked hearty seasonal lunches, tea/coffee and home baking, on our day courses, and tea/coffee and home baking on our evening classes.
Some concession places available on all of our courses, for the unemployed, students, those in receipt of social welfare, and OAPs, feel free to contact us.
