Herb Growing Without a Garden

Wild Food Walks - Herb Growing Without a Garden

The Event

Want to start growing your own food but don’t know where to start? This is the class for you.

Join expert gardener, Mark Ridsdill Smith, founder and author of Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardens, and get stuck in learning how to grow your own herbs and microgreens without a garden. Anyone can create a beautiful and productive edible garden using containers. Be inspired to transform your small space; like a balcony, patio, concrete space or front steps of your home, into an abundant container garden, filled with herbs, beauty and life.

Microgreens and herbs are two of the best ways to get started and most delicious choices for small spaces. Being highly nutritious they can transform simple ingredients into enticing, gourmet dishes. Explore the abundant varieties and grow microgreens and herbs that are tricky or even impossible to find or buy in the shops.

Drawing on more than ten years experience of growing, running workshops and connecting with growers all over the world, Mark will help you discover the secrets of growing lush, healthy herbs, and how to feed and harvest them for optimum growth. You'll have the opportunity to plant a herb to take home. And last but not least, we'll share simple ways to use herbs at home to renew and revitalise the food we eat.

In this workshop you will:

• Learn how to grow microgreens productively in small spaces.
• Discover techniques to harvest, where to source seeds and the containers to grow them in; all on a budget. 
• Explore the world of the most delicious microgreens as well as some of the more unusual and exotic ones to elevate and add nutrition to your dishes.
• You'll get to sow a tray of microgreens of your choice to take home.
• Get practical advice on how to easily start your first growing projects and find solutions to help you overcome the specific challenges of growing in an urban setting.
• You will leave with easy to follow printed handouts with instructions that you can use to start your growing journey. 
• Teas and light refreshments will be provided.

About our expert grower:

Mark Ridsdill Smith founded Vertical Veg in 2009, after discovering how much food he could grow on the balcony of his flat. His website and Facebook page inspire and support people to grow food in small, urban spaces and Mark has given talks and runs workshops across the UK, including for Kew Gardens, the National Trust, Capital Growth and Garden Organic.

Mark has shared his growing experiences on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Garden on ITV and BBC1’s Countryfile. He has also written a series of 15 articles for the Guardian’s Live Better Campaign and a feature for the Which? Gardening. His newly released book Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardens is described as a game-changer by those he teaches.

With a pioneering spirit and passion to work with others, Mark inspires us how to grow food abundantly and sustainably, using local, natural resources, and teaches us how to help feed our cities, change our food culture and improve our wellbeing.

Refunds/transfers: we require a minimum of 7 days' notice for any cancellations or transfers once you have booked onto a class to enable us to try to resell your ticket.

Note: Please understand our charity needs time to enable us to try to resell your tickets as we rely heavily on the income generated. You are also welcome to give your ticket to a friend or family member in case of last minute illness (just email classes@madeinhackney.org to let us know). If the workstation you require (single or double) is not available, please let us know as we may be able to accommodate.

Vouchers: To redeem a voucher purchased on our site, please contact us to book a place. If contacting us by email please attach your voucher. If telephoning, have your voucher to hand so you can quote the voucher number.

For information: classes@madeinhackney.org / 020 8442 4266 / WhatsApp message +44 07833685894