Course Dates:
Weekend May 11th and 12th. Weekend July 13th and 14th. 2013

Time: 10am to 4pm

Price: £120 per person

If you are interested in growing more of the food you eat each week, and wish to do so in a natural, ethical, time-honoured and sustainable way, mindful of the rhythms of nature, then our Husbandry Skills courses are probably for you!

Husbandry is the practice of productively managing nature's ecologies within your own boundaries and capabilities, whilst developing your personal relationship with your 'bit of dirt', be it a small yard, a garden or a larger piece of land. In so doing, we are addressing some of the most important aspects of our simple relationship as human beings with the earth.

Our Husbandry Skills courses will offer you a fascinating introduction to the philosophical, theoretical and historical aspects of husbandry whilst also providing real 'hands-on' experience – turning principles into practices that should serve you well in all the years to come.

By the end of the course you will hopefully not only be inspired by some new ideas and techniques, but also by ways of looking and seeing – plus you get to take home plenty of learning materials, including literally the seeds you sowed.

Course numbers are restricted to a maximum of 10 people so there will be plenty of time for your questions and one-to-one attention.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided from produce grown at the Husbandry School, naturally.

Course content includes:
• What husbandry is all about
• An explanation of the origins of husbandry in our culture
• Husbandry in history - setting your plot in context
• Soils - what they are, and understanding their ecology
• Methods of building and adding to soils to improve and maintaining fertility
• Water - Irrigation and drainage methods and understanding the link between them
• Making and using raised beds - and why
• Enclosing your land - hedges, fences and boundaries
• The importance of heritage varieties of crops
• Propagating plants from cuttings
• Handling and sowing seeds to take away with you
• Planting out of previously grown seeds
• Making your plants happy and productive using companion planting for weed and pest control
• Extending gardens upwards - and why
• World planting systems and how they can be used