Kitchen Garden Workshop: Gardening with Wildlife in the Winter – Some for the Birds, Some for the Bugs and Some for Us

Join us for a workshop on the benefits of gardening with wildlife here at Asthall Manor
Kitchen Garden.

Complete beginners through to keen amateurs all welcome.

A thriving and diverse population of insects and animals, big and small is key to the growing
of healthy, nutritious (aka tasty) food. Healthy wildlife means healthy plants means healthy
people.

In this all-day workshop you will learn the fundamental benefits of gardening with wildlife
while growing food for people. You’ll develop an understanding of why our wild bird, animal
and insect friends are not just either pests or a nice aside to have in the garden but are in fact
critical, hard-working colleagues who play a vital role in the guarding and growing of
nutritious food or are simply a key link in a beneficial creature’s food chain. You’ll learn the
different roles that many creatures play and what they need in turn, to keep them happy all
year round, with an emphasis on the upcoming winter months. The day will entail a healthy
mix of theory, games and investigations. You will also carry out some fun, practical work to
apply your learning and to help increase the diversity and vitality of our wild friends, right
here in the kitchen garden.

Places are limited to 10 in order to maintain a quality experience for those attending the
workshop.

Tea, coffee, snacks and a hearty lunch of soup, bread and kitchen garden salad will be
provided.

Please dress appropriately for the weather on the day with sturdy shoes or boots that don’t
mind getting muddy and be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Please do consider using public transport or bicycle to get here and if you’re coming by car,
please park in the tree-lined avenue nearby. More travel information here:
https://www.asthallmanor.com/plan-your-visit/

Asthall Manor Kitchen Garden is currently in the early stages of becoming a social enterprise
with the aim of helping to create a healthier, happier food system for all. We grow wildlife-
friendly and people-friendly food using Organic methods and Permaculture principles. We grow for a small, local box scheme, for the Potting Shed Café, for chefs and for the Manor kitchen. We do this while providing a mixture of wild habitats such as ponds, log piles, flowering weeds, seed heads and uncut margins for beneficial creatures to feed, hunt, sleep,
bask, breed and hibernate in.

The funds raised from this workshop will go towards the development of the kitchen garden
and to pay for grower and tutor Tim Mitchell’s time.

Tim is a qualified Level 2 Organic food growing tutor with 7 years teaching experience. He
has worked in community food growing and commercial Organic food production for the last
9 years. He is mad about wildlife.

Pricing

Supporter fee

(£90) For those who can afford to pay a little more to show financial solidarity with those on
low or no income.

General fee
(£60) For all those who cannot stretch to the Supporter price.

Subsidised fee

(£30) A limited number of places at this price are available to make the workshop accessible
for students, low-waged, and/or unpaid workers and anyone who would otherwise be unable
to afford to attend.

TO BOOK email: [email protected]

Photo: © Tim Mitchell