How to create biodiverse and productive gardens in small spaces.

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and if you thought yours was too small to cultivate veggies and be filled to the brim with butterflies, think again! Join an expert from the industry and learn how to make your green space into a healthy, biodiverse, and food producing space, no matter what the size.

Key information

• Duration: two days
• Upcoming date: Saturday 17 to Sunday 18 April 2021
• Start and finish times: starts at 9.30am and ends at 4pm on the last day
• Fees: £200
• Includes: tuition, all materials, full board shared accommodation
• What to bring: as this is a highly practical course, safety boots are required and waterproof clothing is advised. Bring something to take notes and gardening gloves if you wear them.
• Terms and Conditions:
  • you must be 18 years or over to attend our courses.
  • For full list of terms and conditions click here

What you will learn

This two day course will cover key garden design principles for small spaces, including the basics of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and how it can help you plan accurately and quickly. There will be a focus on space saving and efficient space management throughout, whilst still bearing in mind overall aesthetic.

Having a small garden doesn’t mean you can’t grow food. Food production and imports are a major factor in the UK’s sustainability and understanding and being involved with the life cycle of your food, from seed to table, will enable you to eliminate harmful processes along the way, from air miles to pesticides. The course aims to teach you ways to grow veg in the smallest of spaces, and give you a good understanding of pollinator friendly plants to boost wildlife and productivity.

There will also be time for consultation on your own green space, so bring photos and measurements of any areas that you wish to develop. Measurements should be in cm and include measurements round the edges, diagonal measurements across the area, height measurements of any walls/fences and details of any structures within the garden.

Located in the spectacular foothills of Snowdonia, the CAT site is full of healthy gardens of all sizes, from large fields, to small beds and container gardens. This course will give you the chance to gain inspiration from real life tiny gardens, whilst learning skills from an industry expert.

Meet your tutors

Ben Wilde works for The National Botanic Gardens of Wales on their Growing the Future (GTF) project. GTF is a five year project to ‘champion Welsh horticulture, plants for pollinators, the protection of wildlife and the virtues of growing plants for food, fun, health and well-being’. Having initially trained as an apprentice at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Ben’s vision is to get more people into growing, and inspire the next generation of horticulturists.