The course is composed of seven monthly sessions, March to September, of an hour each supplemented with video, handouts and references.
The content will be adapted to the season, the weather on the day and participants' input.
All content is subject to change.
Participants should have notetaking equipment and access to the internet. For on site sessions, appropriate clothing is recommended including boots and weatherproof outerwear.
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Session 1 Planning, Soil, Sowing |
Our story – why and how we started this adventure. Planning – what, where, how, ... Soil – dig, prepare, test Muck Tilling Sowing, choosing seeds Planting, (onions, beans, potatoes) |
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Session 2 Review past month Q&A Options ... |
Review past month – onions, broad beans, potatoes, leaves, brassicas, beetroot; tomatoes. Goslings. Q&A Tools, irrigation. Rotation Coming up – Pumpkin, carrots Incubation Marketing intro. |
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Session 3 Review past month Q&A Options ... |
Review past month – weeding; sow pumpkin, carrots; goslings; prep greenhouse and transplant tomatoes. Irrigation – field and greenhouse Tools – hoes, rakes. Organisation. Making cheese – intro and tips. Apiary. |
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Session 4 Review past month Q&A Options ... |
Review past month - crop progression, heavy weeding, irrigation, pigeon problem, broad bean problem, tomato problem, sow french beans. Chicken/goose egg combined incubation, development, feeding. Finishing new hives and supering the established bee hive. Making hay. Irrigation issues - reservoir. Tools - scare tape, hoes/spade, tractor, disc mower, flail. Organisation - work load, self management. |
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Session 5 Electrical and plumbing 101 Building Review past month Q&A |
Basic electrical and plumbing trouble shooting. Building a shed - foundation and main structure. Review past month - hay making, pests (cabbage butterfly, slugs, aphids), harvest/sale/storage (endive, radish, chard, onions, broad beans, courgette, potatoes), tomato sideshoots, propagating amaryllis and empress tree. Tractor breakdown. Mixed poultry flock. Tools - scythe, 3/4" (19mm) hose and quick couplings. |
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Session 6 Recap Review past month Tools Weeding conversation |
Recap: water pump pressure switch, building shed, poultry koop, tractor maintenance. Chainsaw basics Plots: French beans, 2-wheel tractor with potato lifter, clear broad beans, gourd progress, carrot harvesting, leaves pros and cons, cabbage, tomatoes, peaches. Tools: 3/4" (19mm) hose, netting, harvest scissors. Weeding conversation. |
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Session 7 Review all plots. Q&A
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Q&A: potato problem, poultry defeathered, starting up. Plots wrap-up: broad beans, begin next year sowing, gourds, roots/carrots, potatoes, leaves (radish, endive, chard), brassicas, tomatoes, broad beans. Slabbing, welding, misc. Can you make a living ...? Rotation? "Grow your own", ... |