grow Our demonstration market garden is based at Sheepdrove Organic Farm in Berkshire If you would like to visit or attent a course there, please get in touch We also create growing spaces across the UK - find out how we can help
FARMstart growing food growers Regular FARMSTART delivered in Berkshire Delivered at various venues across the UK Organic, No Dig & Regenerative Fully funded FARMSTART at least 3 x per year Financial & Business content included ACCESS TO LAND & further learning Ongoing mentoring & consultancy Specialist workshops Online courses for those not in the UK Plug plant suppy Apply now Market Gardens Setting up a new market garden or expanding an existing enterprise Financial viability Training for growers Fruit, Veg, Herbs, Nuts, Eggs, Honey, Edible & Cut Flowers Organic growing methods Regenerative food production Healthy soils & regenerative methods Setting up a food enterprise Polycultures Perennials & Agroforestry Whole ecosystem design & biodiversity Book a consultation Our Specialisms Agroforestry & Syntropic systems Integrated systems Fruit, Veg, Herbs, Nuts, Eggs, Honey, Edible & Cut flowers Designing for biodiversity High value crops Routes to market Economic models Mentoring support Access to land Access to sales routes Business support Seed and plant supply Ask us a question
SOILstart, GROWstart & FARMstart Our programmes are designed for Kitchen Garden, Market Garden or Farm scale growing Our SOILstart programme is awarded through LANTRA We have further specialist workshops for commercial production, including mushroom growing All our methods are organic, no dig and regenerative Our growing methods are low maintenciance, financially viable & high output Learn how to run a viable food growing business Specialist workshops: Mushroom production Value added products such as teas, beverages, preserves, pickles, ferments Agroforestry including syntropic systems Forest Gardens & Food Forests Propagation techniques Site design Business planning Growing for nutrition View our workshops Additional services: Site design Market Garden preparation Plug plant & perennial plant supply Grower training Site visits Crop plans & seasonal planting plans Access to land Enterprise support
Growing plants We grow edible plants in our nursery where we can completely control and regulate the growing environment We use our plants for teaching and the market gardens we manage We design growing spaces for cooking schools, catering colleges, hotels, cafes & restaurants We have experience in growing a wide range of fruit (including citrus), vegetables (annual and perennial), herbs & spices (modern and historic), edible flowers, nuts, honey & egg production Our growing principles: Chemical free - no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides No dig - minimum soil interference to maintain soil health & ecosystems No bare soil - using mulches & groundcover plants to reduce weeds, retain water in soil & minimise irrigation needs No walking on growing beds - soil compaction disturbs the soil food web & prevents effective drainage Polycultures - multiple crops growing together; maximum produce, minimum labour & optimum soil health Integrated pest management using specific crop combinations Agroforestry - integrating trees, shrubs & hedging within our sites for livestock, production & soil health Growing perennials to increase harvest seasons & reduce labour Prioritise heritage & UK varieties & named varieties (not hybrid seeds) & seed saving Grafting with scion wood (cuttings) from local orchards Peat free growing media Minimal use of plastic pots, reusing where possible Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle At present we sell: Fruit trees Apple, Pear, Plum, Damson, Greengage, Quince, Cherry Soft fruit bushes e.g. Black, Red & White currant, Gooseberry, Jostaberry, Worcesterberry, Thornless Blackberry, Worcesterberry, Cape Gooseberry and more Climbers e.g. Loganberry, Japanese Wineberry, Tayberry, Blackberry and more Perennial vegetables: e.g. Good King Henry, Sweet Cicely, Rhubarb, Salad Burnet and more Herbs Culinary, medicinal and tea varieties of herbs including more unusual herbs such as Lovage, Winter Savoury and a full range of mints – from Lime Mint to Lavender Mint Edible flower plants e.g. Chives, Borage, Calendula and many more – perfect for brightening up a salad!
Contact us To get in touch with about buying our plants, grown in our own nursery please email us at edge