Grow Your Own Herbs Day Course 

with Melissa Harvey and Frances Tophill

Date: Saturday April 12th

Time: 10-4pm

Join us this spring for a one day course with Melissa Harvey and Frances Tophill and learn how to grow your own herbs.

About your facilitators

  • Melissa is a grower, teacher, composter, community herbalist and trainee medical herbalist. She has been based at the School Farm CSA site for over 10 years, and set up Wyse Worts plant nursery, growing and selling medicinal and culinary herb plants, in 2020. The aims of the nursery include encouraging more people to grow and incorporate herbs into their everyday lives, as well as to facilitate better connections between people and the more unusual medicinal plants they might take. Alongside this, she teaches plant and soil ecology on the regenerative land-based systems at the Apricot Centre, and works with Sustainable South Hams on community composting. 

  • Frances is a horticulturists and environmentalist with a passion for useful plants and their stories. With many years of experience in gardens, conservation projects and nurseries she has learnt the skills of propagating plants and nurtured a love for this activity that never fails to give hope for a greener future. She is also a presenter on BBC Gardener’s world, has authored a number of books and is a regular contributor to gardening publications. 

About the course:

Course Outline:   

This one-day course aims to give you a comprehensive overview of spring-time propagating herbs through seeds, division, stem and root cuttings as well as aftercare for new plants. We will explore some of the methods specific to propagating herbs, including looking at the different conditions that herb seeds need to germinate, some of the different composts, pots and modules you can use, and top tips on keeping your plants healthy. There will also be opportunity to sow seeds and take cuttings and you will hopefully leave the session with a new collection of herbs for you to nurture and grow on. 

Topics include:

  • Plant life cycles and growth forms

  • The wheel of the year in the herb garden

  • How to wake up seeds

  • Seed saving and storage

  • Vegetative propagation

  • How to take care of your newly propagated plants

The course will take place outdoors at the Community Herb Garden at School Farm CSA. We have outdoor sheltered spaces to keep us dry, including an outdoor kitchen/workshop space and a sheltered fire area. 

Materials and refreshments will be provided. Optional vegan lunch is available at an extra charge and would not be able to afford the course otherwise)

Cost and Booking: 

Tickets are offered on a sliding scale. A sliding scale is a mechanism where people pay different fees based on their income and other factors. This increases access for those who would traditionally be financially excluded and helps make our courses and workshops more accessible. We understand that this can be confusing for some people so please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Standard ticket: £75 (actual cost of the course)

Supported ticket: £35   (we have limited availability at this price and it is intended  for those who are struggling to meet their basic needs, possibly experiencing  housing instability  and would not be able to afford the course otherwise)

Pay it forward: £100 (for those on full time reasonably paid work or have reasonable savings, may own home or  property, can afford luxuries and travelling. This ticket price  will support those who cannot afford the standard price)  

Optional lunch: £5 |  hearty vegan soup with local sourdough bread. Unfortunately we do not cater for allergies.