WHAT TO EXPECT

Growing sustainable food is about working with nature, not against it. Led by expert gardener Nick Major, this Learning Day explores how small-scale food production can enhance biodiversity, improve soil health and support local communities. Drawing on Nick’s longheld experience developing the organic food garden at our Northwoods partner site, Faldonside Eco, the day blends practical demonstrations, science, storytelling and hands-on learning to show how food gardens can become thriving, nature-positive systems.

Expect a friendly, practical and interactive day featuring guided tours, presentations, group discussion and real-world examples from Faldonside’s Walled Garden. Together, we’ll explore what sustainable, regenerative food growing looks like in practice – and why it matters for people, wildlife and long-term food resilience.

The Learning Day will cover:

• Core principles of permaculture and how they support sustainable, ecosystem-led growing
• Understanding food forests, polycultures and fruit guilds
• Designing a small-scale food forest
• Organic growing techniques for fruit and vegetable production
• Using hot beds and ramial chipped wood
• Interplanting to increase yields and biodiversity
• Improving soil health using green manures and no-dig systems
• Observation as a key growing technique
• Hugelkultur: working with woody materials to build healthy, productive soils
• A guided tour of the Victorian Walled Garden to see sustainable systems in action, from composting and companion planting to perennial crops and no-dig beds

The Learning Day is for you if:

• You’re a landowner interested in growing sustainable food on a small scale
• You’re a gardener keen to learn how to grow fruit and vegetables in a more nature-positive way
• You manage a community or market garden
• You want to create food-growing spaces that support biodiversity as well as productivity
• You’re curious about how regenerative growing can strengthen local food security while helping nature thrive