Edible Landscaping
Courses include practical sessions in the tutor’s garden. Edible Landscaping students help themselves to an abundant raspberry crop.
Courses & Workshops
Edible Landscaping offers unique gardening courses and gardening workshops that will enable you to learn all aspects of designing, maintaining and enjoying your own edible garden. Courses can be tailor made for your organisation and be taught within your premises. The longer courses offer an in depth and thorough guide to permaculture gardening and my unique approach to teaching this subject. Some of these courses are university accredited. Alternatively, experience the great outdoors and go for the workshops based at my edible garden and permaculture landscape in south Wales. Please see student feedback on then courses
at the end of this page.
Courses 2012
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Modular Permaculture Design Course 2012
Course administered by the Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning
4 Modules / 20 hours per module
May 9th – July 22nd
Wednesday Evenings & Saturdays
Modules can also be taken independently except for the last one.
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Fee £102.00 (concessionary fee £82.00) for each module
The University also operates a fee waiver scheme. Click here to see if you qualify.
Module 1: Permaculture Design – An Introduction
Learn about the integrated design philosophy of permaculture. Learn about creating systems where we use waste as a resource, where we can create food systems which have as much biodiversity as we find in natural systems. Learn about designing a food landscape which is low maintenance and makes optimum use of what the site has to offer. Learn about how we can integrate the natural world into our productive landscapes and create benefits for both. Module includes a visit to a permaculture garden. -
4 meetings
Wednesdays 9th and 16th May 2012 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturdays 12th and 19th May 2012 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm - For more course and enrolment info click here
- Module 2: 21st Century Permaculture – Connective Living
In the context of a peak oil future learn about the various local food strategies here, in the UK and internationally. Investigate ways of creating food production and distribution schemes which make the most of our current resources. Explore the Transition ethos and look at case studies of Transition Towns. Several field trips & guest speakers.
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4 meetings
Wednesdays 23rd May and 30th May 2012 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturdays 26th May and 16th June 2012 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm -
For more course and enrolment info click here
Module 3: Permaculture - Eco lifestyles & Eco- nomics
This module focuses in on two of the most important aspects of modem living: energy creation and use and economics. We cover ways of creating more sustainable and durable buildings which use less energy and space. We explore how we can retrofit greenness onto our existing grey buildings. We explore how we can integrate alternative and sustainable energy generation into our lives. And we investigate how we can create robust and interconnected local economies, examining barter, local exchange trading systems, circulating goods
and services within a region and bioregional mapping.
Several field trips. -
4 meetings
Wednesdays 20th and 27th June 2012 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturdays 23rd June and 30th June 2012 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm -
For more course and enrolment info click here
Module 4: Permaculture - a focus on design
Learn how we can design integrated systems which connect up food growing, alternative energy, water management, waste management and eco-nomics. We will explore analysis techniques which help us to see and solve problems in different ways. You will work collaboratively in groups to come up with creative and workable solutions to real design briefs.
Please note that you will need to have taken the three previous permaculture modules in order to enrol on this module. -
4 meetings
Wednesdays 11th and 18th July 2011 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturdays 14th and 21st July 2011 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm -
For more course and enrolment info click here
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Business Bloomers (course designed around client & project needs)
Get your workforce motivated to improve the grounds of their workplace through creative consultation & expert guidance. The course is completely tailor made to suit you, your workforce and your business so please email me to discuss your business needs and the course with you further.
One Day Workshops 2012
Except when otherwise indicated all workshops are held at the Edible
Landscaping Garden in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales
(only a 15 minute train journey from Cardiff Central, 60 minutes from Bristol & a little over 2 hours from London)
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Foraging for Wild Food (5 hours)
A one day free[!!!] workshop on May 13th. The day starts with an in depth presentation of edible wild plants. We then take a walk around the extensive grounds of the National Folk Museum of Wales to identify and gather the edible wild plants occurring in May. The bounty is then taken back to the Museum's Tŷ Gwyrdd / House for the Future kitchen to make a tasty Wild Weed Salad and a delicious Cream of Nettle soup. Places are limited to 15 and the workshop is expected to fill up fast. Please click on this schedule from the May wild food walk for more info.
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Pick & Cook (6 hours)
Harvest what's in season from Edible Landscaping's wonderful garden and create some great dishes. Finish off with dining on your magnificent results and a glass of organic wine or cider. A relaxed fun day of glorying in nature's bounty. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise a date.
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Weeds are Wonderful! (6 hours)
Learn about forage gardening. This workshop includes identifying weed species & their uses, setting up a weed liquid manure system & making a perennial and weed salad. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise a date.
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Powerful Predators (6 hours)
Learn how to manage your pests in an environmentally friendly way. This workshop includes natural pest management & integrated pest management (IPM), understanding & identifying pests & pest predators, creating wildlife habitats, biodiversity & wildlife friendly gardening techniques. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise a date.
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The Secrets of the Soil (6 hours)
Learn about just what is going in that soil of yours. The workshop covers basic soil science, soil management, composting and the eco friendly and no-dig technique of sheet mulching. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise
a date.
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Indelible Designs (6 hours)
Want to sort out your garden but just don't know where to start? This workshop is the answer to your cry for help. The workshop includes assessing the potential of your garden, different garden design 
techniques (including non drawing techniques), how to brainstorm successfully with yourself, spider diagrams and mind mapping, measuring & drawing to scale, garden design on paper, plus expert advice on how you can improve the design of your garden. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise a date.
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Growing Veg from Scratch (6 hours) A fast track, simplified version of the 30 hour course (see above).
A completely practical gardening workshop,
that gets right back to basics - growing plants from seed. The course includes seed germination techniques, creating the right compost for different seeds, correct watering, sheet mulching, preparing a seed bed and sowing directly. Seasonal variation may affect the above list of activities. If you are interested in this workshop then please email me. Once I have enough people who wish to take part I will be in touch to organise a edible garden show wild garden veg date.
General info:
Course prices vary but are competitively priced - please enquire. Workshops cost £30 per person and run with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 10. Special courses can be arranged if you have a group who would like to attend. Just let me know if you would like to take part and I will get back to you with all the details.
Student feedback from courses:
"Clear delivery, good visual aids,useful practical work" edible perennial garden edible gardening aromatic herbs "Michele is really entertaining, had fun in the soil game"edible perennial garden edible gardening aromatic herbs "The course was informative, well structured and well run. Entertaining but also really useful." welsh garden "Thanks for a really brilliant course which has given me the confidence to start gardening." ipm welsh garden "The observation exercise was a revelation. I did not know how little I understood soil science and how I was getting it wrong. I now appreciate the value of flowers in pest control." ipm gardening edible gardens aromatics "Michele makes even watering your garden interesting." edible perennial garden edible gardening aromatic
"My questions were all answered very clearly." edible perennial garden edible gardening aromatic welsh
"Presentation of the course has been good. I have enjoyed gaining an understanding of the course and have learnt a lot about subjects which I haven't encountered." cardiff gardens gardening aromatic welsh plants
"It was well presented, easily understood. Enjoyed the practical aspects, also the availability to ask questions."
"I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the course but was amazed at the concepts discussed and also seen."
"Michele is very knowledgeable and obviously has a passion in this area which shows through in the teaching"i
"My thanks go to Michelle - I have never before experienced 'mulching' and its an experience I'll probably never forget! I have learnt a great deal and enjoyed sharing experiences with the rest of the group."
Permaculture Garden Tours
There are now opportunities to partake in a guided tour of my garden. The tour consists of a leisurely but informed walk around my garden. I will Introduce you to a variety of unusual edible plants including many ornamental edibles. There will be an opportunity to taste the various plants in my garden and discuss the methods I have used to create a permaculture garden. The tours lasts one and half hours and are conducted throughout the year. The tour costs £10 per participant and will run with a minimum of 10 participants. Please let me know via email if you would like to join in on a tour of my garden.