Introduction to Market Gardening (2 days)

About This Event

This two-day course is designed for people who enjoy growing food and want to explore what it really takes to move into market gardening.

Across the two days, you’ll gain a broad but grounded understanding of how small-scale food enterprises work, what is realistic in the UK climate, and how to avoid common early mistakes.

You’ll cover:
Commercially viable crops for the UK
Touring and understanding a demonstration market garden
Sowing, planting out and crop establishment
Fruit and vegetable production
Health & safety, food hygiene and insurance
Compliance, labelling and regulation
Pricing, packaging and selling produce
Understanding productivity per square metre
Basic business models and financial considerations

This is an ideal entry point for people who are curious about market gardening but want clarity before committing to a longer course. This day also forms part of the full FARMStart programme, but can be attended as a standalone introduction.

What’s Included
2 full days of teaching
Refreshments each day (including lunch with as much produce from the market garden as possible)
Detailed handouts and planning tools
Free on-site camping
Access to showers, kitchen and communal spaces in the Grange Hub
Optional cabin accommodation - please contact us directly to discuss discounted rates.

Course Facilitator
Rachel Hammond is an experienced grower and educator specialising in regenerative, perennial-led and agroforestry market garden systems. She has developed and demonstrated a 75% perennial, climate-resilient and commercially viable market garden model, designed to balance productivity, biodiversity and profitability.

Rachel’s teaching is practical, honest and grounded in lived experience. She is particularly skilled at helping people understand what works in reality – including labour, margins, and long-term sustainability – rather than idealised growing models.

Course Setting
You’ll be learning within:
A working market garden, designed around permaculture principles
The Grange Hub, a purpose-built education and community space
Wide, open views across the rewilding site

The setting supports learning that is grounded, practical and unhurried, with time to ask questions, share experiences and connect skills to a wider ecological context.