Press releases

Kitchen Garden Growing and Sowing Day at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

March 19 2007

11 April 2007; 9.30am- 4pm

Following on from the very successful Grow Your Own VEG Day in February, RHS Garden Harlow Carr is holding a Kitchen Garden Growing and Sowing Day on Wednesday 11 April. Both events follow on from the BBC Grow your own VEG TV series which gave viewers the practical know-how, and the RHS are now taking would-be veg growers off the couch and into the garden, and leading beginners through the veg growing year. So if you're fed up with limp shop bought salad and veg or fear you'll be overdosing on chocolate this Easter, go along and find out how to grow tasty and fresh veg in a small space throughout most of the year.

The Kitchen Garden Growing and Sowing Day will involve:

• A full programme of talks and demonstrations on all aspects of veg growing, including sowing seeds, making raised beds and selecting which veg to grow. No need to book - all are available on a first come, first served basis.
• Free advice on getting started with an allotment, growing your own veg in containers, controlling pests and diseases biologically.
• Growing veg out of season Talk 2.30-3.30pm with award winning veg grower Joe Maiden.
• Gather inspiration on successional planting from the actual 3x3m vegetable plot as featured on the TV series, currently being planted up with early crops. Also a huge kitchen garden with 67 raised beds. Leaflets showing the plot plan and gardening tips and advice will also be available.
• Design your own mini veg plot competition.
• Children's activities including potato pot planting, potato printing, Incredible Vegetable quizzes suitable for 5-7 and 7-11 years, and vegetable colouring activities giving children lots of inspiring fun during the holidays.
• Special vegetable gardening promotions will be available at the RHS Plant Centre.
• The accompanying RHS book of the BBC series Grow Your Own VEG (published by Mitchell Beazley) will be available from the RHS Shop priced £14.99.

The RHS website has a special section devoted to vegetable gardening, full of practical and sound advice particularly for beginners but also more experienced growers. Online users can view the veg growers' calendar to get started, see the progress of the plots at the RHS Gardens, collect delicious recipes, share experiences on the bulletin board and view the latest blogs of fellow veg growers. To keep up to date with the latest veg news and advice, users can subscribe to a weekly e-newsletter. Visit www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables

Notes to Editors

For further information and images please contact Allison Mitchell, PR Manager, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate HG3 1QB; tel: 01423 565418; fax: 01423 530663; e-mail: allisonmitchell@rhs.org.uk; www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr

RHS Garden Harlow Carr is open every day from 9.30am until 6pm (or 4pm November-February inclusive) except Christmas Day. Last admission one hour before closing. 2006 prices: RHS members free, adult admission £6, children six to 16 £1.60, children under six free of charge.

The proceeds taken from events and tickets sales at all RHS gardens help to fund the many activities undertaken by the RHS to promote horticulture and help gardeners.

www.rhs.org.uk/pressoffice

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. RHS work includes providing expert advice and information, advancing horticulture, training the next generation of gardeners, helping school children learn about plants, and conducting research into plants, pests and environmental issues affecting gardeners.

An interest in gardening is all you need to enjoy being a member of the RHS. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk or call 0845 130 4646.

Founded in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is Britain's largest gardening charity and is committed to being the leading organisation demonstrating excellence in horticulture and promoting gardening. Renowned for its outstanding gardens and inspirational flower shows, the RHS is a key source of advice and information for all gardeners. It encourages gardening through its publications, trials, lectures, education programmes and scientific research and is home to the Lindley Library, which contains the most comprehensive collection of horticultural books in the world.

Membership of the Royal Horticultural Society offers many exclusive benefits including a monthly copy of The Garden magazine; free entrance to RHS Gardens Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire; free access to a further 88 beautiful gardens across Britain and 20 gardens in Belgium and France; access to seeds collected at RHS gardens; free gardening advice and privileged tickets to 18 RHS flower shows, including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

For further enquiries about membership of the RHS contact: Membership Department, Royal Horticultural Society, PO Box 313, London SW1P 2PE; 0845 130 4646 Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5pm or via the RHS website

For more information e-mail the Press Office or visit the online Press Office