Getting to Grips with Your Allotment (8 sessions)

Do you have an allotment or garden plot that you are looking to make more productive? This series of eight sessions throughout the growing season will introduce you to the essentials of allotment gardening, including preparing your plot, planning what to plant, protecting your crops and keeping them healthy, maintenance through the season and then harvesting and thinking about options for the winter.
 
Ian Smith, RHS Garden Advisor, will show you and talk you through the different productive areas at Rosemoor, as help you to consider how to replicate that in your own garden or allotment. There will be plenty of time for discussion and encouragement.
 

• Tutor: Ian Smith has over 20 years horticultural experience in a variety of creative, practical and educational roles and has a passion for gardening. He has designed a range of gardens for clients, from compact spaces to large country estates and studied many aspects of horticulture including the RHS Master of Horticulture in 2015. Ian has taught horticulture and garden design with Bicton College and the RHS, is an RHS Horticultural Advisor at RHS Rosemoor and the RHS Flower Shows, and is a trustee for the Devon Gardens Trust. He has an interest in historic gardens, their research and future development, and is keen to inspire more people to garden. 
  • Session 1: 14 February 2026: Productive garden site review, crop planning, ground preparation and February tasks.
  • Session 2: 14 March 2026: Indoor seed sowing techniques, further veg crop planning and March tasks.
  • Session 3: 11 April 2026: Outdoor seed sowing techniques, fruit planning and April tasks.
  • Session 4: 9 May 2026: Plant health and keeping the productive garden at its best.
  • Session 5:  13 June 2026: Advanced seed sowing and making the most of all of your allotment.
  • Session 6:  11 July 2026: Keeping your allotment productive through the summer and what to do now to maintain cropping
  • Session 7:  12 September 2026: Harvesting and extending the growing season, and preparing for the winter
  • Session 8: 10 October 2026: Growing year review and plan setting for next year.
• Location and arrival information: The workshop will be split between the Peter Buckley Learning Centre, and outside in the Garden. Please allow 15 minutes to park in the main visitor car park, enter the garden and get to the Learning Centre  
• Catering: Tea / coffee and biscuits will be available in the classroom at the start of each session 
• For this workshop you will need:
  • Your booking reference number to show to the team at the Garden Entrance
  • A notebook and pencil to make notes
  • Clothing and footwear suitable for being indoors and outdoors, appropriate to weather on the day
• Skill Level: Upskiller – I have mastered the basics of gardening and would like to build on horticultural knowledge and skills