This course will give you the skills to create and maintain thriving gardens that benefit you, the community and the planet. We will show you how to create a sustainable garden and how to help others in a volunteering or work capacity.
4 residential stays (3 days, 2 nights each stay)
One day at the college every 2 weeks (non residential)
Visits to local community gardens
Fees
This course could be FREE to you. Take a look at our fees page here
Level
Level 1
Dates
Friday 14th – Sunday 16th March
Friday 11th – Sunday 13th April
Friday 16th – Sunday 18th May
Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd June
Non-residential gardening days to be confirmed
Method
The work on this course is mostly practical with some worksheets, journaling and a final portfolio of evidence.
A ‘Mother Garden’ is a garden that helps give birth to new gardens through the growing and sharing of plants, seeds, skills and resources. On the course you will learn the principles and practices of the Mother Gardens model, and how they can be applied to different social and environmental issues, as well as core practical skills in plant propagation and regenerative gardening. You will gain skills in the different strands of green community building and community food growing.
As well as 4 residential stays (3 days, 2 nights each stay) you will attend Fircroft College one day every fortnight and you will be part of developing and establishing the college’s own Mother Garden, and wider food growing spaces. This is a reflective course, where you will be encouraged to reflect on your own ideas and role in co-creating a more sustainable world. As such you will also be supported to develop your own green project or garden space – ‘from inspiration to implementation’.
You will learn:
– How to create your own mother garden at home, or in a community space.
– Plant propagation, including fruit tree grafting.
– Community organising and engagement.
– Forest gardening design.
– Using the mother gardens model to support your community.
– The Mother Garden’s core principles and philosophy.
– Basic principles and practices of permaculture design.
– Organic food growing through the seasons.
Social Justice
You will explore the ways in which gardening can be used as a tool for social justice and
community building, and will discuss ways to create inclusive and equitable gardens that
benefit members of society.
Fircroft has an ethos of social justice, a legacy from when the college was started by George
Cadbury Jnr., and is something that we proudly adhere to today.
Climate Justice
You will investigate the impact of gardening on the environment, and will learn how to create
gardens that are not only beautiful, but also sustainable and resilient in the face of climate
change.
Fircroft has a sustainability strategy and climate change is top of the list! We are concerned
about the wide-ranging affects climate change is having on our local community as well as
globally.
Basic Project Management
You will learn the basics of project management, including planning, budgeting, and
implementation, to ensure that our gardening projects are successful and sustainable.
After successfully completing the Mother Garden Bootcamp you will have:
- Gained an understanding of the stages involved in a sustainable gardening process
- Developed initial skills for your own small-scale project development
- Developed skills to support others to start work on small-scale gardening projects.
Entry Requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, although you must be working at Literacy Level 1 or above
