Grow your own – Grow Cairngorms

Residents in the Cairngorms National Park are being offered the chance to take part in a new gardening course. “Grow Cairngorms” will teach people how to grow, harvest and store their home grown produce.

“Grow Cairngorms” is a pilot project which is being delivered through the Cairngorms Land Based Business Training Project (LBBTP) with funding from LEADER.

Grow Cairngorms Project Manager, Sheila Wickens, said: “People are often daunted by the prospect of growing their own because they don’t know where to start. This training will equip them with the skills they need to start growing plus the confidence in their end produce.”

The project will involve six practical half day sessions, looking at seasonal gardening tasks. These will cover; planning a garden, sowing, planting, protecting against pests and diseases, and harvesting your crops. In addition, there will be a series of five complimentary lectures, covering topics such as composting, growing in polytunnels, pests and diseases, preserving your produce and growing fruit.

The course is an important way of developing Food for Life in the Cairngorms, providing practical support to local residents interested in growing their own food. CNPA Board Member, Jaci Douglas, said: “Growing your own is a really fun activity the whole family can get involved in and I have long been pushing for a course like this as it is a great opportunity to find out what you need to know, especially about growing things in the area. There are so many benefits to being able to grow your own fruit and vegetables: it’s convenient, provides a healthy diet and is better for the environment because the food is not being transported to the shops.”

The course is open to residents in the Cairngorms National Park only. For the half day practical sessions places are limited to 15 and cost £50 per person for the full course or £7 per session. The lectures are not restricted to just those signed up for the practical course. Both practical sessions and Lectures will be taking place from May 2011 to October 2011 at a venue to be confirmed.

To register for the course or to find out more information contact Sheila Wickens on Tel: 01463 870223 or email.