Grow your own soft fruits with Dobbies’ Edinburgh store

Garden Centre hosts free gardening workshops

Research from YouGov shows that soft fruits make up four of the top five most popular fruits in the UK.¹ Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is encouraging gardeners of all ages and skill levels to get one of their 5 a day by learning how to grow soft fruits at one of its free workshops in March.

Grow How will take place on Saturday 2 March at 10.30am, providing both aspiring and seasoned gardeners with an interactive setting to gain valuable insights from Dobbies’ gardening experts at its Edinburgh store.

The Little Seedlings Club, tailored for children between the ages of 4 and 10, will be held on the morning of Sunday 3 March. 

Dobbies’ Grow How session will be a live 10-to-15-minute demonstration, showing Edinburgh residents how to make the most of their outdoor and patio space by growing soft fruits. 

The session will cover what a soft fruit is and the different types, including strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Dobbies’ experts will guide gardeners through the process of growing soft fruits, from prepping the garden with the right soil before planting, to caring for the young plants and harvesting the fruits when ripe.  

Dobbies’ Little Seedlings Club session will also focus on soft fruits, with children in Edinburgh learning about fruit in general and getting the opportunity to participate in a strawberry growing activity, putting their newly acquired knowledge into practice. 

Zoe Stanmore, Dobbies’ Horticultural Expert, explains that soft fruits are easy for gardeners of all abilities to grow. She said: “Soft fruits come in so many delicious varieties, and they can be grown in compact pots, so you don’t need a big space to start growing your own.

“It’s not essential to have a large outdoor space – a pot in a well-lit space is ideal. Fertilise your soil correctly, and if you water and prune as and when needed, you can expect a good harvest. 

“The Grow How session will also allow for customers to visit our Edinburgh store and share any challenges they’ve had with growing their own, to get advice and feedback from our team.”

For additional information on free March sessions at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, visit www.dobbies.com/events.