Tag: free gardening workshops

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.  

Spud-tastic sessions in Edinburgh to grow your own potatoes

Garden centre hosts free gardening workshops on the UK’s most popular vegetable

Potatoes are the most important food crop globally after rice, wheat and corn, and have been named by YouGov as the most popular vegetable at the end of 2023.1 

Dobbies knows just how much the nation loves this hearty vegetable and is encouraging gardeners of all abilities and ages to give growing their own spuds a go this year at its free workshops in its Edinburgh store.

Grow How, a 15-minute interactive how-to session where gardeners of all abilities will have the opportunity to learn from Dobbies’ horticultural experts is taking place in its Edinburgh store at 10:30am on Saturday 3 February. Little Seedlings Club, designed for children aged 4-10 years old, is taking place the morning of Sunday 4 February, spotlighting this humble vegetable.

Dobbies’ Grow How sessions encourage local communities near its stores to give gardening a go, whether you’re a novice, seasoned gardener or enthusiast. Attendees can go to the demonstration section of the Edinburgh store, where Dobbies’ experts will share knowledge on the different types of potato varieties, reveal tips such as ‘chitting’, share advice on how to care for and protect your crop, alongside gardening tips to ensure a successful potato harvest.

Dobbies’ Little Seedlings Club is designed to educate and inspire the next generation of gardeners, getting children of all ages together in a friendly group setting to learn something new.

February’s session will unveil the history of the spud and different parts of the vegetable. Children will also gain an understanding of how they grow, what you need to help them thrive, when it’s best to sow or know when it’s time to harvest, an insight into ‘chitting’ to give spuds a head start, and the varieties that can be grown. From red potatoes, yellow potatoes, brown potatoes to even purple potatoes, there’s plenty of variation.

In addition to this, children will learn how potatoes are enjoyed from different countries and cultures around the globe.

Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton, tells us why this versatile vegetable is one of the easiest to grow at home. He said: “From Maris Piper to Potato Charlotte, there is a wide variety of potatoes to choose from that you can grow for yourself at home. 

“All you need is a potato sack or tub, filled with a quarter of good quality peat-free compost, three seed potatoes evenly spaced on top of the soil covered with another layer of compost and then water regularly to keep the compost moist. Your potatoes will be ready to be harvested in as little as 12 weeks.”

For more information about February’s free events in Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and to make a booking, visit dobbies.com/events