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Learn with Sally Nex

Self-Sufficient Veg Gardening

Learn self-sufficient veg gardening and plant planning with horticulturalist Sally Nex.

Course overview

In this lesson you will cover the basics of becoming self-sufficient. How much land do you need to be self-sufficient (less than you'd think); what you'll need to get started and ways of getting more land if you don't own much yourself. You will also learn about managing your time and how to eat with the seasons to plan the perfect veg-growing year.

Meet Sally Nex

Sally Nex started growing her own veg over 20 years ago with a few bean plants in a city garden, just to see if she could. A few years of eating astonishingly good, fresh, organic food for (nearly) free and she couldn't get enough of it: her veg-growing habit got well out of hand and after running out of space in the garden, she graduated to an allotment. Over the next six or seven years Sally became completely self-sufficient in fruit, vegetables and herbs, feeding her own family of four year-round as well as looking after several other people's fruit and veg gardens as a professional gardener. Sally now gardens an acre of windy hillside in Somerset, south-west England, where she is gradually winning the battle of the brambles to carve out a large and slightly unruly kitchen garden. Her self-sufficiency now also extends to eggs and lamb from a gorgeous little flock of Dorset Down rare breed sheep. Sally studied horticulture and design at Capel Manor College in London and Bicton College in Devon, and also writes extensively about all things to do with gardening, though mostly about growing things you can eat. She has regular slots in Gardeners' World magazine, The Garden, Grow Your Own magazine, and The Guardian. Her work has also appeared on the website/app intoGardens, as well as Which? Gardening, Kew Magazine and Period Living. Sally gives regular talks all around the south-west of England (and occasionally further afield) and is a keen blogger and twitterer. As well as her rather intermittent personal blog, The Constant Gardener, she also writes about her kitchen gardening exploits for online plant retailer Crocus. And most years she spends a week or two running around behind BBC camera crews as a horticultural researcher at the RHS shows, including Chelsea and Hampton Court. www.sallynex.com

Course description

Expert vegetable gardeners Sally Nex will teach you how to grow vegetables in your garden all year, including winter vegetable gardening and plant ideas. As you learn you'll be designing your vegetable garden and producing your own planting plan.

Choose Expert option for personal feedback from Sally on your vegetable garden design and planting plans.

This course takes you right through the growing year, and explores the best ways to make the most of your garden so you can enjoy home grown fruit and vegetables, no matter what the season.

Sally will teach you crop and vegetable selection, successional planting, managing your land and garden and ways to avoid the ‘hungry gap’ in early spring. You'll also learn how to manage pests and disease and keep your vegetables and plants healthy.

Wether you're just getting started with growing your own vegetables or looking to expand the amount of vegetables you grow, Sally's course will teach you how to plan your garden and plant choices.

You'll learn:
  • how to eat vegetables by season
  • planning the right vegetables to grow in your garden
  • timing your vegetable harvests
  • how to keep your vegetable plants healthy
  • which vegetables to grow and harvest in winter
Excellent on-line course with stimulating assignments and extremely useful expert feedback - Mr JTime to complete this self-sufficient vegetable gardening course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 13 hours 45 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 1 hour 45 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
The course includes:
  • On-demand video lessons - presented by Sally Nex
  • lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical (optional) vegetable garden planning and planting projects
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world
Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Sally on your vegetable choices and garden plans.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.