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Learn with Adam Crofts

Eat the Veg Patch

Learn how to eat from your own veg patch by taking the Eat The Veg Patch course on Learning With Experts.

Course overview

In this lesson you will learn all you need to get started propagating your own vegetable seeds, plant module trays and Adam will teach you when and how to direct sow seeds in your garden.

Meet Adam Crofts

Adam Crofts is an expert in organic gardening with a commitment to growing and eating the seasons. His fascination with gardening and the natural world started at an early age. Adam comes from a family of organic gardeners, and with gardening in his blood and a long held belief in the importance of organic produce, he has been growing veg for as long as he can remember. Over the years his experience has swung from a flower farm on the Scilly Isles, to landscape gardening in the Cotswolds, and farming and organic permaculture across Europe. More recently Adam has realised the absolute importance of good soil health, sustainable agriculture, and natural farming techniques which he has brought to the River Cottage garden.

Course description

River Cottage's Head Gardener, Adam Crofts, takes you behind the scenes at the River Cottage garden and teaches you how to create your own kitchen garden, make your own fertiliser and grow veg, fruit and herbs to cook with all year round.

At River Cottage we believe growing your own veg has the power to change your life. In these times of intensive farming, reliance on harmful pesticides and the detrimental effect it has on our environment, we now more than ever need to be more reliant on locally grown and sustainable food systems.

From propagation and tools, which veg varieties to grow and how to nurture them, you'll learn a range of skills and techniques focusing on organic vegetable growing.

Once you’ve got to grips with growing your veggies, Gelf Alderson (Executive Chef at River Cottage) will show you how you can get them from plot to plate. Using your home-grown produce, you will learn a range of skills and techniques so that you can fully embrace all kinds of veg in your cooking.

You'll learn:
  • how to propagate seeds and plan your veg garden
  • which varieties of veg to grow
  • how to make your own natural fertiliser from kitchen scraps
  • River Cottage recipes to use the veg, fruit and herbs your grow
The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Adam Crofts and River Cottage
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical gardening and cooking assignments and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
Independent Cookery Schools Association approved

This course has been approved by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), recognising the highest standards of training.

Time to complete the River Cottage veg garden course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 14 hours 10 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 2 hours 10 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your gut health recipe assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
You'll need:

Your lesson notes will include the full details of the ingredients you'll need for cooking, and you'll need standard kitchen equipment. Adam will also be teaching you practical gardening projects, so you'll need some seeds to grow and seed trays, and if you want to have a go at making your own fertiliser you'll need kitchen scraps, a bucket, muslin cloth, sieve, metal bowl, a brick, hessian, pestle and mortar, jars, a box or crate, and scales.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Adam on your vegetable gardening assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

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