Become a more proficient gardener and grower. Check out our courses and learning opportunities.
To learn a skill it has to be practised. Learning by doing is the best way of getting proficient at gardening, growing your own, and/or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flower to sell. That being said, at Upper Ballaird Farm Coop we stand on the shoulders of those that came before us.
Whilst we continue to learn, especially about the conditions on our own site, we want to start sharing what we already know. Regenerative horticulture is not our culture’s default way of doing things. So we want to make a little contribution towards a cultural shift. We want to introduce people to ways of growing their own or growing for market that build soils, enhance wildlife, produce healthy food, and, on the whole, leave a place better than we found it.
If you are a CSA member then you will receive a 15% discount for the course. Please email us: upperballaird@farmcoop.scot to book into the course.
Become a more proficient gardener and grower. Check out our courses and learning opportunities.
To learn a skill it has to be practised. Learning by doing is the best way of getting proficient at gardening, growing your own, and/or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flower to sell. That being said, at Upper Ballaird Farm Coop we stand on the shoulders of those that came before us.
Whilst we continue to learn, especially about the conditions on our own site, we want to start sharing what we already know. Regenerative horticulture is not our culture’s default way of doing things. So we want to make a little contribution towards a cultural shift. We want to introduce people to ways of growing their own or growing for market that build soils, enhance wildlife, produce healthy food, and, on the whole, leave a place better than we found it.
If you are a CSA member then you will receive a 15% discount for the course. Please email us: upperballaird@farmcoop.scot to book into the course.
Courses for Gardeners
Grow your Own – Beginners
This is a day-long introduction to growing your own veg and fruit.
We teach you the basics of veg and fruit production, soil and plant health, as well as learning how to sow seeds, plant your veggie plants, and harvesting what is ready to eat.
Grow your Own – Harmony with nature
In this full day workshop, we’ll look closely at natural processes and how we can produce food by enhancing them.
You’ll learn practical methods to avoid artificial fertilisers, plastics, herbicides, and pesticides. Additionally, we’ll explore ways to support native insect populations, along with the birds and amphibians that depend on them.
No-dig growing – How to do it
In this day-long workshop, we’ll introduce the principles and practices of no-dig gardening. We’ll explore various no-dig methods and the foundational principles behind
Most importantly, we will teach you how you can integrate these techniques into your current gardening routine.
Courses for Growers/professionals
There are no two ways about it. Starting a market garden is very difficult. Customers are used to getting their food for cheap, whilst not realising that exploiting our environment and poor working conditions for landworkers are important reasons for why food is so cheap. The story is much the same with products like cut flowers. So, whilst you struggle to make a living wage people will still think the products you sell are still too expensive.
At Upper Ballaird Farm, we do not believe in golden bullets. However, we do believe in good preparation, learning from the experiences of other growers, and attempting to develop business ideas that may actually work. There are enough challenges in doing this even without making those foreseeable mistakes.
We offer a blend of online and on-farm sessions that support you on your journey of Setting up a new market garden.