*EDIT* We have extended the deadline for applications for this course, please see below for the new date/time!
We are very happy to announce our Commercial Organic Growers Course for 2022.
Our 4-day Online Commercial Organic Growers Course offers people an in-depth training opportunity to learn how to set up an organic food growing business, from the growers themselves.
Run by Kate Collyns and Adam Rayne, two hugely experienced and successful market gardeners (see below for more about them), the course will impart their knowledge and wisdom on the key areas in any food growing enterprise, including:
- Running a food growing business (including finances, legal issues, record-keeping, Health & Safety, managing volunteers).
- Understanding and maintaining soil fertility.
- Small-scale market gardening – focusing on plant propagation and salad leaf production.
- Field-scale vegetable production, including pests and diseases and machinery maintenance.
Practicalities: This course will be held via zoom. In 2020, due to Covid-19, we started running the course online and participants found it to be a positive way to learn, especially for those who are not Manchester based. For those who are local or who want to visit Manchester we will be running a ‘live’ course later in the year.
Each session will run from 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 5pm. The dates are:
- Saturday 12th February
- Saturday 19th February
- Saturday 26th February
- Saturday 5th March
Course cost:
£180 (incl. VAT). Kindling Trust Supporters get a 10% discount
Applications can be made by visiting: https://kindling.org.uk/CommercialGrowersCourses and completing the online application form. Email farmstart@kindling.org.uk with any questions. Please include your tel number in case it is quicker to have a chat. The deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 2nd February.
Our Trainers:
Kate Collyns.
Kate Collyns started her own very successful market garden business in 2011, and sells to farm shops, cafés, local pubs and restaurants. Kate is also Author of the book 'Growing for Profit' in which she answers all the questions she had when starting out in business herself, and has written for magazines including The Independent magazine, Countryfile and Grow Your Own.
Adam Rayne.
Adam is a hugely experienced grower. He spent 12 years managing Glebelands City Growers, a very successful Manchester based growing business with a strong focus on salads and leafy greens. He has a wealth of knowledge on many different aspects of commercial growing.
