A Year Full of Veg with Sarah Raven at Perch Hill

This course encapsulates Sarah's veg philosophy.

The veg areas of Sarah's veg garden at Perch Hill are all about super-production, not just for the summer months, but throughout the winter too. What are the plants you can grow through the cold, grey months of the year and which need more light and heat for late spring and summer harvests? We concentrate on cut-and-come-again crops - salad leaves, edible flowers herbs and leafy greens plus the tastiest varieties (after much trialling) of tomatoes, peas, courgettes and beans. For us, this is not the entire story — the veg garden needs to look beautiful year round too, so we create patterns with different leaf shapes and colours of salad, plus we will show you how to make the nicest looking veg supports and climbing frames.

Sarah will guide you on the best salads, herbs and other veg we have growing in the veg garden at Perch Hill – the edible crops relevant to the particular season, plus helping you turn your plot into ayear-round productive and beautiful space. This afternoon session includes practical demonstrations showing you some key relevant skills for this course including an explanation of our sowing and growing systems. We'll end with a Q&A. You will also get a detailed course hand-out covering all the information.

• This course is taught by Sarah with assistance form Josie Lewis, head gardener at Perch Hill.
• It is held at Sarah's home - Perch Hill Farm, Brightling, Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5HP.
• The day lasts from 10.30am until 4pm including tea/coffee on arrival.

Itinerary

Arrival from 10am for a 10:30am startCoffee/tea and home-made biscuits served from 10:00am in the glasshouse.

Morning session 1: 10:30am - 11:30amMeet Sarah and the Perch Hill gardening team. Sarah will guide you through the principles of the veg, salad, edible flower and herb cut-and-come-again philosophy — how to get a lot of produce from minimal space, plus crops that you can almost chuck in and ignore. What are the crops you must grow, and which are best left to the field scale. And why.

Coffee/tea and home-made cake: 11:30am - 11:50am

Morning session 2: 11:50am - 1pmSarah will give you guide you through the best varieties of salads, edible flower, herbs and other veg – the edible crops she recommends for growing now, plus guiding you on how to turn your plot into a year-round productive space. What are the plants you can grow through the cold, grey months of the year and which need more light and heat for late spring and summer harvests?

Two course lunch 1pm - 2:15pmServed in the greenhouse. Using recipes from Sarah's cookbooks and produce from the garden wherever we can. This is served with home-made cordial. Please contact events_srcg@thecuttinggarden.com if you have any special dietary requirements. There will be time for shopping, and for private wandering in the gardens at Perch Hill.

Demo: 2:15pm - 3:15pmLed by the Perch Hill gardeners, this session includes practical demonstrations showing you some key relevant skills for this course including an explanation of our sowing and propagating systems used at Perch Hill.

Final session: 3:15pm - 3:30pmPlot from grass to food production, plus Q&A with Sarah to clear up any queries you might still have.

Private wander around the garden: 3:30pm - 4pmTime for a private wander at end of the day and any last minute shopping.

Day ends at 4pm

Directions to Perch Hill

From the M25Turn off the M25 (junction 5) onto the A21 for Sevenoaks / Hastings, heading south. In good traffic conditions, the journey from this junction to Perch Hill Farm will take approximately one hour. Bypass Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Pembury and continue on the A21 to Hurst Green. Turn right on the A265, signposted to Lewes. Go through Etchingham and continue to Burwash. Turn left by the church in Burwash follow this road down for 3 miles until you get to the crossroads at the top of the hill. Turn right into Willingford Lane (signposted Burwash Weald). Perch Hill Farm is on your right about ½ mile from the crossroads. Follow signs for Car Parking.

From a southerly directionIf you are approaching us from the direction of the coast via Battle take the B2096 Battle to Heathfield road. Go through Netherfield and on to Woods Corner. At The Swan Inn, on your left, turn right (signposted to Brightling) and follow the road for about ¾ mile, take the first left and go up the hill and turn first left into Willingford Lane. Follow the road down into the valley about ½ mile from the crossroads you will see Perch Hill Farm on your right. Follow signs for Car Parking.

From a westerly directionIf you’re coming in from the direction of Heathfield on the A265 travel through the town, up the hill and straight across the traffic lights, take the next right hand turn signposted to Battle (B2096). Continue through Punnett’s Town, Three Cups and on to Woods Corner. You will pass on the left a raised pathway and village post office just before a staggered crossroads with The Swan Inn on the opposite side. Turn left here and follow the road for about three-quarters of a mile, take the first left and go up the hill and turn first left into Willingford Lane. Follow the road down into the valley about ½ mile from the crossroads you will see Perch Hill Farm on your right. Follow signs for Car Parking.

Cancellations and refunds

If you are unable to attend a course/event you have booked and paid for:A friend or family member is welcome to attend in your place. You will need to provide us with their name, dietary requirements and contact email address/phone number as soon as possible prior to the course/event date.

If we receive 8 weeks notice or more:Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd will refund the full cost of your course/event.

If we receive more than 4 weeks notice:Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd will transfer you to another suitable course/event of the same value. In this instance this must be a straight swap onto another course we have availability on within the same season. I,e no more than 6 weeks from the original course date booked. Furthermore, we are unable to carry course credits over to the following calendar year. Please note, we cannot issue vouchers to spend on other products at sarahraven.com.

If we receive less than 4 weeks notice:We are unable to offer a refund or transfer as we have inadequate time to re-sell the place. A friend or family member is welcome to attend in your place. If you find you are unable to attend a Course with less than 4 weeks’ notice, please call us so we may advise further. A course/event place purchased as a gift carries the same cancellation policy. The course value cannot be transferred over to use on Sarah Raven products.

If we need to cancel a course/event:Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd may cancel any course/event due to illness or very low numbers, and you will then have the option of a transfer to another course/event of the same value or a full refund of your payment.

Contacting us

For all enquiries contact events_srcg@thecuttinggarden.com