Korean Natural Farming

with Joshua Sparkes

Friday 5 April 2024

10am - 4pm (arrive at 9.30 for coffee/tea)

£120

Group Size - 10 people

Joshua Sparkes is fascinated by the concept of natural farming and how we can best manage our land and gardens through learning more about our soil and nurturing the life and fertility it contains.

In this workshop we will explore different methods of regenerating soil by creating our own fertilisers and plant medicine using materials we can grow ourselves.    You will brew your own concoctions such as fermented plant juice to boost your soil biology and your plants’ natural defence systems and learn how to apply these at the optimum stage of your plants’ development.   

Joshua will discuss the differences between aerobic and anaerobic composting, how to cultivate native microbes, understanding the nutrient cycle, beneficial bacteria, the benefits of growing in sand and making biochar.

Joshua started his horticultural career at the iconic National Trust garden of Sissinghurst before pursuing various fellowships which took him to Japan, Sweden, Belgium and America to work and study at a number of different gardens and cutting edge regenerative farming projects such as the Rodale Institute.  Once back in the UK he took worked as Head Gardener at Forde Abbey and has now moved on to manage a farm, exploring natural farming and regenerative methods focusing on food and helping the local community.

Lunch 

Alison will prepare a simple vegetarian lunch including produce from the garden. We will round up the day with tea and cake. If you have any specific dietary requests do let us know on the booking form.

What to Bring

Check the weather forecast before you travel and ensure you bring appropriate clothing, whether that’s waterproofs or sun hats, or possibly both!  You may wish to bring a notebook, camera and water bottle.

Getting Here

Directions will be emailed to you a couple of weeks before the workshop. Use Damson Farm rather than the postcode on Google Maps.

Accessible Payment Options

We would like this workshop to be accessible to those are on a low income, particularly, though not exclusively, gardeners or other land workers. If the full price is a stretch for you please email alison@alisonjenkins.co.uk to chat about the options.

Cancellation policy

As a small business it’s not sustainable to offer refunds. However if you need to cancel your place up to 28 days before the event you will be offered a credit towards another workshop.   After that time, the offer only applies if we’ve been able to re-sell the place. It’s not possible to promote cancelled places for re-sale less than 4 days before the event.