A NEW gardening course has been launched with the aim of teaching adults to grow their own food.
Run by avid gardener Suzanne Thomas at The Hub, in Barnard Castle, the eight-week Gentle Gardening scheme starts this week, on Wednesday, June 8.
Themes explored include gardening for wildlife, planting on a budget and how to propagate seeds.
Ms Thomas said: “A whole generation has missed out on gardening.
“I want to give people the skills to bring nature into their gardens.”
She added that although her mother, Marie Yarker, had been a great gardener, knowing a variety of uses for different plants, she hadn’t initially had any interest.
She said: “I started to garden out of necessity – to feed four small children. Just before mum passed away I got an allotment and I love it. I am not particularly interested in flowers unless they have a medicinal use or for pollination.”
Her gentle gardening tips do away with the need for additional fertilisers or pest sprays. The course can accommodate up to ten people, with five having already signed up.
Ms Thomas said: “We’ve got a variety of people from young mums to nanas.”
The course was made possible through a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund and will take place each Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm.
Sarah Gent, from The Hub, said: “As parents and grandparents we are so used to putting others first so do take this chance to nurture yourselves too. Gardening is mindful by nature so we will tap into that as a by-product of what we do.
“The herb garden means there’s no kneeling or digging. You can spend the whole session reading gardening books in the summerhouse if that’s what you need.”
