The Soil Association is holding a national horticulture symposium on October 4-5, which it says will be a technical and practical event dedicated to informing and inspiring growers.
The event is open to everyone working in horticulture and will include delegates who have been involved with all scales of organic horticulture for many years, as well as those who are new to the industry.
The first day will consist of talks and workshops on topics from soil fertility, seeds and composting to protected cropping, setting up new operations and the latest in market trends. On the second day there will be farm visits to Duchy Home Farm, Abbey Home Farm and Stroud CSA, where there will be machinery demonstrations and an opportunity to see different growing techniques in action.
There will be a selection of trade stands at the event, and both days will provide opportunities for networking.
Price includes an organic lunch and refreshments on both days, an organic buffet and entertainment on Tuesday evening, and coach travel to the farms.
Speakers at the event include Andy Mitchell from Produce World, Arnie Rainbow of Vital Earth, Pete Dollimore from Hankham Organics, Simon Manley from Carbon Gold, Andy Dibben of the Community Farm and Dr Phil Morley from the Soil Association. Ben Raskin, horticulture advisor at the Soil Association said: “In my line of work I get to meet growers every day who have an excellent understanding of to how best meet the challenges of commercial horticulture. Events like this mean producers come away with the best possible technical and industry knowledge to support the development and growth of their business.”
Tickets cost £99 + VAT for producer members and £140 + VAT for non-members.
