Last year, Hadlow College was chosen by Suttons Seeds, the Devon-located seed and plant specialist, to construct its show garden. Designed in the form of a traditional kitchen garden, it is located on the edge of the college’s 9.5-acre Broadview Gardens, which are open to the public, free of charge, 360 days of the year. Overseen by head gardener Alex Rennie, various experiments and growing techniques are undertaken on behalf of Suttons, which also uses the garden as an accessible venue for visitors, press engagements and so on.

Despite some seriously unpleasant weather, things in the garden are looking very good. Roughly the size of an average allotment, some of the planting identifies space-saving techniques. As an example, along what appears to the public as the back of the garden, stonefruits including plums, cherries and nectarines are growing fan-style. Along one side of the garden, pears are being grown in U-shapes while, on the far side, another space-saving method is being used to grow Bramley apples.

Four different blackberry cultivars and two different types of raspberry are being trained along wires at the front of the garden and experiments, some involving different methods of pruning, are underway with a view to extending their cropping periods. Trials are being undertaken on new cultivars of strawberries: as yet unnamed, visitors are fascinated by the fact that they are currently identified by numbers.

Asparagus, two varieties of leeks, six different types of broccoli, seven types of cabbage, three different types of Brussels sprouts, five different cauliflowers and a selection of lettuce and other salad leaves are all doing well. Other vegetables include peas and beans, and these, plus several varieties of garlic, are thriving. Tomato trials are taking place both in the greenhouse and outside, and the small allotment-sized glasshouse is also being used to grow a melon.

The trials and experiments involved in the Suttons garden are diverse - but they combine to prove one very important point. A plot that is no larger than the average-size of garden is capable of producing an enviable range of fruit and vegetables.

Broadview attracts visitors from all over northern Europe. The gardens, most of which are surrounded by high hedges of yew and hornbeam, include Italianate, Sensory, Medicinal, the Sandel Lake Water Garden (abundant with wildlife) and other themed areas. Designed over the last 10 years or so by undergraduate students in the Garden Design department - and constructed by students studying Horticulture and Landscaping - its proximity to Suttons is encouraging a lot of visitors to extend their tour to see the show garden.

The benefits derived should not be underestimated. Despite increasing interest in 5 A DAY and grow your own, the opportunity to view a genuine kitchen garden remains fairly rare, with the possible exception of those located at National Trust and similar properties open to the public. A fair proportion of visitors, despite the fact that many are garden enthusiasts, have never grown fruit or vegetables. As a consequence, they are surprised by just how stunningly attractive a traditional kitchen garden can be and there is no doubt that the Suttons garden is responsible for converting quite a few people to fruit and vegetable growing - and eating!

A visit to the Broadview Tearoom - a college commercial enterprise and winner earlier this year of the Countryside Alliance South East Region Rural Enterprise Award - serves to increase enthusiasm. Virtually everything in Broadview is cooked on the premises using regionally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

Fruit and vegetables from the Suttons garden find their way on to plates in Broadview on the day they are harvested - a great plot-to-plate experience that does more than any government incitement to 5 A DAY to promote great British produce. Adjoining the tearoom, the Broadview Farmshop sells a wide variety of regionally grown fruit and vegetables - and on their way out, visitors can pop into the adjoining Broadview Garden Centre to buy vegetable plants and seeds. Conversion complete!

In June, the college holds its inaugural Summer Festival, which provides the opportunity to attend talks on subjects ranging from sustainability to The Sun King’s Garden, with the college’s own Gardeners’ Question Time in between. One event - a guided tour around Broadview incorporating the Suttons Garden, followed by Hadlow strawberries picked in the morning, served in the afternoon - is already booked up. Why? Most people purchasing tickets want to find out about the fresh produce growing in the Suttons garden - and sample the strawberries as well, of course. Events of this type, with a strong focus on growing for the table, undoubtedly help to promote the benefits of fresh produce.

A City & Guilds course (full to capacity) on vegetable growing has attracted a diversity of students. Some are already fairly experienced; one or two hardly know a spade from a fork. The opportunity for hands-on learning that will conclude with harvesting what is grown has got to be a good option. A patient and friendly tutor is a notable factor - even the most complete novice has no reason to feel inept. Underlying this, though, is a degree of pleasant competiveness. All in all, an additional incentive to get more people interested in fresh produce.

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