From a garden to a paradise for all your senses
In this course, you’ll turn your own garden into an edible paradise—without having to constantly sow, weed, and water. So this is not a vegetable gardening course! Using the online drawing program “Sketch Your Garden,” you’ll learn the basics of design. During the three live lessons, Madelon will teach you how to work with your garden’s soil to create a design featuring perennials that are not only beautiful to look at but also delicious to eat. What do you need to take into account? How is the soil structured, what lives in it, and what doesn’t? And how do you improve the soil? You’ll go through the process from a rough sketch to a detailed design. But we’ll also cover more practical matters like budget, timeline, to-do list, and keeping a logbook.
You will receive homework before the first class and after each class. Expect to spend 3.5 to 5.5 hours on drawing, observation, and research. The course takes place every other Wednesday.
Over the course of these three days, you’ll learn how to turn your garden into a sensory delight for all your senses, and you’ll be ready to break ground this fall.
Wednesday, March 19, 2027, Food Forest Thuishaven, Zeewolde
On this first day, we’ll get to know each other and discuss any questions you have about the assignments you completed in advance for the online drawing course “Sketch Your Garden,” which is part of this three-day course.
Next, we’ll touch on the following topics:
- What are permaculture, food forestry, biodynamic agriculture, natural farming, regenerative farming, syntropic agriculture, market gardening, and vegetable gardening?
- What are the similarities and differences between an edible ornamental garden and one with perennials?
- What are the guiding principles and basic concepts?
Of course, to create a successful edible garden, you need to get to know your partner in crime: the soil beneath your garden.
- What type of soil is on your plot? And is it the “original” soil, or has topsoil been added?
- How is your soil life doing, and what is the connection—the “bigger picture”?
- How do you know if your soil is healthy? And how can you improve its health?
Next, we’ll dive into the topic of composting:
- What are the different composting methods?
- How do you choose a suitable, effective composting method for your garden?
- When should you compost, and for how long?
After lunch, you’ll be given a tour of the two food forests and the edible garden currently under construction.
We’ll wrap up the day by showing you how to create a garden layout, which you’ll use to get started on your design in the next class.
Wednesday, April 2, Koperwiek Nursery, Hazerswoude
Madelon will teach you about the elements of a drawing using one of her own designs.
Next, you’ll create your first basic sketch on paper:
- Based on your observations, sketch the existing, permanent features in your garden and note what you know about its location: sun, wind, and surrounding buildings (including those belonging to neighbors)
- What exactly is your dream? What are you working toward?
- You’ll draft an initial site plan and lay it out in a timeline.
Today we’ll also be talking about small fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and edible perennials.
- What are this plant's needs in terms of sun/shade, soil type, etc.?
- What do you expect or hope to harvest?
- You’ll have to figure it out: Which plants do you prefer, and which ones are suitable? For example: The avid jam-maker grows berries, and the soup-maker grows root vegetables.
- And now for the next steps: How do you choose, buy, plant, care for, harvest, and store them?
We'll get a tour of the nursery, and if you'd like, you can buy some plants.
Wednesday, April 16, Stekkers Nursery, Utrecht
Today, we’ll review your sketches and Madelon will provide feedback. You’ll then refine your plan by incorporating your plant list into your design, specifying the correct quantities and planting distances.
Next, we’ll focus on the more practical side of things: You’ll create a budget that takes into account, for example, bark paths or stepping stones, tearing down an old shed, buying plants from a nursery, growing them yourself, or trading them.
And then you make it practical with a to-do list: What do I do and when? Finally, you’ll learn how to keep a logbook where you record what you did and when, which plants and varieties you chose, from which grower, and so on.
We’ll wrap up the course by reviewing each other’s designs. And, on a practical note: If you’d like to purchase the plants right away, you can do so at Stekkers Nursery, where we’ll be guests that day.
Summary and investment
This is a three-day design course for an edible ornamental garden. Classes are held on Wednesdays. Each day begins at 10 a.m. and ends between 4:30 and 5 p.m. We provide a digital learning environment where you can access the course materials and many useful links, as well as watch recordings of the theoretical portions of the three course days. Please allow 3.5–5.5 hours for drawing, observation, and research prior to the class days. To ensure we can give everyone’s situation sufficient attention, we limit the group size to a maximum of 15 people,
The cost for the entire course is €525, excluding VAT, and includes all materials and a vegetarian/vegan lunch. If you have any other dietary requirements, please let us know and we’ll make sure to provide a delicious lunch. This course also includes access to the online drawing course “Sketch Your Garden.”
We deliver this course according to our terms of delivery. They are simple and clear, so please read them.
If you are unable to pay the training fee at once, or if you work for an organisation that uses invoicing, please contact us.
