A perfect clear sky greeted 20 Master Gardeners for their second in-service training this weekend (3rd December), the first since all five districts started. The day was spent at Woodlands Organic Farm near Boston and there didn’t seem to be enough time in the day to cover all the interesting activities, but isn’t that always the way?

After a morning coffee to help people get over the infamous fen road system the day kicked off with a fascinating and informative talk by Andrew Dennis, owner of Woodland Farm and Radio 4 Farmer of the Year 2009. Andrew covered all aspects of the farm, its history and his decisions to go organic and introduce livestock (all traditional Lincolnshire breeds). A question and answer session showed the depth of interest that the Master Gardeners had for such a large organic operation (1,700 acres).

Following the introduction to the farm, the Master Gardeners were then given a demonstration and talk about trimming fruit trees and bushes by Woodland Farm head gardener, Simon. The group were shown the 30 acre Market Garden and were both shown and helped trim back existing fruit bushes.

Radio 4 Farmer of the Year talks to Master Gardeners

A windswept tour of the farm preceded lunch, with Master Gardeners getting to see everything from the packaging and storing facility through a flock of (well fattened!) turkeys, to the Lincolnshire Curly Coated pigs and on to the Lincoln Red cattle. Master Gardeners certainly got the idea that organic farming on a large scale was most certainly viable and achievable.

A fine organic meal was feasted upon for lunch with all ingredients from the farm – one of the lowest food miles meals I ever had (certainly considering that it contained beef!). After which it was time to settle down to do some more learning, this time it was an introduction to the origin and ethics of permaculture. This session was masterfully delivered by one of our own Master Gardeners, Nick Vowles, whose own small-holding is an established permaculture garden. The session certainly kept Master Gardeners on their toes and made them think about how they garden, opening up another approach to a subject they love, growing food.

The day ended with a quick catchup of all things Master Gardener-y, including some exciting news – something we will be announcing soon!

Maggie and Heidi do teamwork!

Master Gardeners learn the art of fruit tree pruning