Workshop :
Food Forest & Island of Fertility
Next dates: Saturday, May 25th
Miguel COTTON teaching a Food Forest & Island of Fertility Workshop, July 2023
“The workshop was really good. All relevant topics were covered, very interesting and lively presentation, very good interplay of Miguel and Luís with input from their past experiences. The hand-outs are well structured, not “over-scientific” but practice-oriented and full of useful tips.”
Past dates:
º July 1st 2023: fully booked ✨
º July 2nd 2023: fully booked ✨
º September 2nd 2023: fully booked ✨
º September 3nd 2023: fully booked ✨
º November 4th 2023: fully booked ✨
º February 25th 2024: fully booked ✨
º February 26th 2024: fully booked ✨
📝 WANT TO JOIN US? KEEP SCROLLING AND FIND THE APPLICATION FORM BELOW ✍️
NEXT DATES FOR THIS FOUNDATION COURSE:
º Saturday, May 25th
We wish to invite you to our Foundation Course on fruit tree growing, at the botanical garden! 🎓 Come learn about Food Forests & Islands of Fertility! 🌳🥭
Powered by the knowledge and skills we've been building up while developing the Orchard of Flavours edible botanical garden, we are ready to provide you with a learning experience that's a condensed version of our best practices at the project ✨🥑
We consider this workshop to be a Foundation Course because it is the perfect starting point for your learning journey with the Orchard of Flavours. It is the ideal first step to discover all about our sustainable fruit tree growing method, as it focuses on our approaches to plant fast-growing Food Forests and to create productive Islands of Fertility 🏝️
Facilitators:
° Miguel COTTON, founder of the Orchard of Flavours (Pomar dos Sabores) Botanical Garden
° Luís AFONSO, founder of The Biggest Mini Forest (A Maior Mini Floresta)
Location:
º Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden (Pomar dos Sabores), in Tavira, Portugal
º Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/4Qeg8gR1EeUr4pvL8
Time:
9:30 AM —> 5:30 PM
Number of participants:
º For quality reasons, limited openings: maximum 14 people per workshop
Language:
º English (and possible translation to French, Portuguese and Spanish)
Price:
º 75 EUR contribution per person for the workshop preparation and facilitation
º Any extra donation will be used in the development of the Botanical Garden
Included:
º detailed manual as a special gift with pictures and lots of addresses for materials, tools and tree nurseries
If you have any further questions, please feel free to write us an email! miguel@orchardofflavours.com
📝 APPLY FOR THE WORKSHOP BELOW ✍️
📝 LIMITED OPENINGS ✍️
Miguel COTTON, Orchard of Flavours founder and workshop instructor
Luís AFONSO, The Biggest Mini Forest founder and workshop instructor
Curious about our other Workshops?
Discover what else we are teaching at the Orchard of Flavours’ “fruit tree Academy”
Delve into the art and science of plant care on this hands-on learning journey, where we'll dive into the Big 3: Pruning, Fertilizing and Watering.
In this workshop, the founder of the Orchard of Flavours, as well as two propagation specialists, will tell you all their secrets about plant propagation.
Powered by The Biggest Mini Forest, this workshop is a practical introduction to creating dense, biodiverse and fast-growing Mini Food Forests.
“I want to thank the whole team, and mention that it is rare to find a place like this, where scientific knowledge is offered for a symbolic value, and where the interest behind it is not monetary but environmental education. Wonderful!”
Some of the highlights of the July 1st workshop, at Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden, in Tavira
The Orchard of Flavours' mission is to inspire and empower people to grow fruit trees and other edible perennial plants. We want you to learn how to take action and make your garden not only beautiful but especially a productive source of healthy food for you, your family and friends.
In this Foundation Course, we'll do this by teaching you how to successfully use the best agroecology techniques to grow healthy soil, which will feed healthy plants, and how to do it using water in the most efficient and responsible way.
We are happy to share all our experience and provide you with all our local contacts, in order to increase your success on growing healthy trees.
We designed this workshop to make sure that you combine both theoretical and practical knowledge.
This Foundation Course will be a condensed version of almost everything that can be observed at the Orchard of Flavours edible botanical garden, but also — and most importantly — that which you cannot see but is crucial to achieve the best results.
IN CASE OF RAIN: If it happens to rain on the day of the workshop, we will go ahead with everything as planned. We have a backup plan to begin the workshop in a very nice sheltered area and a tent will be pitched outside, in the area where we will engage in the more hands-on, practical part of the workshop.
Island of Fertility with Guava tree at the center. Coco Zone, Orchard of Flavours
Miguel COTTON doing a guided tour to workshop participants
“Yesterday we spent a wonderful, super-informative day at the Island of Fertility workshop at Pomar dos Sabores. Miguel and Luís’ knowledge is encyclopaedic and their enthusiasm infectious. The workshop was very thoroughly prepared, with an extensive and extremely useful hardcopy of the information covered. The Orchard is a joy to visit.”
Course outline:
Guided Tour - 2-hour-visit around the Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden dedicated to fruit trees and edible plants. Guided by Miguel COTTON, the founder.
Soil Preparation - determination of soil type, hole size, type of natural (bio) soil amendments, soil amendments suppliers. Practical exercise & list of suppliers.
Plant Selection and Plant Location - Main criteria to take into account: soil type, sun and water requirements. List of plant suppliers.
How to Plant - Practical exercise (Miyawaki-inspired Food Forest & Island of Fertility)
Irrigation System - We want you to save water and build an efficient irrigation system which is resistant to the sun (UV proof), long-lasting and hassle-free. This is a fun practical exercise which can be similar to playing with Legos! Practical exercise & list of suppliers.
Wind and Sun Protection for the Plants - Practical exercise.
Maintenance of your Edible Forest (weeding & pruning) - Brief introduction.
Workshop participants during “How to Plant” practical exercise
For the workshop, a 60-pages manual is provided to participants
What to bring:
“The workshop was very valuable to any gardener, experienced or beginner.”
a notebook and a pen
sunblock and a hat
comfortable clothes for working in the garden
water bottle
some food for a shared picnic
The orchard has got ample parking spaces and two dry toilets.
A few more comments from previous participants:
“It was a lovely relaxed environment, really informative and we will definitely be putting what we learned into practice!” — Sophie, Bram and Charlie, UK
“One of the best workshops I have ever done! I learned so much and felt really inspired” — Analisa, USA
“It was very interesting to get to know the "Orchard of Flavours" project, both the theoretical aspects and the practical! It is an especially interesting initiative to the region of Algarve (even if limited to areas where irrigation water is provided to farmers). The workshop gave me a good vision.” — Guida, Portugal
“There was a lot of enthusiasm and a positive vibe” — Roy, USA
“Fantastic orchard of fruit trees and shrubs, created based on a concept of soil regeneration and maximizing available resources. Miguel and Luís willingly and dedicatedly share the knowledge acquired throughout the entire process of creating this botanical garden. Well worth visiting!“ — Ricardo, Portugal
“Orchard of Flavours is a wonderful, informative, generous gift to the planet. I attended the Food Forest & Island of Fertility workshop in February 2024. The course was well worth every euro!
Miguel Cotton, founder of the Orchard of Flavours, has created a rich experience and shared passionately and freely his vast experience and knowledge. Luís Afonso, co-founder of The Biggest Mini Forest, enthusiastically provided a hands-on lesson in why we should all be creating better soil and be growing a variety of foods and plants in small spaces. The workshop was extremely well organised, thought-provoking and deeply needed at this time. I am fortunate to live near this regenerative project. I plan to visit regularly, take more workshops and contribute to the ongoing vision by continuing to improve my soil, using less water and more mulch. You don't have to take a workshop, just make contact and enjoy the splendour of healthy trees, the banana circle and more. A visit should be on everyone's list of "must do" whether you love growing or not. You will learn so much and will want to pass on the joy of what is possible.” — Sue, UK
If you have any further questions, please feel free to write us an email! miguel@orchardofflavours.com
Miguel Cotton doing a guided tour of the Orchard of Flavours on the beginning of another workshop day
