Better Gardener Soil Series

Better Gardener biodiversity series

Become a better gardener with these free tutorials. Click on a course logo to start.

Of those who’ve already taken Better Gardener courses,

96%

said they’d learned something new. And

90%

rated it excellent.

What to expect

Each course lasts seven days and is free. You can take it at your own pace on the F&F website. Every tutorial has a number of tasks to help you apply the knowledge you just learned.

Soil series: This seven-day course will talk you through the content and structure of soil, how to improve it and how to solve soil problems.
Day 1: What is soil, the different types of soil, the structure of soil and getting to know your own soil.
Day 2: How to deal with problem soils, e.g. too acid, too alkaline, poor drainage, too stony.
Day 3: Making compost, the different types of composting system, from wormeries to Hugelkultur.
Day 4: Improving your soil including double digging and mulching.
Day 5: Using plants to enrich your soil, including: green manures, comfrey and effective crop rotation.
Day 6: Making your own potting compost, cutting out peat, making your own plant feeds and the nutrients your plants need.
Day 7: Check your knowledge and how to stay a better gardener.

Take the soil course now.

Biodiversity series: This course will challenge you to change your gardening practices to cut down on your carbon footprint and help the wildlife in your garden flourish.
Day 1: Why gardening isn’t automatically green and how to cut out synthetic fertilisers.
Day 2: Cutting out chemical pesticides and herbicides.
Day 3: How to attract beneficial wildlife such as birds, bees and butterflies to your garden with food.
Day 4: How to create habitats for fauna in your garden.
Day 5: Greening the lawn: how to cut down your environmental impact. This day includes a series of different options for a green lawn.
Day 6: Cutting out peat, imported products such as bamboo, and plastic.
Day 7: Conserving water and checking your knowledge.

Take the biodiversity course now.