With more and more public gardens going organic, it's never been easier to see organic practices in action. In fact, some of Britain's most famous kitchen gardens now function as test beds for the latest organic methods while at the same time rediscovering others that were in danger of being lost forever. Here are some of the best.
Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden
Garden Organic’s flagship kitchen garden puts into practice the best organic methods of the last 120 years at least and tests out some new ones too. Victorian crop rotation, espalier fruit trees, heritage vegetables and the latest in good-bug bad-bug warfare are all present in its ten acres. The garden also has one of the longest vinehouses in Britain.
- Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4JG Tel: 01799 522 148
- Opens: Apr to Sept 10am to 6pm from Wed to Sun; Oct 7 to Oct 29 and Mar 3 to 31 on Sat and Sun from 9am to 5pm
- Admission: adult £4.80; child £2.40; members free
Clumber Park
National Trust park with a walled organic kitchen garden. Here gardeners pit the newest organic methods and vegetable varieties against the old, growing pre-1910 varieties beside modern ones.
- Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 3AZ Tel: 01909 484 0977
- Opens: Oct 2 to Mar 31, 10am to 4pm every day
- Admission: £2.00
England’s “most romantic castle” is also home to a restored kitchen garden. Organic methods are used here to grow rare vegetables from Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library.
- Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5JD Tel: 01242 602 308
- Opens: from Jun to Aug and holidays, 10.30 am to 5pm; every day. For rest of year opens from Sun to Thur
- Admission: adult £7.20; child £4.20
Knightshayes Court
Knightshayes Court’s lost Gothic kitchen garden is being brought back to life as the National Trust’s flagship organic garden. Walled, turreted and unique in the world, this garden is set to be a test bed for the latest organic gardening practices, which will then be used across the UK at other Trust properties. The garden should open to visitors early in 2007.
- Bolham, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7RQ Tel: 01884 254 665
- Opens: Mar to Oct, 11am to 5pm, every day
- Admission: Adult £5.50, Child £2.80
Llanerchaeron
Another rescued garden, Llanerchaeron is a rare example of an 18th-century Welsh Estate, which was once completely self-sustaining. Today, its two interlinking walled kitchen gardens employ organic and largely traditional gardening methods.
- Ciliau Aeron, nr Aberaeron, Ceredigion SA48 8DG, Wales Tel: 01545 570 200
- Opens: Sept to Oct, Wed to Sun, 11am to 5pm
- Admission: Adult £6; Child £3
