In collaboration with Pennard Plants.
Join us at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip for a day dedicated to the craft of protected food growing. Polytunnels and glasshouses are transformative in a British kitchen garden, offering warmth, shelter and consistency that open beds cannot match. This immersive masterclass explores how to make these structures work for you, combining hands-on horticulture with the heritage and evolution of protected growing.
Across the day you will learn how glasshouses and tunnels developed from early orangeries to the working heart of Victorian estates, what they contribute to productivity today, and how to manage the unique microclimates they create. You will work directly with tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, cucumbers, salad crops and long-season plants, gaining the confidence to plan, sow, prune, feed and troubleshoot under cover.
This course runs on Saturday 16th May 2026. If you cannot make this date, we would be pleased to recommend related sessions in our fruit and polytunnel series - see the course listings for details.
This course is led by horticulturist Chris Smith of Pennard Plants, whose depth of knowledge, practical skill and warm teaching style make complex techniques feel clear and achievable. Chris will guide you through tunnel and glasshouse management, succession planting, pest prevention and simple design ideas that help you get the most from your space.
You will take home seasonal seedlings raised at The Old Vicarage along with a curated selection of seeds chosen to support your protected-growing plans for the season ahead.
Spaces are limited to eight guests to ensure plenty of time for individual guidance during the practical sessions. Early booking is recommended
What You Will Learn
The heritage and evolution of protected growing
From early orangeries to 17th–19th century glasshouse innovation
Victorian fruit culture: pineapples, peaches, grapes
Post-war arrival of the polytunnel and its impact
How tunnels and glasshouses differ in purpose and microclimate
What history reveals about crop choice and growing conditions
Glasshouse growing: tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and chillies
How light, heat and humidity behave under glass
Ventilation routines: manual and automatic
Tomato masterclass: feeding, watering, shaping, pruning, airflow
Identifying scale, red spider mite, mealybug and mildew
Hands-on leaf-health checks, repotting and compost adjustments
Polytunnel management and season extension
How tunnels extend the growing calendar
Soil preparation: mulch, compost, irrigation planning
Raised beds vs in-ground planting
Managing humidity, heat and airflow in warm spells
Practical demonstrations of potting mixes, tools and layout ideas
Crops that thrive in polytunnels
Growing tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, peppers, cucumbers and cucamelons
Pollination, spacing, training and watering from below
Sowing salads for continuous harvests
Companion planting with basil, marigolds and nasturtiums
Succession planting for continuous harvests
Balancing quick crops with long-season crops
Using module trays to avoid gaps
Example sequences for spring–autumn production
Troubleshooting and biological controls
Early signs of red spider mite, blossom end rot, magnesium deficiency and botrytis
Overwatering and temperature stress
Using predatory insects such as Phytoseiulus and Encarsia
How to read plant health quickly and prioritise fixes
Designing your protected-growing plan
Choosing where to position a tunnel or glasshouse
Orientation, airflow, water access and circulation routes
How many plants a household truly needs
Planning beds, staging, compost areas and a May–October task calendar
Who This Course Is For
This course is ideal for gardeners who want to deepen their skills with protected growing, whether you already have a glasshouse or tunnel, are considering installing one, or feel you are not yet getting the best from the space you have. Confident beginners and intermediate growers are welcome. You do not need any prior experience with protected structures to benefit fully from the day.
Masterclass Details
Date: Saturday 16th May 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-upon-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £210 per person. A 10% discount is automatically applied at checkout when two or more guests book together.
Buying this as a gift? Let us know on the registration form at checkout and we can create a gift package for you, either emailed or posted to you directly.
Includes: Tuition, all refreshments, seated lunch prepared from the garden, practical demonstrations in the garden, glasshouse and polytunnel, a goody bag including seedlings grown at The Old Vicarage and heritage seeds from Pennard Plants.
Need accommodation nearby?
While this particular course is not residential, we would be delighted to recommend a few local places we know well and consider to be of a good standard. Simply note this in the ‘Additional Information’ section at checkout and we will send our suggestions.
Your Hosts
This course is hosted by Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion and Co., at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-upon-Mendip, a beautifully reimagined 16th-century farmhouse surrounded by a richly varied garden created in collaboration with experts including Pennard Plants.
Our guest team and gardening staff will be on hand throughout the day to offer guidance, hospitality and insight, bringing Asterion and Co.’s heritage-inspired learning philosophy into every corner of your visit. You will also meet our much-loved house ducks, Daedalus and Xenodice, who add gentle mischief and charm to daily life here.
Having spent the day in the garden, glasshouse and polytunnel, the afternoon concludes with a gentle tour of the wider grounds, taking in edible-ornamental beds, a formal rose garden, sweeping lawns, herb borders, a gravel garden and wilding areas. You are then welcome to enjoy an optional game of pétanque on our dedicated gravelled play area, surrounded by sculpted topiary and the calm of The Old Vicarage gardens.
About Pennard Plants
Pennard Plants, founded by award-winning plantsman Chris Smith, is celebrated for its extraordinary range of heritage edibles, rare cultivars, mature and young fruit trees in every form and time-honoured growing wisdom. Based in the Mendip Hills, the nursery holds one of the largest collections of edible plant varieties in the country and is known for its practical, generous approach to helping growers build confidence.
For anyone wishing to carry the spirit of the day back into their own garden, Pennard Plants’ beautifully curated mail-order range is available to explore on their website.
In collaboration with Pennard Plants.
Join us at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip for a day dedicated to the craft of protected food growing. Polytunnels and glasshouses are transformative in a British kitchen garden, offering warmth, shelter and consistency that open beds cannot match. This immersive masterclass explores how to make these structures work for you, combining hands-on horticulture with the heritage and evolution of protected growing.
Across the day you will learn how glasshouses and tunnels developed from early orangeries to the working heart of Victorian estates, what they contribute to productivity today, and how to manage the unique microclimates they create. You will work directly with tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, cucumbers, salad crops and long-season plants, gaining the confidence to plan, sow, prune, feed and troubleshoot under cover.
This course runs on Saturday 16th May 2026. If you cannot make this date, we would be pleased to recommend related sessions in our fruit and polytunnel series - see the course listings for details.
This course is led by horticulturist Chris Smith of Pennard Plants, whose depth of knowledge, practical skill and warm teaching style make complex techniques feel clear and achievable. Chris will guide you through tunnel and glasshouse management, succession planting, pest prevention and simple design ideas that help you get the most from your space.
You will take home seasonal seedlings raised at The Old Vicarage along with a curated selection of seeds chosen to support your protected-growing plans for the season ahead.
Spaces are limited to eight guests to ensure plenty of time for individual guidance during the practical sessions. Early booking is recommended
What You Will Learn
The heritage and evolution of protected growing
From early orangeries to 17th–19th century glasshouse innovation
Victorian fruit culture: pineapples, peaches, grapes
Post-war arrival of the polytunnel and its impact
How tunnels and glasshouses differ in purpose and microclimate
What history reveals about crop choice and growing conditions
Glasshouse growing: tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and chillies
How light, heat and humidity behave under glass
Ventilation routines: manual and automatic
Tomato masterclass: feeding, watering, shaping, pruning, airflow
Identifying scale, red spider mite, mealybug and mildew
Hands-on leaf-health checks, repotting and compost adjustments
Polytunnel management and season extension
How tunnels extend the growing calendar
Soil preparation: mulch, compost, irrigation planning
Raised beds vs in-ground planting
Managing humidity, heat and airflow in warm spells
Practical demonstrations of potting mixes, tools and layout ideas
Crops that thrive in polytunnels
Growing tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, peppers, cucumbers and cucamelons
Pollination, spacing, training and watering from below
Sowing salads for continuous harvests
Companion planting with basil, marigolds and nasturtiums
Succession planting for continuous harvests
Balancing quick crops with long-season crops
Using module trays to avoid gaps
Example sequences for spring–autumn production
Troubleshooting and biological controls
Early signs of red spider mite, blossom end rot, magnesium deficiency and botrytis
Overwatering and temperature stress
Using predatory insects such as Phytoseiulus and Encarsia
How to read plant health quickly and prioritise fixes
Designing your protected-growing plan
Choosing where to position a tunnel or glasshouse
Orientation, airflow, water access and circulation routes
How many plants a household truly needs
Planning beds, staging, compost areas and a May–October task calendar
Who This Course Is For
This course is ideal for gardeners who want to deepen their skills with protected growing, whether you already have a glasshouse or tunnel, are considering installing one, or feel you are not yet getting the best from the space you have. Confident beginners and intermediate growers are welcome. You do not need any prior experience with protected structures to benefit fully from the day.
Masterclass Details
Date: Saturday 16th May 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-upon-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £210 per person. A 10% discount is automatically applied at checkout when two or more guests book together.
Buying this as a gift? Let us know on the registration form at checkout and we can create a gift package for you, either emailed or posted to you directly.
Includes: Tuition, all refreshments, seated lunch prepared from the garden, practical demonstrations in the garden, glasshouse and polytunnel, a goody bag including seedlings grown at The Old Vicarage and heritage seeds from Pennard Plants.
Need accommodation nearby?
While this particular course is not residential, we would be delighted to recommend a few local places we know well and consider to be of a good standard. Simply note this in the ‘Additional Information’ section at checkout and we will send our suggestions.
Your Hosts
This course is hosted by Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion and Co., at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-upon-Mendip, a beautifully reimagined 16th-century farmhouse surrounded by a richly varied garden created in collaboration with experts including Pennard Plants.
Our guest team and gardening staff will be on hand throughout the day to offer guidance, hospitality and insight, bringing Asterion and Co.’s heritage-inspired learning philosophy into every corner of your visit. You will also meet our much-loved house ducks, Daedalus and Xenodice, who add gentle mischief and charm to daily life here.
Having spent the day in the garden, glasshouse and polytunnel, the afternoon concludes with a gentle tour of the wider grounds, taking in edible-ornamental beds, a formal rose garden, sweeping lawns, herb borders, a gravel garden and wilding areas. You are then welcome to enjoy an optional game of pétanque on our dedicated gravelled play area, surrounded by sculpted topiary and the calm of The Old Vicarage gardens.
About Pennard Plants
Pennard Plants, founded by award-winning plantsman Chris Smith, is celebrated for its extraordinary range of heritage edibles, rare cultivars, mature and young fruit trees in every form and time-honoured growing wisdom. Based in the Mendip Hills, the nursery holds one of the largest collections of edible plant varieties in the country and is known for its practical, generous approach to helping growers build confidence.
For anyone wishing to carry the spirit of the day back into their own garden, Pennard Plants’ beautifully curated mail-order range is available to explore on their website.
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