Homegrown harvest inspiration at the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair

Award-winning garden designer Pip Probert wants to inspire first-time veg growers to ‘have a go’ and reduce their food miles. She’s created a collection of miniature edible plots, each measuring just one square metre and using reclaimed products and materials. These productive, delicious and completely achievable little veg patches are all part of BBC Gardeners’ World’s 2025 campaign to Make a Metre Matter which encourages people to transform a metre of outdoor space for the good of the planet. Making a collective difference is what it’s all about and more than 6,600 metres have been pledged at GardenersWorld.com since the campaign’s launch in March.

In Pip Probert’s one metre Salad Bar, an upcycled wooden tower festoons salad plants over edible flower and ground-level planting, adding height and keeping hungry critters away. A scrap tray for veggie tops encourages sprouting and regrowth for another season, and clear storage boxes create space-saving greenhouses. There’s even a mini Olive tree. In the Vegetable Plot metre, a simple cane growing frame supports climbing beans, a trellis box supports weaving plants and a hanging basket, and reclaimed pots are planted with herbs.

For fungi fans, the Grow Your Own Mushrooms metre is a collaboration with Caley Brothers, the gourmet mushroom growers from Sussex. From old logs to planted pots, vases and even hanging ornaments, there’s no end of inspiration for creative ways to grow tasty mushrooms in a tiny space. Caley Brothers will also be hosting daily mushroom-growing masterclasses. Life-long produce growers from the National Vegetable Society will be assisting Pip Probert with her veg patch metres and are on hand to offer expert advice to Spring Fair visitors.

Continuing the Make a Metre Matter theme, the BBC Gardeners’ World TV presenters and Magazine editors take to the BBC Gardeners’ World Stage (sponsored by Regent Seven Seas Cruises) each day, sharing top tips for small space harvests. Adam Frost (Fri), Arit Anderson (Sat) and Carol Klein (Sat and Sun) along with expert guests have all the know-how you need to grow tasty summer veg using just one square metre of space, including pot and container growing.

New for this year’s Spring Fair is The Spring Table which celebrates seasonal local produce and outdoor living. Host, BBC food broadcaster Chris Bavin, is joined by a line-up of ‘plot-to-plate’ champions for a daily menu of hands-on culinary workshops. Luke Holder, Chef Director at the New Forest’s five-star Lime Wood Hotel, will be making a vibrant, freshly picked Four Acre Young Veg Salad, Jodie and Lorraine Caley from Caley Brothers will be demonstrating how to pickle mushrooms to create a richly flavoursome addition to antipasti or charcuterie boards and salads, or as a gift for foodie friends. Sam Vesey, Group Bar Manager for THE PIG hotels, will be offering some garden-inspired refreshment with Kitchen Garden Cocktails and Mocktails, made using homegrown ingredients picked straight from the THE PIG’s kitchen garden.

Over at the new ‘In Conversation With’ Stage (sponsored by egg: Cracking Energy), Sally Morgan, the expert organic gardener, will be chatting with stage host, Adam Kirtland, about how to create a climate-resilient allotment. There’s more inspiration to be had with daily tours of Beaulieu’s Victorian Walled Kitchen Gardens, Ornamental Gardens and Abbey Cloisters Herb Garden, all hosted by the Spring Fair’s Plant Experts and Beaulieu garden team.

There are homegrown, edible highlights in the Spring Fair’s Beautiful Borders too. These mini show gardens provide inspiration and ideas by the bucketload for small gardens and challenging spaces. The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Border, Sense-Ational, features edible plants in its sensory-stimulating design, as does Seeds of Sisterhood by Landygirls Landscaping. Kate Pomeroy’s Living Well Garden for Diabetes UK links the art of gardening with the science of diabetes management, with vegetables a key component.

Of course, a great day out isn’t complete without something delicious to eat and drink and the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is a haven for foodies. At the Good Food Market, hand-picked artisan producers offer a wide range of moreish morsels to taste, try and buy. There are street food options, coffee spots and bars, and plenty of picnic spaces, all with a stunning Beaulieu backdrop and with live music to enjoy.

Adam Frost, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, said: “The idea of growing your own food can sound a bit intimidating can’t it, but we can all give it a go, no matter how small our growing space is. From herbs on the windowsill to lettuces in a patio pot, you don’t need a big garden to grow the things you like to eat. And forget about those dead straight lines – there are no rules! Veggies grow brilliantly in your flower beds amongst other plants and are often beautiful to look at too. At the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, we’ve got everything you need to start your veg growing adventure from ideas, inspiration and expert advice to plants, seeds and tools. Come and join us, you’ll have a great day!”

Tickets for the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair 2025 are on sale now at www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com. Prices are from £17.00 and include access to Beaulieu’s extensive grounds, gardens and attractions, like the National Motor Museum and Palace House. Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome in the outdoor areas.

www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com