Course overview

Garden history expert Dr Toby Musgrave teaches you how to choose, find and grow heritage fruit and vegetables in your garden (also known as heirloom fruit and vegetables).

He'll explain the history of some of our favourite fruit and vegetables - where they came from, how they were grown, and include some of the ancient varieties we've now lost.

This is very much a course for those of you who grow or or want to grow old-fashioned cultivars and who would like to be introduced to some of the very best Heritage or Heirloom seeds and cultivars that are available to grow today; but who are also interested to discover more about the fascinating stories that our favourite fruits and vegetables have to tell.

Along the way you'll also learn how fruits and vegetables have influenced cultures and changed world history.

You'll learn:

what heritage or heirloom variety means
why you should grow heritage fruit and veg in your garden today
the history of some of our favourite fruit and vegetables
historic techniques to grow fruit and vegetables
finding seeds for heirloom fruit and vegetables
planning and growing a kitchen garden

Suitable for gardeners of all abilities.

The course includes:

6 on-demand video lessons - presented by Dr Toby Musgrave
lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
downloadable lesson notes
practical gut health assignments and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas

Time to complete the heritage fruit and veg course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 15 hours 25 minutes to complete including:

Video lessons: 3 hours 25 minutes in total
Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
Your heirloom veg and fruit assignments: at least 1 hour per lesson
Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Toby on your heritage fruit and veg assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.

Lesson summary

The Story of Fruit & Vegetable Cultivation

We begin our story by establishing what exactly is a Heritage or Heirloom Variety (and why the different names!) before exploring and discussing the reasons why we have lost so many old-fashioned cultivars and the many positive reasons why we, as gardeners, should actively choose to grow them. We then depart on a voyage of discovery through the cultivation of fruits and vegetables down the ages and explore some of the varied and fascinating techniques that have been used to raise fruits and vegetables.

Heirloom & Heritage Fruits Part 1

We'll look at some of the fascinating stories of the individual spring and summer fruits that today we take for granted as well as some which are less well-known. We will learn where they come from, when they were domesticated and by whom, how they travelled to different parts of the world, quirky details and fun facts; and of course, be introduced to some of the best cultivars that are still available to grow.

Heirloom & Heritage Fruits Pt 2

We'll look at autumn and winter heritage or heirloom fruits. You'll find out this history of fruits and nuts, and key heritage cultivars that are available to grow today.

Heirloom & Heritage Vegetables Part 1

The fourth and fifth lectures cover the origins, domestication and cultivation of 35 different fruits and nuts and 42 vegetables. You will learn about the cultural histories of the different fruits and vegetables and know how fruits and vegetables have changed the world. And finally you will become familiar with a range of heritage or heirloom cultivars that are available to grow today for each fruit and vegetable.

Heirloom & Heritage Vegetables Part 2

In this lecture we'll continue to look at heritage and heirloom vegetables - this time focusing on summer and autumn vegetables. We'll look at the history of vegetables including radishes, peas, celery and rhubarb.

Planning a Heritage Fruit & Vegetable Garden

Hopefully by now you will have learned that Heritage or Heirloom Varieties are much more than a components of our diet. But of course, one of the main reasons why we grow Heritage or Heirloom Varieties is because we want to eat well. And in order that we can do this, in addition to the purely horticultural skills of growing, it is necessary to plan properly. So in this last lecture we will learn how to design a kitchen garden that yields the greatest diversity of produce over the longest season. And we will case study my productive kitchen garden

Choose how you want to learn

Expert-level

Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition:

Start the course whenever you like
Tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
Certificate of completion and CPD learning hours
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with expert videos & notes
Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

Peer-level

Get the most from shared knowledge and community study:

Start course whenever you like
Practise what you learn with your peers
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with videos & notes
Course assignments
Group chat & direct message classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

meet the expert

Dr Toby Musgrave

Passionate garden designer, historian, author, lecturer, and blogger at Garden History Matters.

Why choose Learning with Experts?

Start whenever it suits you, and immerse yourself in motivational lesson tutorials with expert guidance.

Enhance your learning and personal growth with lesson assignments. Each course includes an optional assignment at the end of every lesson.

Drop a friendly message or respond to your assignment feedback. Our world-class experts are just a click away, ready to help you!

Stay informed about your own progress and those of your peers, and take joy in celebrating achievements along the way.

Chat and share ideas with passionate communities of learners from around the world.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT options?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
Downloadable lesson notes
Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
Certificate of completion.

What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

Support and full FAQs

If you need any help with a course, be it one you’ve started already, or one you are looking to purchase, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support email address.

You can also use the orange speech bubble on your page to start a conversation with us.

For privacy or data questions, please contact us here.

Heritage Fruit & Veg