Stephanie Hafferty is an award winning garden writer, organic gardener, edible garden designer, food writer and educator, with over 30 years practical experience of growing her own food year round.
Organic gardening expert Stephanie Hafferty shows people how to grow their own year round, affordably, whatever the growing space, using wildlife friendly no dig methods – and what to do with all of those harvests!
A leading authority in the UK on no dig gardening, she has grown her own for over three decades and worked as a professional no dig kitchen gardener for over 15 years.
Stephanie is a small scale homesteader, using her self sufficiency skills, homegrown and foraged plants to create delicious seasonal meals, drinks, body care products, herbal remedies, preserves, homecare products and natural dyes.
In March 2021 Stephanie moved from Somerset to Ceredigion, Wales and started a new productive homestead on just under half an acre. This abundant, productive garden is being created on a budget. Steph is running gardening courses here from March 2023.
In December 2022 Stephanie and her new Welsh garden was featured on BBC Gardeners’ World Winter Special (Episode 4) with ” a masterclass on how to grow a wide range of vegetables through all the winter months.” Monty Don said of her work: “Well that’s inspiring. I think everybody, even if we’ve grown vegetables all our lives, can learn something from that.”
Stephanie has always enjoyed being outside in nature. Known for her practical, informative, friendly and down to earth gardening, she started to learn how to grow food year round whilst raising three children on her own, on a very low income. Naturally thrifty and resourceful, she explores and develops ways of growing, cooking and making products for the home whilst spending as little money as possible.
Stephanie’s work includes consultancy, designing, creating and managing edible gardens for community projects, on private estates (clients include Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Le Pour Trench at Stavordale Priory, and Niall Hobhouse at Hadspen House, now The Newt in Somerset), for internationally acclaimed art gallery Hauser and Wirth Somerset and restaurants (including Roth Bar and Grill and At The Chapel, Bruton), as well as working for many years in market gardens, including helping to create Homeacres and co-establishing the business there, as a company director.
A garden and food writer, Stephanie works as a consultant and freelance writer for many publications including Kitchen Garden Magazine, Gardeners’ World Magazine, Bloom, The Organic Way, Permaculture Magazine, and Grow Your Own.
An experienced public speaker and event host, in the UK and abroad, shows include: The Blue Peter Garden “Discover Soil” at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, BBC Gardeners’ World Live, Toby’s Garden Festival, RHS Wisley, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Bridgewater, Harrogate Flower Show, Carlow Food Festival Ireland.
Television features include BBC Gardeners’ World, BBC TV coverage of RHS shows, ITV and The Climate Show on Sky News.
In 2021 Stephanie Hafferty designed the RHS No Dig Allotment Demonstration Garden for RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, together with a co-designer. The driving force behind the venture, she project managed it for over 18 months including working on the build. (Steph says she practically lived on site for over three weeks!) The garden showcased no dig gardening.
An award winning author of two books, Stephanie won Practical Gardening Book of the Year for No Dig Organic Home and Garden, co-writing both the gardening section and leading the recipe writing. The book continues to be popular and has sold over 30,000 copies. Plant based recipe book The Creative Kitchen features Stephanie’s seasonal recipes that can be grown on an allotment, and has sold over 10,000 copies. She is currently working on two new books.
Visiting the kitchen garden at Stavordale Priory, TV presenter Kevin McCloud said of Stephanie’s work: “This is not just a labour of love, it is a labour of brilliance and expertise.”
She has been invited to judge various awards in garden and food media including categories for the Great British Growing Awards, The Soil Association BOOM Awards, and The Guild of Food Writers Awards.
Outside of the garden, Stephanie enjoys exploring Wales (the scenery is stunning!), wild swimming, eating out, crafting and reading.
Stephanie is a member of the Garden Media Guild and Guild of Food Writers. She co-ran the social media for the Guild of Food Writers for two years with Laura Hadland of Thirst Media.
Awards
Winner Practical Gardening Book of the Year 2017 – No Dig Organic Home and Garden
Finalist BOOM Awards 2019- Best Organic Blogger
Second prize, Glee Awards, Best Gardening Book 2019 – No Dig Organic Home and Garden
Finalist GMG Blog of the Year 2020
Contact Stephanie
For more information, to request a press pack, or to arrange for Stephanie to work with you, please contact her here.
