Book Stephanie for your show, event or group
A leading expert in no dig gardening, small scale homesteading and growing year round, Stephanie is an experienced and qualified speaker, teacher and award winning author. She has been growing her own food for over 35 years. An enthusiastic gardener since her teens, Stephanie worked as a professional no dig kitchen gardener for 15 years, before relocating to West Wales and creating a new homestead on just under half and acre.
New for 2023! Organic no dig gardening and homesteading skills workshops, hosted by Stephanie at the Half Acre Homestead in Wales. Find out more here.
Stephanie’s work includes designing, creating and managing edible gardens on private estates (clients include Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Michael Le Pour Trench, and Niall Hobhouse at Hadspen, 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 with Charles Dowding, including helping to create Homeacres from the very beginning.
The author of two books including the award winning No Dig Organic Home and Garden, Stephanie is a garden and food writer, combining her extensive knowledge of growing with recipes for what you can do with the harvests – not just food, but also home care, body care, dyes, drinks and more: small scale self sufficiency. She specialises in affordable gardening techniques and seasonal plant based recipes, using the produce from her garden.
A regular feature writer for Kitchen Garden magazine, Stephanie is a freelance writer for many other publications including Gardeners’ World Magazine, Bloom, The Organic Way, Permaculture Magazine, and Grow Your Own magazine.
In 2021 Stephanie Hafferty designed the RHS No Dig Allotment Demonstration Garden for RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, together with co-designer Charles Dowding. 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, Stephanie’s work and Charles’ too.
A sought after public speaker and host, in the UK and abroad, events include: The Blue Peter Garden “Discover Soil” at RHS Chelsea Flower Show (2 days working on the garden hosting talks about soil), BBC Gardeners’ World Live, Toby’s Garden Festival, RHS Wisley, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Bridgewater, Harrogate Flower Show, Carlow Food Festival Ireland, the Landscape Show London (with Huw Richards), Permaculture Convergences in England and Wales, as well as garden clubs, WIs and other organisations across the country.
The talks are fully illustrated with slides and I often bring interesting props to handle and explore.
Contact me for further details and to discuss your requirements. Prices vary according to location and length of talk/workshop. I am based in Lampeter, Wales.
I am sorry that I can not advise on alternative speakers for your location.
Feedback from Nick Smith, Show Director of Harrogate Flower Show 2022:
As the last of the great marquees are cleared from the rolling Newby parkland, I wanted to write with a huge thanks for your incredible work on the Dig-It? Theatre stage at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show last weekend.
We welcomed almost 20,000 visitors across the three days, and the comments and feedback relating to your regular daily talks (including ‘enlightening’, ‘great fun’ and ‘sound advice’) have been amazing.
Events such as ours can only be realised when many individuals bring their skills and knowledge as part of a wider, unified team – a sincere thanks for your part in making this happen and allowing the joy of practical gardening to be shared with so many.
Zoom Talks: I offer a range of virtual talks, which include a slide show and time for Q&A
Many garden societies and other groups choose this option if they are located far away.
Please contact me for pricing & details.
Talk Topics
No Dig Gardening
Be inspired to create your own no dig garden, affordably, whatever your location. Discover how to set up a no dig garden in home garden, allotments and smaller market gardens, looking at different methods and techniques for growing your own year round.
This fully illustrated talk explains how to grow no dig based on almost 15 years of growing using no dig gardening on harmony with wildlife, including using different mulches, keeping the plot weed free, natural pest control, sowing methods, composting, plant foods, harvesting and more.
Small Scale Homesteading – wherever you live
How to set up a micro-homestead, all plant based. Gardening methods and ideas for what to do with your abundant harvests including natural products for the home, kitchen, body and garden – almost closed loop, plastic free and fun. The talk doesn’t assume acres of land (I don’t have that!)
Creating an RHS Show Garden
A behind the scenes look at designing, building and working on the RHS No Dig Allotment Feature Garden at Hampton Court 2021
My Gardening Experiences – the magic courgette seed!
This talk explores the journey gardening has taken me on, from my first sowings of edible crops in my teens to a growing passion which unexpectedly led to a complete career change.
Growing and Using Edible Flowers
How to grow edible flowers, indoors and outside, year round including my favourite edible flowers to grow, with recipes and other ideas for using them.
Grow Your Own Bar Garden
How to grow and forage for fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs for your own alcoholic and non alcoholic infusions, wines and some more unusual recipes. This is a very popular talk, I wonder why?!! I bring samples of my own brews to smell but unfortunately can not offer tastes.
Grow and make your own garden potions
How to make different natural, eco-friendly and thrifty gardening potions to feed the soil, soil life and plants. The talk also explores eco-friendly ways of keep bugs away from your cherished crops (not sprays!)
Make your own natural eco-friendly cleaning potions
Using plants you can grow and forage for, along with natural store cupboard ingredients, learn how to make your own fresh, amazing smelling and powerful cleaning products for home and garden. Save money, reduce plastic, help the environment!
Make your own natural body products
Learn how to make healthy, eco-friendly and natural potions for your body using plants you can grow and forage for. They look and smell gorgeous!
Coming up: The Creative Kitchen – seasonal plant based recipes for everyone
I am planning practical workshops and talks based on the recipes I write and the food I create with my homegrown edibles.