About the garden

This year, the Kitchen Garden is set to make a spectacular return—bigger, better, and more immersive than ever. Now housed within a striking 20-meter dome, this upgraded space offers visitors a dynamic environment that blends innovation with the core principles of sustainable gardening. In an exciting move, the garden has relocated to the opposite side of the path, where the school gardens once stood, creating a fresh new focal point for edible inspiration at the festival.

A Multi-Purpose Planting Approach

One of the key highlights of this transformed Kitchen Garden is its dedication to plants that serve more than one purpose. Every plant has been thoughtfully chosen to provide multiple benefits—whether they contribute to culinary creativity, offer medicinal properties, attract pollinators, or enhance soil health. This purposeful approach encourages visitors to rethink how they use their own garden spaces, making the most of every plant they grow.

Raised Beds and Containers: Showcasing Diversity

To create a truly immersive and educational experience, the garden features a stunning array of raised beds and containers at varied heights. These showcase a diverse selection of plants, each grouped into one of three categories:

• Blooms – A vibrant display of edible flowers and pollinator-friendly blossoms that bring both beauty and function to the space.
• Micro Veg – A dynamic collection of nutrient-dense microgreens, demonstrating how small-scale growing can yield impressive results.
• Herbs – An aromatic selection of culinary and medicinal herbs, highlighting their versatility and essential role in the kitchen.

A Stronger ‘Plot to Plate’ Focus

This year, the Kitchen Garden experience goes beyond observation—it becomes an interactive, hands-on journey from ‘plot to plate.’ A key feature of this upgrade is encouraging visitors to actively engage with the space by harvesting and using fresh herbs and edibles directly from the garden. Whether through live demonstrations, tastings, or interactive workshops, guests will experience firsthand how freshly harvested ingredients elevate flavor, nutrition, and sustainability in their own kitchens.

With this exciting expansion and renewed focus on edible gardening, the Kitchen Garden is set to become an unmissable destination. Whether you’re an experienced grower or a curious newcomer, there’s something to inspire everyone to cultivate their own thriving, multi-purpose garden.

About the designer

Jon Wheatley has won fourteen RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals and now manages Stonebarn Landscapes Ltd who have been creating Gold Medal winning gardens and exhibits for over 10 years.