- This event has passed.
The Year Round Gardener in South Seattle
Description
Inspired by our year-long growing season and Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide, this 48-hour, intensive course takes place over eight months so that participants can learn together in the garden, practicing seasonally appropriate activities like garden design and planning during the winter months and pest and weed management throughout the summer.
Each class will meet one Saturday per month, in-person from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., February-September, and will include a combination of:
- lecture-based presentation to learn what you can plant, weed and harvest from your garden in the upcoming weeks
- hands-on activities to practice and gain mastery of seasonal gardening tasks
- group discussion to learn from fellow participants and troubleshoot what is happening in your own garden
- suggestions for harvesting and preparing seasonal fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs to learn new ways to utilize them in your kitchen and home
Learning topics and hands-on activities for the course will include:
- February — introduction to organic gardening, seed starting indoors, planting bare root fruits
- March — seasonal planning, garden design, chopping-in winter cover crops
- April — assessing soil health, fertilizers, planting seeds and starts outside, pest identification and management
- May — warm season crops, season extension and smart watering
- June — companion planting, culinary herbs and making herbal products
- July — harvest tips, food preservation, planting the fall and winter garden
- August — exploring the soil food web, compost systems and beneficial insects
- September — seed saving, preparing the garden for winter and harvest celebration
This holistic course is appropriate for beginner to intermediate gardeners and anyone looking to commit to a year in the garden learning new skills, integrating previous knowledge into deeper understanding and connecting with a community of fellow gardeners.
We will spend a lot of time outside, so be prepared for gardening activities and dress for the weather. In each class we will spend a little time harvesting and preparing food together, eating and sharing about our own gardens.
Classes meet on Saturdays, 10 a.m-4 p.m. Course dates are: Feb. 10; Mar. 9; Apr. 13; May 11; June 8; July 13; Aug. 10; Sep. 7
You have the option of signing up for a session at one of Tilth Alliance’s Learning Gardens: the Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands in South Seattle or the Good Shepherd Center in North Seattle. This registration page is for the location at Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands in South Seattle.
Class fee includes a copy of Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide and comprehensive class materials. You can expect to be assigned some homework to complete in between classes and a small project to be presented during the course. Read FAQs here.
