Scroll down to view the Winter/Spring 2012 Workshop schedule.
Our Learn & Grow program offers a variety of educational resources for all levels of gardeners in our community.
Each year Growing Gardens recruits experienced and giving volunteers from Portland's home gardening and sustainable agriculture communities to teach a series of workshops for our Garden Recipients as well as the general public.
Topics range from Garden Planning & Design to Food Preservation to Urban Chicken Keeping. The emphasis is on sustainable, healthy, and affordable approaches to vegetable gardening. We also offer a series of Parent-Child Workshops designed to spark creativity and learning in young and old alike.
2012 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Click on a link below to quickly access the section you are looking for or scroll down to view all offerings.
Register now! Workshops are open to the public - no prior experience necessary! Workshops are held throughout North, Northeast, and Southeast Portland and are taught by experienced volunteers and Growing Gardens staff. They are free for enrolled Home Garden recipients and open to the community for a sliding scale donation of $5-$20. If you would like to attend a workshop, you can sign up by clicking the link next to the desired workshop or by calling the office at 503-284-8420. We'll provide the exact address and directions when you sign up.
Learn to start healthy seedlings indoors, using low cost methods with big results. The topics covered in this workshop include the materials you'll need to get started, the types of plants that should be started indoors, timing, planting and caring for seedlings, hardening off and using your space efficiently to grow a large quantity of plants. Participants will go home with a planting calendar, a list of resources and a six pack of plant starts.
Garden Planning
Wednesday, February 15 - 6:00pm-8:00pm Sign up here!
Learn how to get the most out of your veggie garden by planning for a year's worth of successive plantings. This workshop is designed for beginning gardeners and covers timing, plant charts, seed and plant selection, spacing and mapping. Each participant will go home with the know-how and materials to create a customized planting calendar and map. Note: The March 15 date includes a hands-on garden planning activity.
Gardening Basics
Part I: Wednesday, February 22 - 6:00pm-9:00pmSign up here!
Part II: Tuesday, February 28 - 6:00pm - 9:00pmSign up here!
In this extensive two part workshop, participants will learn to plan, implement and care for a healthy, affordable, and sustainable garden. Part 1 covers site selection, soil health, raised bed installation, plant families, garden planning and planting. Part 2 covers water efficiency, pest and weed management, harvesting, composting and winterization. Participants are encouraged, but not required to sign up for both parts.
Learn the basics of raising happy, healthy chickens for fresh eggs. Topics covered include chicken breeds, coop and run considerations, safety, chicken food, products, health issues, costs and regulations/permits.
Get inspired to grow your own food in containers and locations of all kinds during this hands-on demonstration. Topics covered include appropriate container sizes, soil, fertilizer, plant selection, planting to maximize space and ongoing maintenance.
Learn techniques for building raised garden beds in your yard. Topics covered include material selection, frame design and building, sheet mulching, double digging and container prep.
Permaculture is inspired by observation of natural ecosystems and applying ecological principles to garden design. This workshop introduces the concept and theory of permaculture, and will provide practical tools to start applying it in your garden.
Installing a simple, above-ground irrigation system can save you time, increase your garden's productivity, and even allow you to take a mid-summer vacation without killing your plants or worrying if the neighbor is doing a good job tending your precious green babies. Come learn the basics of an irrigation system that you can install yourself and doesn't cost heaps. You won't know what to do with all your free time once you put in an irrigation system and let it do your watering for you. Instruction will focus on making model systems and will include a few free components to take home.
Chicken Coop Design & Building This workshop has a fixed cost of $60 and must be paid in full by Monday, May 21 to guarantee a spot.
Learn how to design & build a secure, happy home for your hens. This workshop will include building an entire chicken coop and run. All participants will go home with a copy of the design & the hands-on know how to build the coop. The workshop will be taught by John Carr of The Garden Coop and the coop built during the workshop will be the Garden Ark.
Kid-Friendly Planting
Date & Time: TBD (Check back here regularly for updates.) Sign up here!
This workshop is free!
Come to this family focused workshop for an outdoor, hands-on introduction to food gardening. We'll focus on easy to grow vegetables and seeds that aren't difficult for small hands to plant. You'll go home with a planting calendar and the confidence to grow food in your own yard.
¯SUMMER¯
Stay tuned for our summer workshops on topics such as composting, cooking, food preservation, worm bin building, urban livestock, and more.
¯FALL¯
Stay tuned for our fall workshops on topics such as seed saving, cloche building, Gardening Basics, and more.
