Classes
Preserving the Harvest: Canning and Freezing
Limited to 20 people, register now! - Sorry, this class is full.
Wednesday, July 28, 6-8:30pm
Instructors: Betsy DeMatteo and Jenny Even, OSU Extension Agency, Hamilton County
Cost: $10 (free to CGC Volunteers)
Your garden harvest is bountiful and your tummy is full – now what? This class just may be the answer! We will discuss different options for food preservation. Techniques demonstrated will be canning and freezing; next month we will demonstrate dehydrating, and natural fermentation.
August
Fall Vegetable Gardening
Wednesday, August 11, 6-8pm
Instructor: Charles Griffin, Director of Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage CSA
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Most of us think that spring is the time to pour all our energy and resources into the garden – but the fall garden offers a bounty that can take you into winter and even into the next year! Come to explore the crops that are suitable for fall planting and harvesting, crops for overwintering, season extension methods and how these crops fit into a rotation planting schedule. You’ll also get some great tips for making fall planting more successful and storage methods for your late season produce.
Fall Vegetable Gardening 8/11 6-8pm Price: $10.00
Intro to Backyard Chickens
Saturday, August 14, 2-4pm
Instructor: Kate Cook, Urban Farmer
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Curious about the growing trend of urban chickens? Heard clucking in your own neighborhood? Urban Farmer, Kate Cook will walk you through the basics of keeping a small flock of laying hens. Coop design, realities of maintenance, the pros and cons of free-ranging and the compost litter method will be discussed.
Intro to Backyard Chickens 8/14 2-4pm Price: $10.00
Harvest your Lunch!
Wednesday, August 18, 11:30-1:00
Instructor: Ryan Mooney-Bullock, Green Learning Station Coordinator
Cost: $5 to cover lunch items to supplement our harvest.
Come tour the CGC’s new landscaped vegetable garden and take home ideas for how to beautify your vegetable plot or add edibles to your landscaping. We will harvest food from the garden to make a simple fresh lunch.
Harvest your Lunch 8/18 11:30-1pm Price: $5.00
Food Preservation Methods: Fermenting and Drying
Wednesday, August 25, 6-8:30pm
Instructor: Betsy DeMatteo and Jennifer Lee Even, OSU Extension Agency, Hamilton County
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Discover even more ways to make your harvest last longer by fermenting and drying your vegetables. Sauerkraut is just one way to preserve cabbage, but you can also make a delicious kimchi! Tomatoes, fruits, squash and others can be dried for a taste of garden freshness even through the winter. Don’t miss this opportunity to stretch your garden harvest for months longer!
Food Preservation Methods: Fermenting and Drying Price: $10.00
Hops Fest
Thursday, August 26, 6-9pm
Cost: details will follow
6:30pm Intro to Home Brewing
Rob Hague will share his tried and true do it yourself methods to getting a great beer made at home.
7:30pm Homegrown Ingredients: Hops in your Garden
September
Master Composter Training
Held in collaboration with Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services
Monday, September 13, 6-8:30pm
Monday, September 27, 6-8:30pm
Monday, October 11, 6-8:30pm
Instructor: John Duke, Master Composter, Master Gardener & Founder of American Compost Society
Cost: Free Click here to register
Unravel the mysteries of how and why composting works and get a first-hand experience of various composting methods. Learn which will work best for your own garden and construct a simple “bin.” Learn about the fascinating biology of a compost pile and the cycle of life that occurs in decomposing organic matter. A vermi-composting system will be available to participants for a nominal fee. Students are asked to pass on what is learned. To complete the course and earn a certificate, fifteen hours of volunteer service are to be completed within one year from the last class. Many volunteer options are available to fulfill this requirement. Class size is limited – please register by calling 221-0981 x 18 or clicking on the above link.
Garden to Table: Tomatoes
Tuesday, September 14, 6-8pm
Instructors: Vickie Ciotti, Executive Director, Ryan Mooney-Bullock, GLS Program Manager & Cara Hague, Horticulturist I
Cost: $10
Celebrate the height of fresh tomato season with CGC staff members who will share their favorite tomatoes in their favorite recipes! Bring your own favorite homegrown tomatoes to share and taste.
Garden to Table: Tomatoes 9/14 6-pm Price: $10.00
Invasive, Aggressive or Self-Seeding?
Wednesday, September 15, Noon-1pm
Instructor: Scott Beuerlein, Owner of Heritage Gardens
Cost: Free Click here to register
If a Japanese maple sprouts in the woods, should a native plant lover make a sound? How can an aggressive plant not be invasive? Is any self-seeding of non-native plants tolerable? What is a thug versus a noxious weed? What boorish plants should merely annoy us and which ones should scare us to death? We'll sort out the definitions and the differences in this very topical issue.
Greening Your Roof
Wednesday, September 15, 6-8pm
Instructor: Rose Seeger, Green Roof Specialist at Green City Resources
Cost: $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
Are you intrigued by the idea of growing plants on your roof? Looking for a solution to storm water on your property while wanting to increase insulation and waterproofing on your building? Attend this introductory class to find out if a green roof is right for you. A local expert will describe the benefits, components and costs of green roofs and help you understand the structural and design considerations involved in the process. Get an up close look at Cincinnati’s first sloped green roof and leave with a clear idea of how to move forward on your project.
Greening Your Roof 9/15 6-8pm Price: $10.00
Invasive, Aggressive or Self-Seeding?
Tuesday, September 21, 6-8pm
Instructor: Scott Beuerlein, Owner of Heritage Gardens
Cost: Free Click here to register
If a Japanese maple sprouts in the woods, should a native plant lover make a sound? How can an aggressive plant not be invasive? Is any self-seeding of non-native plants tolerable? What is a thug versus a noxious weed? What boorish plants should merely annoy us and which ones should scare us to death? We'll sort out the definitions and the differences in this very topical issue.
Seed Collecting & Storing
Wednesday, September 22, 6-8pm
Instructor: Sue Trusty, Horticulturist
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Collecting seed from plants can be exciting, economical and is essential for preserving our herbaceous genetic diversity. Through discussion and demonstration, find out how to collect and store seed from annuals, perennials and woody plants; learn the best references to use in determining collection techniques; discover the difference between hybrids and open-pollinated plants.
Seed Collecting & Storing 9/22 6-8Price: $10.00
October
Maximizing the Small Vegetable Garden
Saturday, October 2, 2-3:30pm
Instructor: Kate Cook, Urban Farmer
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Kate will present planning concepts and planting techniques to maximize variety and yield in your gardens. Bio-intensive planting , intercropping and companion planting are all useful means to produce a wealth of food from limited spaces. Learn to conceptualize your garden in four dimensions (in time and space) and move away from the less efficient linear row layouts and single-crop beds of traditional growing.
Maximizing the Small Vegetabel Garden 10/2 2-3:30 Price: $10.00
Cool Trees in Cincinnati
Wednesday, October 6, 6-8pm
Instructor: Scott Beuerlein, Owner of Heritage Gardens
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
One benefit of living in a city with a great horticultural heritage is a rich and beautiful urban forest. Throughout greater Cincinnati are many large, beautiful trees. We are also blessed by an abundance of diversity of species and cultivars in our landscapes. This discussion will focus on the beautiful and interesting trees of our area. Feel free to bring photos or stories of your own favorites to share with the group.
Cool Trees in Cincinnati 10/6 6-8pm Price: $10.00
Bulb Day
Saturday, October 9, 9-3pm
Don’t miss our annual day in celebration of bulbs! Enjoy lectures and workshops by long time bulb growers and gardeners; browse our unique selection of hardy bulbs and daffodils from members of the Southwest Ohio Daffodil Society (SWODS) and a garden fresh lunch in between all of the fun! More details to follow.
Winding Down Before Winter
Tuesday, October 12, 6-8pm
Instructor: Paul Koloszar, CGC Horticulturist III
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers) Limited to 20 people: please register in advance!
It's time to decide what will be left to stand and what needs to go to the compost. It's also a good time to prepare tools for the next growing season. CGC horticulturist Paul Koloszar has useful advice about what needs to be done (and what can be left alone) in the garden before winter arrives.
Winding Down Before Winter 10/12 6-8pm Price: $10.00
Build a Fairy House
Saturday, October 16, Noon-2pm
Instructor: Corina Bullock, Youth Education Coordinator & Peter Huttinger, Neighborhood Gardens Coordinator
Cost: $25 per house
This crafty class has become an annual favorite. Use collected botanicals, slices of trees and bits of shells and seeds to create your own unique dwelling for the little people. Your imagination is the only limit to what results.
Kids over 12 can build their own, younger kids team up with an adult to make a house. Class size is limited.
Build a Fairy House 10/16 12-2 Price: $10.00
Composting Basics
Tuesday, October 19, Noon-1pm
Instructor: Corina Bullock, Youth Education Coordinator
Cost: Free Click here to register
Use your lunch hour to learn the basics of composting. This earth-friendly technique uses the rotting power of nature to convert your yard waste into valuable garden amendments.