February

Seed Exchange

Wednesday February 22, 6-7:30pm
Cost: Free
Bring the seeds (and stories) you have saved from your garden (all kinds welcome) to exchange with other gardeners. Light refreshments will be provided, feel free to bring something to share, including your own tea blends (we’ll provide the hot water). Open to all of our CGC friends: teachers, community gardeners, home gardeners, urban farmers and more!

To register click here.

 

March

Permaculture Series: Edible Forest Gardens

Thursday, March 8, 6-8pm
Instructor: Sam Dunlap, CGC School Garden Coordinator and Permaculture Educator
Cost: $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
Edible landscaping is building up quite a buzz in the gardening community these days. Food in our yards? What a great idea! Edible forest gardening takes this concept a step further by mimicking the structure and functions of healthy forest ecosystems to add natural resilience, stability and abundance into our edible landscapes. Learn how to make your landscape into an abundant food-bearing system that increases in yield and requires less maintenance over time!

CGDT:  Garden Site Visits

Saturday, March 10, 10am-1pm
Instructor:  Peter Huttinger, NG Coordinator
This CGDT class will visit garden sites to be developed by CGDT participants and an established community garden.

How to Build a Rain Barrel

Saturday, March 10, 1:00-2:30pm
Instructor: Jerome Wigner, CGC Volunteer
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
FREE WATER for your plants! Come learn how to construct and use a rain collection system from Jerome Wigner, rain collector extraordinaire! A rain barrel is a great way to help with storm water runoff and save a little money spent on summer watering. Jerome has tips that will help you install a barrel at your home.

Vegetative Propagation; Plant Cloning Made Easy

Monday, March 12, 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Paul Koloszar, CGC horticulturist
Cost: $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
With patience and care, any gardener can reproduce almost any plant. Join Paul to learn how you can make more of the plants you love.

Get a Jump on the Season: How to build and use cold frames and low hoop tunnels

Saturday, March 17, 10 am – 1 pm
Instructor: Peter Huttinger, Community Garden Coordinator
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
Harvest cool weather crops sooner this spring by protecting them from the weather with a cold frame or low-hoop tunnel. In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to design and build a system that will work for your vegetable garden. You will also learn strategies for using hoop tunnels and cold frames successfully, and ideas for where to find materials at low cost.

 

Master Composter Series

Master Composting is a three part series.  Participants who take all three classes and complete 15 service hours can be certified Master Composters.  In this class, we will be learning about how compost works, how to get started, different kinds of compost systems, how to maintain a pile, and how to analyze how your pile is doing.

To register click here.

Master Composter Series: Composting 101
Wednesday, March 7, 6-8:30pm
Instructor:  John Duke, Master Composter, Master Gardener & Founder of American Compost Society
Cost:  Free

Master Composter Series: Compost and Properties of Soil
Wednesday, March 14, 6-8:30pm
Instructor:  John Duke, Master Composter, Master Gardener & Founder of American Compost Society
Cost:  Free

Master Composter Series: Vermicomposting
Wednesday, March 28, 6-8:30pm
Instructor:  Alex and Amy McDuffie, owners of Alex’s Worm Composting
Cost:  Free

CGDT:  Designing Your Community Gardening Project

Wednesday, March 21, 6-8:30pm
Instructor:  Peter Huttinger, NG Coordinator
This CGDT class will feature a hands-on design session of CGDT participants’ community garden sites.

Fruit Tree Pruning

Saturday, March 24, 1-3:30pm
Instructor:  Dave Koester, Campbell County Extension
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
An introduction to the cultivating and pruning of fruit trees for the homeowner and community gardener.  This class will include a classroom presentation and an onsite pruning demonstration at a CGC community garden.

Homegrown Tomatoes

Tuesday, March 27, 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor:  Jack Bishop, 40+year seasoned vegetable gardener
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
A guide for the tomato gardener in the quest for the perfect tomato and the beginner tomato gardener!  Grow varieties with superior flavor and color that you can’t find at your local supplier.  Topics will include origin & history, soil fertility, seed and plant variety selection, growing & harvesting, pests, saving seeds, starting plants from seeds, seed and plant suppliers.

 

Fruit Tree Pruning

Saturday, March 24, 1-3:30pm
Instructor:  Dave Koester, Campbell County Extension
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
An introduction to the cultivating and pruning of fruit trees for the homeowner and community gardener.  This class will include a classroom presentation and an onsite pruning demonstration at a CGC community garden.

 

April

*CGDT:  Basic Botany & Seed Starting

Wednesday, April 4, 6-8:30pm
Instructors:  CGC Horticulturist & Peter Huttinger, NG Coordinator
Open to the public but pre-registration required
Part 1: Basic Botany:  Learn what you need to know to grow healthy plants in your garden.
Part 2: Seed Starting:  Learn the process of starting plants from seed indoors and out.

To register click here.

Beyond Rain Barrels: Creative ways to store water in the landscape

Thursday, April 12, 6-7:30 pm
Instructors: John Bentley, FASLA and Pam Simmons, LEED and ARCSA AP
Cost: $10 (free for CGC volunteers)
Rain barrels can be a great first step into capturing rain where it falls, but there is so much more you can do to store stormwater on your property! John Bentley and Pam Simmons will share a wealth of ideas about beautifying your property with plantings and infrastructure that not only look good but solve stormwater runoff problems as well. 

Organic Vegetable Gardening

Tuesday, April 17, 6:30-8pm
Instructor: Melinda O’Bryant, Education Director at Turner Farm
Cost:  $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
Spend an evening learning how to grow vegetables without chemical fertilizers or -cides.  You’ll learn how to care for your soil and plants using compost, organic fertilizers and pest controls, and weed suppression techniques. Pick up some great ideas for planting to maximize yield and minimize maintenance from Turner Farm’s experienced farmer and educator.

CGDT:  Construction Techniques for the Gardener

Saturday, April 28, 10-1pm
Instructors:  Peter Huttinger, NG Coordinator & Jerome Wigner, CGC Volunteer
This CGDT class will cover basic construction techniques and procedures for gardeners, including how to build a raised bed, cold frame and trellis/climbing structures.