Get Your Urban Farming On
I know it's hard to believe, but Spring is almost here. The Chicago Botanic Garden is offering classes for anyone interested in learning ways to grow their own food in an urban environment. Check out the full schedule...
Crop Planning
January 29
Cabin fever is setting in. It’s time to grab your seed catalogs and start dreaming about the growing season. Let’s plan your vegetable garden early!
Seed Starting
February 26
Learn different techniques for starting your own vegetable transplants. Learn to blend your own seed-starting mix and use a soil-block maker, a sustainable method for starting seeds.
Season Extension: Part 1
March 26
Learn how to extend your spring and fall growing season with low tunnels and cold frames.
Window Box or Container Gardens
April 23
Discover space-saving ways to grow your own vegetables and herbs.
Building Healthy Soil
May 21
Learn about composting, early spring cover cropping, and other soil-building techniques. Healthy soil is the key to healthy plants!
Organic Pest and Disease Control
June 25
Organic pest control remedies will help you keep those pesky pests in check.
Seed Starting: Cool Season Crop Planning
July 30
Now’s the time! Learn about fall crops to extend the growing season through Thanksgiving. Start your own seeds for your fall garden.
Cover Cropping
August 27
Discover the best cover crops to use for the fall and winter months. This is a follow-up to spring's Building Healthy Soil workshop.
Tools for the Small Farm and Harvesting Techniques
September 24
Learn what small tools are essential for your backyard farm and how to properly use them. Best practices for small-scale post-harvest handling will also be covered.
Season Extension : Part 2
October 15
This is the hands-on component of our March workshop. Build a low tunnel on site. Bring in photos to plan specific extension for your site.
Fruit Tree Pruning
November 19
A farmer’s work is never done. Now is the time to prune your fruit trees. Learn about proper pruning techniques to maximize fruit production.
All workshops are held Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in the greenhouse classroom at the Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Avenue (enter the south parking lot at 31st Street). The cost is $39 per course. Registration for each class ends the Thursday one week prior to each class. All materials and handouts are provided. There is a $20 cancellation fee per class unless the class is cancelled due to low enrollment. Workshops are taught by Chicago Botanic Garden and Windy City Harvest staff.
Photo credits: chicagobotanic.org
