Monday, March 17, 2014

The Gardening Experience Class

For anyone who lives in the West Michigan area, we are presenting a free 9 week gardening series class at the Holland Herrick District Library on Monday evenings starting May 5th 2014.  The class starts at 6:30 pm and runs for one hour.  It will be held every other other week from May 5th to Aug. 25.  You can sign up for the classes you are interested in attending by clicking here.

Below is our class syllabus, please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

The Gardening Experience Class Syllabus 2014

Synopsis: 
This is a hands on course which will take you on a tour through a garden season. You will be introduced to gardening concepts and ideas to help you improve your own garden.  There will be classroom presentations, hands on assignments, and the opportunity to get your hands dirty at the Park Township Community Garden.  We will include local guided garden tours to introduce different successful gardens and their owners.  This course will be taught by Advanced Master Gardener Shannon Campau and her husband and fellow gardener Timothy.

Course Outline:
Week 1  May 5  Garden Planning

  • Why Grow Your Own Food
  • Choosing Crops
  • Planning Layout
  • Preparing a Calendar

Week 2  May 19 Preparing and Planting the Garden

  • Discuss Soils
  • Sunlight and Watering
  • Amendments
  • Seeds and Plants

Week 3  June 2  Field Trip: Bill’s Greenhouse Tour

  • Explore a Greenhouse in Operation with Calvin
  • Opportunity to Purchase Locally Grown Plants

Week 4  June 16  Why Organic

  • Organic vs Non-Organic
  • Nutrients and Fertilizers
  • Beginning Harvesting

Week 5 June 30  Field Trip:  Holland Community Garden Tour and Work Day

  • Tour a volunteer based garden which donates all produce to charities.
  • Opportunity to “get your hands dirty” for a good cause.

Week 6  July 14  Pesky Pests and Problems

  • Bugs, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
  • Diseases and cures

Week 7  July 28  Field Trip: Eighth Day Farm Tour

Week 8 Aug 11 Harvesting into Fall

  • Harvesting tips, tricks, and preserving
  • Season extension
  • Garden cleanup

Week 9  Aug 25  Field Trip: Season Wrap-up Party at Our Home Garden

  • Tour of instructor’s flower and vegetable gardens.
  • Class Review
  • Share your harvest bounty snacks 


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1 comment:

  1. Denny OMarch 18, 2014 at 10:43 AM

    Hi Shannon and Tim. Thanks for posting this blog and for the great idea of inspiring others. Thank you also for all the volunteer help you provide the Holland Community Garden as the food grown there benefits those we serve at Community Action House. I hope you and your 'green thumbs' have a great summer!

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