RECORD STAFF
South Whidbey presents “2013 Veggie Passion, Organic Food Growing for the Motivated Eater,” this month.
Learn the best and most productive techniques for growing fresh food for yourself and your family at the class series, held Thursdays from 6 to 7:45 p.m. in March in the Calyx Classroom at the Tilth market, 2812 Thompson Road.
Cost of the full course is $35 for South Whidbey Tilth members and $55 for nonmembers. A single class is $10 for Tilth members and $15 for nonmembers. Register early by emailing info@southwhidbeytilth.org
March 7: Garden sites, rotations, soil preparation and planting strategies.
Instructors are Anza Muenchow and Marc Wilson, co-owners of Maha Farm. This class will help you plan your garden in a most efficient way. Learn soil types and specific soil amendments for bed preparations, where and what to plant, trellising, planning for easy care and protecting your harvests from common pests. Learn about compost, watering, mulches and weed management strategies. Included is discussion on planting rotations and common planting mistakes. This will be a fast-paced class and we can elaborate in later classes.
March 14: All about seeds and propagation. Instructor Anza Muenchow will explain the germination requirements of common garden vegetables including inside and outdoor sowing. Find out all you need to know about direct seeding as well as using transplants. The class covers selecting the best varieties and sourcing seeds from stores, catalogs and friends. If there is time, also addressed will be an introduction to seed saving, how to select and preserve seeds, as well as which crops are easiest to experiment with.
March 21: Know which cool season vegetables to grow and when to plant them. Instructor Eric Conn of Full Cycle Farm on Maxwelton will tell how to choose what and when to plant for the best production in your food garden. All the popular varieties and several uncommon crops will be examined for nutrition, production and ease of harvest. Emphasized will be the cool season crops like leafy greens, root crops and all the brassica family, including some discussion of overwintering crops.
March 28: Planning your warm season crops. This year’s climate forecast is for a long, warm, dry autumn. Learn about those favorite garden fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, squashes and maybe even melons. What are the best varieties and the most important cultivation techniques to know? Learn the tricks to extending the growing season and maximizing your harvests. This class will help you when you have a bounty of crops and no time to eat them all at once. Some recipes and preserving strategies will be included. Instructor Anza Muenchow will guide participants to success and answer all those questions about your warm season crops.
