√ ONCE A MONTH OVERVIEW + HANDS-ON PRACTICUM

√ PERSONAL Q+A / ASSESSMENT FOR YOUR HOME GARDEN

√ AT OUR FARM, LEARN AND GROW YOUR SKILLS + KNOW-HOW

√ LED BY OUR EXPERIENCED FRONT RANGE GARDEN LEADERS

√ TAKE IT HOME + PUT IT INTO ACTION IN YOUR HOME GARDEN

FIRST SATURDAYS: MAY — SEPT

5 Garden Classes $330 ($66/month)

Mornings 9am - 12pm

Come get your hands and hearts in the garden as a small group experience for a personalized learning and practice immersive series!

CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT

GEOFLOWER FARM

2227 Yarmouth Avenue

(North) Boulder, CO 80301

What Will We Cover?

“The Dirt On Regenerative Agriculture”

• Learn To Garden with Veggies and Flowers: Basics and Intermediate

• Outdoor hands-on instructional and practice group sessions

• Cultivate your own designated section in a our community garden

• You can also practice what you learn in your own backyard this season

• We provide starter veggies and flowers, seeds, and other garden treats

• Bring your own approved plants to nurture and share if you so choose

• Make local connections - Garden and Learn alongside other families

• Get better results with natural practices and permaculture basics

• Have Fun, be active outside, and take home organic homegrown plants

• Grow Like A Pro: We'll answer your questions + help you get started

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Beginners and Intermediate Gardeners Welcome! Kids, Teens, and Adults of all ages. Come learn sustainable practices that will help your family grow together! We're choosing to keep this group small to offer you personal attention and an ideal container for learning and sharing! Initial starter plants (choice of flowers and veggies) are provided for sign-ups before mid April, and you are encouraged to bring your own choice veggies or flowers too. We will be planting, nurturing, and taking ripe ones home! Ask questions and learn all about your garden! What bugs are helpful (like ladybugs!)? How much water (drip) do specific plants like? Discover backyard permaculture practices you can apply at home! And get tips to keep your plants (and gardeners) happy! Sessions are 9am -12pm held outside in sun and shade on location at Rebecca’s Community Gardens in North Boulder! Some tools will be available on a first come basis if you forget yours, but we encourage you to invest in and bring your own, and make sure to label... 

SUGGESTED BRINGS!

Come Prepared! As part of learning responsible gardening practices, all participants are encouraged to prepare themselves for moderate physical outdoor activity in the sun. Best preparations include the following BRINGS:

• Organic Sunscreen Play it safe in the sun.

• Sun Hat / Visor Keeps hair out of face and minimizes exposure.

• Water Bottle(s) For everyone. *Essential when working outdoors!*

• Food and drink Please eat breakfast beforehand! The educational talk and time to enjoy your snacks is around 10:00-11:00am ish mid-morning so you can plan to bring your own edibles as befits your tribe's custom.

• Hand Tools We definitely encourage you to bring hand tools if you have em! Any will do, but if you're looking for a recommendation, our fave is the orange handled Hori, a "japanese style gardening hand tool" for under $20 at McGuckins or Sturtz & Copeland Florist.

• Gardening Gloves If you want, of appropriate size for everyone - Light weight with rubber coated palms $5-8 at McGuckins or Sturtz & Copeland Florist.

• Basket for Personal Items Keep your personal items clean and at hand.

• Bucket for Gardening Tools and Materials Keep your gardening tools together in one place as well as use this for collecting weeds, transporting compost or soil, and bringing or taking plants with you. - e.g. $8-10 for a 5 gallon, colorful rubber bucket with handles at McGuckins.

• Layers of clothing Light weight long sleeves can actually help keep you cooler on hot mornings, and prevent sunburn.

• Kneeling Pad or Knee Pads Only if you need em- because you'll be kneeling in the soil and on the ground.

• Appropriate Shoes While flip flops or sandals are cool and easy, shoes help protect feet from stepping on stickers, stubbing toes, or tripping on uneven ground- your choice, just know you're at your own risk in nature.

• Organic Hand Lotion or Oil Your skin will thank you after working with soil.

• Band-Aids or Small Emergency Kit Nice to have on hand for accidental scrapes, sunburn, etc.

• Notebook For notes on our educational talks. Jot down ideas or answers to your questions.

• Your Curiosity, Smile, & Sense of Humor Google a good new gardening joke to tell-- or be playful with your learning because we connect and learn better when we laugh, and humor always makes life more fun for everyone!

TOPICS + DATES

MAY 11th: Session 1

*starts on the second Sat of May, after the typical ‘last frost’ for CO

STARTER TIPS + PLANT LISTS

We’ll introduce which veggies and/or perennials to start when, and what each needs to get started. We’ll kick things off with an introduction to soil preparation and amendments. We’ll touch on the basics of irrigation. Next, we’ll be ready to dive right into planting "starter plants" or seeds - both flower and veggie seeds provided -- and you are welcome to bring your own! Brief introduction to medicinal plants and herbs. You’ll review recommended local plant lists and make a monthly list of your favorites so you can time your garden to suit your needs. Find out where to buy additional local organic insecticide-free plants and nutrients!

JUNE 1st: Session 2

ELEMENTS OF / SOLUTIONS FOR A BALANCED GARDEN

Greater detail about how Earth, Water, Fire (Sun), and Air work together. Learn Tips To Keep Your Gardens Healthy, Happy, and Balanced. Learn troubleshooting tips based on watering and soil principles (including drip lines and xeriscaping), composting/recycling, amendments and mulching, and helpful/harmful things in a garden (from bees, bugs and mushrooms), to how to troubleshoot and treat for pests or disease (from slugs to black rot tomatoes). If available, we'll release lady bugs into the garden (and you can take some home if you like!)

JULY 6th: Session 3

PERMACULTURE BASICS / REGENERATIVE AG TIPS

An introduction to the native philosophy and practical tools of this "whole systems approach" to working with the land. Highlights the benefit of your backyard local garden practices vs what can be lacking in mainstream agricultural practices. How to ask the right questions and align with nature to solve problems in your yard or microclimate more efficiently, rather than approaching issues from an isolated prescriptive approach. Actualize a new understanding and unshakable respect for the power and healing inherent in natural processes. Understanding nature leads to gratitude, heath, and the holistic well being of people, plants, and planet. 

AUG 3rd: Session 4 

DIY GARDEN DESIGN KNOW-HOW / PERSONALIZED Q + A

For those who want more in-depth tips on what to do with their own home garden. From design, to methods, solutions, choices, and everything in between.  Building the right soil, choosing the right location and materials. Benefits of raised beds, hot houses, and hydroponics. DIY drip systems on a timer. Choose landscape design elements (flagstone, decorative rocks or gravel, mulches, and list of local companies and sources for materials). Additional Q&A based on interest. You might be asking yourself what is needed to bring your existing spaces to life or solve 'nothing grows there' areas.

SEPT 7th: Session 5 

HARVESTING + COMPOSTING

How different plants are best harvested for continued growth, and how their seeds or roots are best kept. Best composting materials and practices for Colorado. Tips like layering carbon and nitrogen for proper heat and aeration. Veggie harvesting principles for continued yield and healthy immunity, composting/recycling, amendments and mulching, and how to troubleshoot your unique location requirements. Potential Field Trip: If available, we might make a specialty jam at a neighboring farm (we’ll have to see)!

Take home flowers and/or veggies for your yard!

Call (303) 915-4483 for current availability or waitlist

*Payment options: Purchase your spot online now to reserve your space in the gardens, OR call to see if there’s room closer to starting date and bring a check on the first day of class.