The Chatelaine's Keys

Sharon October 6th, 2009

I don’t know where the time has gone, but our farm and garden design class is starting up next week, and in the course of all the chaos, I’m only now pulling things together.  Aaron and I are both very excited about this class - starting in October means that most people in most climates will have a chance to either get prepared for the coming year, do basic infrastructure work, and get their plans in order before the new season comes around.  This is great for those of us in cold climates - now is a great time to do soil prep and planning, and it is good for people in warmer places who can use this information to plant perennials and up their winter crops, as well as planning for next year and the long term. 

The emphasis on the class will be maximizing the food you can grow in the space you have, and on making the best use of your land - whether you own it or not, whether it is vast or tiny, sunny or shady.  Our goal is to help people really get their gardens in order, and come out of the class with a design plan that doesn’t just cover the next season, but that helps you really use your site well over the long term.

 Aaron is a former landscape architect who now does independent design and urban farming.  Me, I farm out in the country and discovered much of what I know by trial and error, and I think we make a good team.  This class is a lot of fun!

The class is offered asynchronously online - you don’t have to be online at any particular time, you follow along at your own pace.  We will put up new material and homework every Thursday, but will be available at other times also.  There’s a group discussion segment for sharing ideas and chatting, a chance to have a phone consultation with one of us, and a lot of guidance in building your plan and moving forward on your garden.

The cost of the class is $180 for a six week online intensive.  I have a couple of scholarship spots for low income participants as well, and we will consider mutually beneficial barter arrangements as well.  Contact me at [email protected].  Here’s the syllabus:

Thursday, October 15: Sun, Soil, Water; Taking Measurements; The Project of Design,  Meet Your Graph Paper ; Small Space and Urban challenges, Container Gardening, Getting Started,

Thursday, October 22:  Soil Preparation, Perennial Plantings, Orcharding and Woody Agriculture; Permaculture, Seed Starting and Variety Selection,  Calorie Crops, Beginning to Plan, Design Project 1 - A Courtyard Garden

Thursday, October 29: Transforming a City or Suburban Lot, Dealing with Zoning, Small Livestock and Polyculture; Finding More Land; Gardening Cheaply, Gardening in an Unstable Climate, Design Project 2 - A Suburban Yard

Thursday, November 5: Community and Garden; The CSA Model, Making Money, Children’s Gardens, Year-Round Gardening, Maximizing the Harvest Garden Design Project, 3: An Urban Farm - in Many Yards

Thursday, November 12: The CSA Model, Farm vs. Garden, Making Shade Productive, Vertical Gardening, Succession and Long term Planning, Deep Food Security.
Thursday November 19: Visions for the Future, Long Term Fertility, Larger Livestock, Becoming a Victory Farmer; After the Design Phase; Garden Design Project 4: A Larger Farm - In Smaller Pieces

 Sharon

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