Intro to Organic Farming and Gardening, Portland
Where: Portland, OR
Date(s): 03/07/09 through 05/16/09
A workshop series introducing practical organic agriculture skills
through hands-on learning and small group instruction at Zenger Farm's
six-acre field and garden sites.
Saturdays, 10:00 - 12:30 PM:
March 7, 2009 - May 16, 2009
(No class on March 28, 2009)
Zenger Farm
11741 SE Foster Road
Portland, OR, 97266
Registration Information
Cost: $200 (All 10 classes) or $25 per class.
Includes a weekly packet of references.
Advanced registration is required.
Payment by cash or check
(payable to 'Ryan Hofrichter') can be sent to:
11741 SE Foster Road; Portland, OR; 97266.
Please contact Ryan Hofrichter at ryanlee.hofrichter@gmail.com
or 786-972-1333 for more information!
Saturday March 7, Crop Planning: Need 75 heads of lettuce next
season? Fine, but how much seed should you order after considering
how long the plant holds in the ground, frequency of harvest,
greenhouse problems, and thinning? Determining your harvest goals,
planting schedule, and seed needs can actually be quite tricky. We'll
consider which vegetables we're able to grow here in the Willamette
Valley and review life cycles, successions, plant spacing, and
varietal considerations. We'll also learn the motivations for
rotating crops and some common rotation schemes, and finish by putting
together, in groups, sensible plans for major crop types.
Saturday March 14, Sexual Propagation: For healthy crops, it's crucial
to help your plants get off to a good start. We'll study basic
germination requirements and optimal conditions for various seeds, and
how to care for them after sowing outdoors or in a controlled
environment until the transplanting stage. We'll wander Zenger's
greenhouses and high tunnels; prepare soil mixes; and seed the first
vegetables of the season into cell trays.
Saturday, March 21, Seed Saving: Historically, humans have benefited
from an extraordinary diversity of about 7,000 plant species for food,
each further expressed by thousands of varieties. We owe tremendous
thanks to the farmers and gardeners before us, who have promoted this
diversity through the ritual of seed saving. Today, only thirty
species (but mostly corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat) provide 90% of
the world's food. We can, I think, re-strengthen our food system
through this joyful practice. Toward that end, we'll discuss the
essential skills needed: familiarity with plant reproduction,
maintaining varietal integrity, and seed cleaning/storage. Bring your
seeds to swap and share with other local gardeners!
Note no class will be offered on Saturday, March 28.
Saturday, April 4, Vegetable Cultivation: Alliums, Chenopods,
Brassicas, Cucurbits, Solanums, Legumes, Umbelliferaes! The range of
crop habits, preferences, and natural histories is so extensive,
learning common vegetable families can help us organize our
relationships to those plants we choose to cultivate. Bring your
questions about how care for specific vegetables from planting until
harvest.
Saturday, April 11, Weed Management: Farm and garden weeds are Mother
Nature's appeal for ecological succession, species diversity and
protected ground. Trying to "control" weeds is mostly exhausting and
futile - in the long run, it's more skillful to apply strategies such
as cover cropping, intercropping, and rotations to manage weed
pressure. We'll cover these techniques among others, talk basic weed
biology, and try to hone our identification skills with a short weed walk.
Saturday April 18, Soil Fertility, Composting: Soil is more than just
an anchor for plant roots - it is a world of remarkable activity and
processes that a gardener need only support though good practice and
management. Adding a few amendments and organic matter through
compost is one of many activities that can contribute to a fertile
soil environment. We'll cut through the often-confusing world of
macro- and micronutrients, signs of plant deficiencies, compost
recipes, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios; weather cooperating, we can
also build and troubleshoot a few piles and examine Zenger's worm
composting system.
Saturday, April 25, Cover Crops: Triticale, vetch, or rapeseed may not
be the first crops on the beginning gardener's mind, but these
plantings - among many other Oregon cover crops - can provide the
essential roles of fixing nitrogen, capturing nutrients, smothering
weeds, suppressing pests, and disease, and protecting soil surface and
structure. We'll examine the factors worth considering when selecting
a cover crop and touch on other fall/winter possibilities in the
garden, such as cold-tolerant veggies or mulching.
Saturday, May 2, Tillage: Tillage is the practice of working the soil.
Without reliance on chemical herbicides or pesticides, organic
growers depend on tillage for incorporating organic matter, managing
weeds, aerating the soil, and preparing for sowing or transplanting.
Still, the timing and extent of tillage must be tweaked to respect
soil moisture and texture, season, and climate; all these permitting,
we'll prepare our first beds of the season in the garden.
Saturday, May 9, Irrigation and Water Usage: Do your tomatoes prefer
more water during their flowering or fruit ripening stages? Why does
celery complain when allowed to dry down to the same moisture level as
peppers? Why use sprinklers on, say, leafy greens but drip irrigation
on cucumbers? We'll calculate watering requirements and irrigation
schedules, consider water conservation strategies, feel the soil to
assess moisture, and install a simple drip irrigation system.
Saturday, May 16, Pest Management: However fascinating you find flea
beetles, no matter how peacefully you coexist with aphids, and whether
or not you've planted an extra row of beets for the leaf miners, there
are times when direct treatment of pests is called for. We'll
overview common beneficials, pests, and modes of preventative and
direct treatment, emphasizing nontoxic methods. To finish, we'll scan
the garden for friends and foes
For more information:
Phone: 786.972.1333
Web page: http://www.zengerfarm.org
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