Transform Your Garden & Fruit Trees 101: Local Classes Start Soon

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA – Sustainable Contra Costa kicks off the new year with a jam-packed month of workshops, including the popular six-week Permaculture Series, taught by instructor Marian Woodard.

The following classes are open for enrollment. Details from Sustainable Contra Costa:

Bounty From Your Garden: Fruit Trees 101: Thurs, Jan. 18; 10 am - 12 noon - Pleasant Hill. Sat, Jan. 27; 10 am - 12 noon - Pittsburg

"Fresh fruit off your tree is so much better than what you find in stores! The best time to plant fruit trees and berries is in January and February, when nurseries have the best selection of bare root plants. Learn how to choose, prep, plant, prune and maintain your fruit trees. Special attention will be given to keeping them small through first and subsequent pruning (dwarfing rootstock doesn't keep them small). We will also touch on berries and go over differences in planting blackberries, raspberries and blueberries."
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Permaculture 6-Week Workshop Series:

"Back by popular demand! Superstar gardener Marian Woodard presents a very special opportunity to learn the most effective, most natural, deeply earth-centered gardening practices in this six-week series. No matter what size your yard is, you'll learn to be more self-sufficient, conserve water and energy, and build community with your fellow gardeners. Students will work on shaping and re-designing their own growing spaces throughout the class. You will see your yard in a whole new light!

Drop-ins are welcome for any date; you DO NOT need to take the entire series. Courses are 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, 315 Cortsen Road, Pleasant Hill. See detail of class topics below.

PERMACULTURE CLASS SESSION TOPICS:

Jan. 20: Permaculture: Partnering with Nature For a Better Garden

"Learn how and why permaculture works. Redefine your definition and expectation of a garden. Learn how little effort is needed to work with nature for bountiful yields. Participants will be able to: explain what Permaculture is, understand why it addresses climate weirdness, define their ideal garden, and begin gathering information to design their space."

Jan. 27: Garden Design – Components and Connections

"Learn what needs to be incorporated for successful garden design and implementation. Participants will be able to: create a garden map, identify important property components, understand how elements affect each other, identify essential elements and begin ideas placement.

Feb. 3: Soil: Ground Zero for Garden & Planetary Health

"Learn the definition and components of soil, and what it takes to best support your garden. Participants will be able to: identify soil characteristics based on texture, structure and types of plants growing in it; know what turns soil into dirt; understand basic plant biology (and why never to buy petrochemically-based fertilizers again); compost and vermicompost; understand the importance of organic matter in soil."

Feb. 10: Water: Slow it, Sink it, Spread it, Save it

"Whether El Nino or drought, learning how to capture and use water can transform your garden. Participants will be able to: identify the most relevant water capture system(s) for their property (may include swales, dams, earthworks, ponds, greywater); use an A-frame to identify contour lines (for swales), and know how to implement the best system for their circumstances."

Feb. 17: Trees, Guilds & Food Forests, and Options for Applying Them

"Purpose: 1. Learn how to identify which plants are needed, and then place plants so that they help each other grow for increased yield, soil health and less work for the gardener. 2. Learn how to build structures such as herb spirals, keyhole beds or mandala beds to incorporate guilds. Participants will be able to: identify six critical functions of trees and how to use them in the garden; what types of trees and plants to use for desired functions; what to plant around trees; how to build high-density planting structures."

Feb. 24: To Seed or to Seedling

"Learn what is most cost and time effective to plant versus buy. What to know when working with seed packets or six-packs of seedlings. Plant some seeds for your own garden. (Materials fee may apply.)
Participants will be able to: read a seed packet, know where to find crucial growing information, set up record-keeping, and distinguish which nursery plants are best to take home. Know which type of growing medium to use when, and how to make their own."

More from Sustainable Contra Costa here.

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