Upcoming Project Grow Classes
Exploring Bees! 3: Bee Biology; Checking Over-Wintered Hives
Saturday, April 12, from 10 am to noon
Apiary, Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd.. Ann Arbor
Outside, at the Apiary in the Discovery Garden at Leslie, Meghan Milbrath, in this third class of the series, will discuss the different types of bees, their biology and anatomical adaptations. The focus will be on the natural cycle of the colony over the season. Then, weather permitting, we will check the hives at Leslie and learn how to do a first check of over-wintered hives and how to get them ready for the upcoming season. Rain date: Sunday, April 13th. Class is limited to those who have already paid for the full course, though drop-ins are permitted, with fees of $10.00 ($15.00 per couple), payable in cash at the door.
Growing Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers Organically
Saturday, April 19, from 1 pm to 3 pm
Leslie House at Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor
Learn the secrets to selecting and growing exceptionally delicious tomatoes and peppers using organic practices. Discover the best cultivars to grow, along with tips to ensure a bountiful harvest. Royer Held, tomato and pepper grower extraordinaire, will tell all in this class. Class is free, but registration is required.
Extend Your Growing Season With Low Tunnels
Saturday April 26, from 1pm to 3pm
Lakewood Garden Site
344 Gralake, southwest side of Lakewood Elementary School
Project Grow Lakewood gardeners Shari Kane and Dave Steele have developed the art and science of winter gardening with low tunnels and want to share their discoveries with you. Meet them at their plot in Lakewood and see what a low tunnel is and how it has allowed them to grow vegetables when snow is on the ground and to start earlier, long before most gardeners can begin! Then learn how they did it, down to the last nut and bolt, so that you, too, will be able to do it next winter. The class is free but registration is required.
Tips and Techniques 2: Planting Your Vegetable Garden
Saturday, May 3, from 10am to noon.
Leslie House at Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor
Inge Ferguson, Jesse Raudenbush, Joet Reoma and Marcella Trautmann, experienced Project Grow gardeners, many of them master gardeners and composters, will share tips and techniques that have helped them to garden successfully. If you are a novice gardener, or even an experienced one, attend this class to learn how to garden more effectively and efficiently in 2014. Topics will range widely, to cover problems often encountered by gardeners at the start of the season, and will include, but are not limited to, the following: preparing beds for planting, choosing the right tool for the task at hand, amending the soil, decoding seeding and planting instructions, selecting appropriate staking methods and materials, using row covers effectively, watering wisely, preventing weeds, and the like. Class will be open to questions and individual problems. The class is free but registration is required.
Water Conservation 1
Saturday, May 10, from 10am to noon.
Leslie House at Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd., Ann Arbor
The first of a two part series of classes This explores water conservation in home (backyard and indoor) and community gardens. Specific goals include:
- Awareness of community/municipal garden rules regarding water use.
- Understanding the ecology of how much saturation is needed to support plant life.
- Understanding how much water you really use and how much it costs.
- Appropriate times to water and most efficient method for each time.
- Plant selection and gardening methods that save water
- Efficient times to water versus good times for plants to be watered
- The benefit and dynamics of rain gardening
- Ingenuous ideas of some small-space and water-wise gardening.
The class is free but registration is required.
But wait, there's much more!
Our Education Committee has scheduled 18 more classes for May-October on such topics as Daylilies, Integrated Pest Management, Vermiculture, Building a Birdhouse, Seed Saving. The majority of these classes are free or very low cost. Please click here for a complete list of classes we have planned between now and the end of the year.!
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