2010 Winter Classes

Detroit Urban Gardening Education Series

(classes are on rain or shine, unless noted!)

January 23^rd, Simple Season Extension: Cloches, Cold Frames & Hot beds, Genesis Lutheran Church, 7200 Mack Ave. at Grand Blvd. 1-3PM Fresh, delicious, homegrown vegetables in the middle of winter? It’s possible, even in Michigan! This class will cover simple materials and techniques that can help keep your garden productive into the winter months and get an early jump on Spring.  This class, the first class of the 2010 Keep Growing Detroit series, will discuss simple season extension structures and tools such as row cover, cold frames, cloches, hot beds, and more.

January 28^th, Basic Carpentry 101: Cold Frames to Chicken Coops, Cass Corridor Neighborhood Development Corporation, 3535 Cass Ave (enter through parking lot south of Brainard and Cass) 6-8PM Whether you’re thinking of constructing trellises and coldframes or chicken coops, basic carpentry is a useful skill for any gardener to improve their garden.  Hammer home some basic skills, keep a level head and come to this class!

February 13^th, Sow Your Own; Seed Starting & Plant Propagation, Earthworks Urban Farm, 1264 Meldrum near Vernor and Mt. Elliott, 1-4PM Farmers the world over spend the end of their winters starting transplants indoors from seed. Starting your own plants from seed (or from cuttings of other plants) will allow you to have more control over your gardening, become more self-sufficient and save money while having fun!

February 25^th, Grafting & Budding Fruit Trees, Belle Isle Conservatory, Central Way and Inselruhe Ave on Belle Isle, 6-8PM Does your mouth water at the thought of apples from your neighbor’s tree?  Although you can’t replicate their tree from a seed, you can grow that fruit on another tree using a technique called “grafting”.  In this class we’ll learn how to graft a young branch (scion) from a favorite tree to grow another.  In a couple years, you could be the one sharing the apples!

March 4th, Each One Teach One; Teacher Training Workshop, Leland Missionary Baptist Church, 22420 Fenkell near 5 Mile and Telegraph, 6-8PM  Are you a gardener with some tried and true tricks up your sleeve?  The Garden Resource Program thrives on the experiences, skills and expertise of its members, and the more knowledge shared between members, the more everybody learns.  This class will help you brush up on your teaching skills and teach you how to conduct a class.  You could have everyone trying your tricks at home in no time!

March 11^th, Arab Culture & Cuisine, location to be announced, 6-8PM The healthy and refreshing dishes that make up Middle Eastern cuisine are only a taste of the fascinating story of Arab and Arab-American food and culture.  This class is sure to please your palate, teach you some recipes you can recreate at home, and give you a deeper understanding of the diversity of Metro Detroit’s Arab-American community who’ve introduced the world to hummus, falafel, tabbouli, and more!

March 13^th, Perennial Berry & Tree Fruit Cultivation, Catherine Ferguson Academy, 2750 Selden Street near I-96 and Martin Luther King (enter on east side of school by barn), 1-3PM Apples, raspberries, pears, plums, strawberries…oh my!  If you love fruit and want to learn how to grow it, this is the class for you!  Learn all the basics of growing and first year care for these perennial favorites from MSU extension fruit expert Bob Tritten.

March 27^th, Four Season Farming; Scheduling, Succession Planting, Bed Preparation & Maintenance, location to be announced, 1-3PM Any gardener can harvest fresh vegetables from the garden year-round with just a little planning, even in Michigan! This second class in the “Keep Growing Detroit” season extension series will explore how to schedule, prep, plant, grow, harvest, and store produce for year-round eating.

April 1^st, Introduction to Beekeeping, location to be announced,  1-3PM Learn what it takes to start, maintain, harvest, and care for a bee hive in this sweet introduction to the world of beekeeping.  This interesting and profitable skill also introduces pollinators to your garden and improves the overall health and yields of your garden. 

April 6^th, Chemical Free Pest Prevention & Management, Romanowski Farm Park, 4795 Lonyo at Arnold, south of Michigan Ave., 6-8PM Every garden faces challenges with pests ranging from tiny flea beetles eating holes in collard leaves to squirrels and rabbits beating you to the harvest.  Solutions to these pests can be harmonious, affordable, and sustainable.  Come to this class to learn about natural pest prevention and management strategies to use in your own garden.

April 22^nd, Putting Down Roots: The Amazing Sweet Potato; Origin, Cultivation, & Health Benefits, location to be announced, 6-8PM Nothing screams delicious quite as loudly as the amazing sweet potato—seriously, they’re bright orange!  But did you know they’re also highly nutritious and a staple crop of many nations around the world?  This class will present the cultural heritage, growing techniques, and health benefits of this easy to grow crop. 

Get Ready to Garden! Basic Gardening Classes

Are you new to gardening and looking to learn the basics? This class covers: getting started, when to plant, general maintenance, when and how to harvest and much more. Classes are available for groups of 10 or more, by appointment. For more information call Lindsay Turpin at 313-285-1249.

Carpool Information

Interested in carpooling? Need a ride to a class? Let us know and we will assist you with connecting with others interested in carpooling to classes.  For more info call Kido Pielack at 313-285-1256. Please call at least 48 hours in advance.