Introduction to Organic Farming and Gardening

Location

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. 

Sundays, 10:00 - 12:30 PM:

May 17, 2009 - July 5, 2009

Zenger Farm

11741 SE Foster Road

Portland, OR, 97266

Registration Information

Cost: $160 (All 8 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!

Class availability updates can be found at: http://zengerfarm.org/events

Sunday, May 17, 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.

Sunday, May 24, 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 a few beds in the garden for planting. 

Sunday, May 31, 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; we can also build and troubleshoot a few piles and examine the farm's worm composting system.

Sunday, June 7, 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.

Sunday, June 14, 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.

Sunday, June 21, 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.

Sunday, June 28, 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 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.

Sunday, July 5, 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.