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Classes are selling out early!To register for classes, call Common Ground at 650 493-6072, then send a check for the full amount to Common Ground, 559 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Seniors and low-income persons may request a $4 discount on classes. Some classes offer Continuing Education Units (CEU) for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).
Lunch break from Herb Class with Darren Huckle
"EDIBLE LANDSCAPING" TOUR Organic Food Grown in Our Neighborhoods Saturday, Aug. 2nd, 2008 from 11 am - 4 pm $35. To register, call 650 493-6072 or go online to http://www.conexions.org/vhd/gardentour Enjoy this self guided and bicycle friendly tour in and around Palo Alto. Learn what motivates your neighbors to grow their own food! Discover how folks weave edible plants into both garden beds and the landscape! Meet the gardeners and get inspired by the special features of their gardens! Registration packet, including maps and garden descriptions, given at check in, from 10:45 am - 3:00 pm at Common Ground. Common Ground and the Valley of Heart's Delight, a project of Conexions are co-presenting the tour as part of their shared mission to strengthen the local food system. Thank You Lyngso Garden Materials, The Village Gardener and Copy America for sponsoring this event. STARTING YOUR FALL GARDEN Drew Harwell Saturday, August 23, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $32 12:45 - 1:30 Optional garden tour This popular class will inspire you to grow more vegetables and herbs. It will teach you how to extend the abundance of your summer garden into the fall and winter. Learn exactly what plants thrive now and how to grow them. Beets, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, onion and carrots are among the many vegetable varieties eager to germinate at this time of year. You will get plenty of ideas and instructions for direct sowing, transplanting, creating healthy soil and harvesting. Class will conclude with a tour of the Common Ground Demonstration Garden. Bring a snack! Drew is the talented and wonderful Common Ground Demonstration Garden Manager, the manager of Jesse Cool's Seeds of Change Garden and the former manager of the Stanford Community Farm. GROWING CUT FLOWERS Nancy Garrison Saturday, Sept 6, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 You will be introduced to the best of the best easy-to-grow flowers with staying power. Common plant foliage will compliment and add wonderful effect. Learn which specific varieties do well in arrangements. Save money and have more joy growing your own flower bouquets. Purple orach, colorful amaranths, 10 different alstromerias, purple millet, peonies, and long-stemmed roses will be discussed. A slide show is included. Nancy will share 20-plus years of knowledge on selecting and growing local cut flowers. She has been involved with the UC Cooperative Extension trialing over a hundred kinds of flowers to find the most beautiful. Her work with sunflowers has been featured in Sunset magazine. (1 CEU) *INTRODUCTION TO GROW BIOINTENSIVE Dan Royer-Miller Saturday, Sept 13, 2008 10:30 - 12:00 $25 Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon-farming (compost crops), calorie farming, and open-pollinated seeds. We emphasize a whole-system approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm sustainable.Dan is in his third year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. *DOUBLE-DIGGING AND BED PREPARATION Margo Royer-Miller Saturday, Sept 13, 2008 2:00-4:00 $27 Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will help to build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better and need less water; weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class includes some hands-on at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden. Margo is in her third year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. PLANT A FALL HERB GARDEN Jody Main Saturday, Sept 20, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 Celebrate Autumn and plant an organic herb garden! Bring beautiful diversity to your garden with a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. They bring harmony and health to us and to our gardens with their beauty, fragrance, flowers (that attract beneficial insects), and everlasting qualities that enable them to be brought indoors to share and enjoy. Learn how to grow and harvest perennial and annual herbs, herbs in containers and in the landscape as well as essential herbs for the kitchen. You will take home herb cuttings and recipes. Plant lists will be provided. Jody is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Her specialty is designing gardens that include vegetables, herbs and berries. *WINTER COMPOST CROPS and DIET John Jeavons Saturday, Sept 27, 2008 10:30 - 12:30+ $27 John Jeavons will explain the selection, timing, growing and processing of grains, the rotation of cool-/ cold-weather crops with legumes and the role of grains in the design of a complete annual diet. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 141 countries around the world. *ECONOMIC MINI-FARMING John Jeavons Saturday, Sept 27, 2008 2:00 - 4:00+ $27 Learn the concepts, techniques and crops that can lead to successful economic mini-farming, beginning right in your own backyard. Recommended reading: Backyard Homestead and Ecology Action's Self-Teaching Mini-Series Booklets #18 and #26 available at Common Ground. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 141 countries around the world. (1 CEU) ALTERNATIVES TO LAWNS Deva Luna Saturday, Oct 4, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 Special free class. To register call 650-493-6072 Offered in cooperation with City Of Palo Alto Utilities and Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency Tired of watering, mowing and weeding your lawn but don't know what to put in instead? Replacing your lawn appropriately reduces your water bill and your maintenance costs, encourages habitat for birds and butterflies and does not contribute to global warming. You'll come away from this inspiring talk with dozens of ideas, illustrated by pictures worth more than a thousand words. Deva Luna combines her passion for plants with a desire to enhance the environment. She is a Lifetime Master Gardener, Gardening Instructor, Coordinator of the Santa Clara Teaching Garden, Landscape Designer and Horticulturist for EarthCare Landscaping. She has a degree in "Plants and Art" from UC Davis. (2 CEUs) WORM COMPOSTING Alane Weber Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 10:30 - 1:30 $32 Everything you always wanted to know about worms, but were afraid to ask. Come join us and learn all about this tidy and very efficient way to turn all your kitchen scraps into botanical gold. We will take a snack break. Alane, "the worm lady of San Mateo," has been nurturing her compost worms for 16 years and teaching vermicomposting for the County of San Mateo for the last 8 years. *SEED PROPAGATION Dan Royer-Miller Saturday, Oct 18, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 It all begins with a seed! Learning the GROW BIOINTENSIVE seed propagation techniques will help you have a more productive and efficient garden. This class will explain the advantage of using flats and your own soil, transplanting, pricking out seedlings from flats, proper watering, and planting by the phases of the moon. Dan is in his third year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. *COMPOSTING Margo Royer-Miller Saturday, Oct 18, 2008 2:00 - 4:00 $27 Composting with the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method is the basis for keeping your soil strong and healthy to grow the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. Learn the easiest and most effective way to compost. It is so fun and satisfying that we must warn you, composting can become addictive! We will go to the Common Ground Demonstration Garden and build our own compost pile. Bring a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or non-meat kitchen scraps). Margo is in her third year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. TWO-DAY INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE Doniga Markegard Sat.-Sun., Oct 25-Oct 26, 2008 Drew Harwell 10:30 - 4:30 $160 Learn the tools to create a sustainable future in your backyard and beyond. Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use and design, based on patterns found in the natural world and ecological principles. We use a solutions-based method to harmoniously integrate the land with people. This course will cover sustainable living systems - including food systems, water harvesting, waste cycling, home design, climate care, holistic land management, natural building and observation techniques. Participants will take part in a hands-on Permaculture project in Common Ground's Demonstration Garden to put theory into practice. Doniga has extensive training in nature observation, Permaculture and regenerative design. She has a BA in Sustainable Community Development with Prescott College. She is currently a land management consultant and landscape designer, and is working on projects such as Permaculture food forests, erosion control, renewable energy and natural building. Drew is the talented and wonderful Common Ground Demonstration Garden Manager and the former manager of the Stanford Community Farm and has gardened in our Ecology Action Research Garden/Mini-Farm in Willits. (8 CEUs) FRUIT TREE VARIETIES Nancy Garrison Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 Learn which varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots, apples and pears are the delight of connoisseurs.You will be introduced to the best of the best-tasting deciduous fruits that grow in this area and learn where to source your own plants. Nancy has been conducting and attending fruit tastings for the last 26 years in her diverse home fruit garden and in research facilities around the state. She has collaborated with Andy's Orchard and Dave Wilson Nursery and oversees the rare fruit plantings at Prusch Farm Park. (1 CEU) SOIL FOODWEB Theresa Lyngso Saturday, Nov 8, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 Learn how to greatly boost your garden's health through increasing biological life. There is a whole universe of living organisms under your feet. There is essential life you can either support or undo through your gardening practices. Learn how to increase and nurture the aerobic organisms that make fertile soil. When you have a healthy soil food web the plants in your garden will be much healthier and the food more nutritious for you and your family. Theresa grew up in the family business, Lyngso Garden Materials, Inc. and was President for 20 years. She has come to understand that life in the soil may hold the answers and solutions to current challenging situations. Theresa has been brewing and applying Actively Aerated Compost Tea for 4 years. (1 CEU) CONTAINER GARDENING Susie Mader Saturday, Nov 15, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 Fall is the perfect time for cool-weather edible container gardens. A container garden lets you put some color, fresh herbs, vegetables and edible flowers in your life the easy way! Learn principles, techniques and how to choose containers and plants. We have everything you need to get started and maintain one or more containers of lovely plants. Susie's approach to this always-popular subject will show you everything you need to get started. She is a long-time friend and a landscape consultant and contractor specializing in ecologically complete systems. SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN Sherri Osaka Saturday, Nov 22, 2008 10:30 - 12:30 $27 You can have it all: A more sustainable and beautiful garden! Learn how to reduce the water needs through careful plant selection and proper maintenance techniques. Learn how to get rid of petroleum and toxic chemicals, while improving soil, plant beauty and health. You'll learn to flow with natural processes to minimize the time spent as your garden becomes more bountiful. Sherri is the owner of Sustainable Landscape Designs and a life-long organic gardener. She is co-founder of the Sustainable Landscape Roundtable, an organization that encourages landscape professionals to adopt ecological practices, and a director of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Past ClassesFRUIT TREE PRUNINGKevin Raftery Saturday, January 6, 2007 10:30-2:00, $34, 1.5 CEU's Bring your pruning shears, a bag lunch and a notebook! You will learn how to maximize tree health and fruit production and how to identify dead wood. Espalier care will be discussed. Meet at Common Ground, then proceed to a local orchard... rain or shine. Kevin is a Certified Arborist with a degree in horticulture. He teaches at Foothill College and has been associated with Common Ground for over 30 years. INTRODUCTION TO GROW BIOINTENSIVE A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Jennifer Ungemach Saturday, January 13, 200710:30-12:30, $24, 1.5 CEU's We emphasize a whole-system approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm sustainable. Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon-farming (compost crops), calorie farming, and open-pollinated seeds. Jennifer is a staff person at Ecology Action in Willits and liaison for GROW BIOINTENSIVE in Latin America. ROSE PRUNING AND CARE Carole Kraft Saturday, January 20, 2007 10:30-12:30, $24, 1 CEU Shape your rose bushes! Encourage beautiful profuse flowering with winter pruning and proper care. Learn about the very best soil and amendments for healthy happy roses. Mulches will be discussed. The class will go to a nearby garden for a demonstration. Carole is an energetic and articulate horticulture consultant with 24 years of experience. GRAFTING FRUIT TREES James Kern Saturday, January 20, 2007 1:30-3:30, $26, 1 CEU Grafting allows you to have the variety of fruit you want on the appropriate rootstocks and to graft more than one variety onto new or existing trees. You will learn the plant physiology involved in grafting, different techniques available, and the steps needed to produce a grafted fruit tree. Scion wood included. Please purchase grafting knives before class, available at Common Ground. James is a Master Gardener, a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers, a landscape contractor, and a teacher at Foothill College. THE ART OF HOME FARMING A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Margaret Lloyd 5-part Series - Saturdays:January 27, February 17, March 3, March 24, April 14. 2007 10:30-2:00, Series $210, 10 CEU's for full attendance This class is sold out. Learn garden layout and design, soil preparation, seed propagation, and how to raise healthy edible crops. These methods make backyard gardening a diverse art that is manageable within a busy schedule, bringing highest quality, fresh, organic food to your table. You will make lasting friendships learning all about companion planting, proper tools, seed saving, transplanting, garden insects, harvesting techniques and much more. Margaret worked for 2 years under John Jeavons and Carol Cox at Ecology Action's Sustainable Mini-Farm Research and Education Headquarters in Willits, CA. She worked with OIC International in Guinea, West Africa, providing support to rural farmers. COMPOSTING A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Carol Cox Saturday, February 3, 200710:30-12:30, $21, 1 CEU GROW BIOINTENSIVE composting is the basis for growing the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. Learn the easiest and most effective way to compost. It is so fun and satisfying that we must warn you composting can become addictive! We will go to a nearby site and build our own compost pile. Bring a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or non-meat kitchen scraps). Carol is an excellent teacher, co-author of The Sustainable Vegetable Garden, and Garden Manager at the Ecology Action Research Garden/Mini-Farm in Willits, CA. COMPANION PLANTING A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Carol Cox Saturday, February 3, 20072:00-3:30, $21, 1 CEU Discover how to enhance your garden's health and productivity while attracting a beneficial insect population. Learn how to make efficient use of your garden space and the plants' natural properties by using methods that have been used for centuries. INTRODUCING PERENNIAL VEGETABLES, FRUITS and HERBS Jody Main Saturday, February 10, 2007 10:30-12:30, $24, 1.5 CEU's It is time to plant asparagus, artichokes, strawberries, rhubarb, many herbs and... raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and grapes. These perennials can be easily placed within a landscape or vegetable garden and will produce bountiful crops for years to come. Plant bare root crops now, in their dormancy, and they will settle in before spring, then burst into growth. Bare root crops are less expensive, easier to plant and care for and are so tasty! This class will cover the basics of planting and caring for these lovely perennial crops organically, and incorporating them into the garden. Recipes included. Jody is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Her specialty is designing gardens that include vegetables, herbs and berries. SPRING GARDENING IDEAS Adrienne Duncan FRIDAY, February 23, 2007 10:30-12:00, $21, 1 CEU Gamble Garden and Common Ground offer this special Friday morning class. Come explore this most fascinating of endeavors, growing veggies year-round. You can grow many wonderful plants, both edible and ornamental, with a little bit of practical know-how and observation of your own growing conditions. Class held at Gamble Garden's Carriage House. At 83, local artist Adrienne and her husband eat a diet of homegrown vegetables and fruits grown on their one-fifth of an acre in Palo Alto. COMPOST CROPS and ROTATIONS A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
John Jeavons Saturday, February 24, 200710:30-12:30, $24, 1 CEU Learn how to grow the most food, calories, and soil nourishing compost materials for this summer's garden with a dynamic plan for the health of your garden over the next 3 years. John Jeavons is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 130 countries around the world. INSECT LIFE FOR A HEALTHIER GARDEN A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
John Jeavons Saturday, February 24, 20072:00-4:00, $24, 1 CEU Learn how to maximize the eco-system diversity that produces the best garden, as well as simple steps to take if an insect challenge occurs. John Jeavons is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 130 countries around the world. SEASONAL, LOCAL CUISINE COOKING CLASS Patricia Becker Saturday, March 3, 2007 10:30-1:30, $110 FUNdraiser for Common Ground, limited to 20 guests For a flier (230 KB pdf), click here Treat yourself with a fresh view of life based on eating in harmony with nature. You will learn easy, delicious recipes and enjoy lunch. The healing and energetic power of foods will be discussed. We will cover many topics: the variety and combinations of whole grains, proper bean cooking, sea vegetables which nourish body, mind and spirit. Much of the information is based on ancient oriental knowledge and wisdom. Patricia Becker is the Director of Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center. Patricia's love of teaching personal and group cooking classes began over 20 years ago. Her expertise shines in making easy-to-understand nutritional balance. DOUBLE-DIGGING AND BED PREPARATION A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Dan Royer-Miller Saturday, March 10, 200710:30-12:30, $24, 1 CEU Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better, need less water, and weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class includes a hands-on demonstration at a nearby garden. Dan is in his second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. SEED PROPAGATION A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
Margo Royer-Miller Saturday, March 10, 20072:00-4:00 $24 It all begins with a seed! Learning the GROW BIOINTENSIVE seed propagation techniques will help you have a more productive and efficient garden. This class will explain the best soil mix, transplanting, pricking out seedlings from flats, proper watering, and planting by the phases of the moon. Margo is in her second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits. GROWING TERRIFIC TOMATOES Nancy Garrison Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:30-12:30, $24, 1 CEU Learn which tomatoes have really great flavor, consistent production and are able to hold up under regular garden conditions. You will learn trellising methods, soil preparation, and the best planting locations for a bountiful harvest. Tomatoes can weigh 2 lbs, be bite size cherries, and have beautiful colors ranging from pink, bright orange, light yellow, green striped and purple, as well as all shades of red. As the University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor the and Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Nancy has been involved in tomato variety evaluations for 23 years. BLUEBERRIES AND RASPBERRIES Nancy Garrison Saturday, March 17, 2007 2:00-4:00, $24, 1 CEU You will learn how to select, plant, and maintain blueberries and raspberries for home growing of more than 30 varieties. Included in the instruction will be special soil preparations, best varieties for the Peninsula and South Bay, and trellising techniques for the raspberries. Nancy has vast knowledge on locally growing blueberries and raspberries based on her years of research with the University of California Cooperative Extension and in her home garden. PROPAGATION BASICS James Kern Saturday, March 24, 2007 1:30-3:30 $24 Planting seed is but one of many different means to producing plants for your garden or for market. Other methods we will discuss and practice are various types of cuttings, layering, divisions, and grafting. This class will have hands-on practice, so bring your clippers, gloves, and questions. You may find a solution for that hard-to-propagate plant you've been trying to grow. James is a Master Gardener, a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, a landscape contractor and is a teacher at Foothill College. HOMEGROWN ORGANIC SALADS Jody Main Saturday, March 31, 2007 10:30-12:30 $26 Grow bountiful crops of sweet buttery lettuce, spicy scallions, peppery radishes, and other crispy greens throughout the spring and early summer. A small bed can keep a family of four in bountiful salads that can include: Italian misticanza, arugula, radicchio, French mesclun, chervil, endive, frisse, Asian baby greens, bok choy, mizuna and spinach. Create a mix of braising greens by growing kale, chard and spinach together. Class includes easy planting, harvesting, and kitchen preparation instructions. A salad and dressing demonstration, snack and recipes will be provided. Jody is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Her specialty is designing gardens that include vegetables, herbs and berries. STARTING YOUR SPRING GARDEN Drew Harwell Saturday, April 7, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24 And by popular demand, a second class 2:00 - 4:00, $24 Be inspired to grow vegetables and herbs all year round. Learn exactly what plants thrive now, and how to grow them. Many seeds are eager to germinate at this time of year. You will get plenty of ideas and instructions on direct sowing, transplanting, creating healthy soil, and harvesting. You will conclude with a tour of Jesse Cool's Seeds of Change Garden. Drew is the Garden Manager for Jesse Cool's Seeds of Change Garden, the former manager of the Stanford Community Farm, and has gardened in our Ecology Action Research Garden/Mini-Farm in Willits. COMPLETE-DIET MINI-FARMING A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
John Jeavons Saturday, April 14, 200710:30 - 12:30, $24 Does your desire for better nutrition have you wondering if you could live off your land? This class will show you how to plan a garden or mini-farm that will produce healthy, nutritious food and be highly productive as well as truly sustainable, in the smallest space possible. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and the author of our book How to Grow More Vegetables, which has been translated into 7 languages and is used in over 130 countries. ECONOMIC MINI-FARMING A GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Class
John Jeavons Saturday, April 14, 20072:00 - 4:00, $24, 1 CEU Learn the concepts, techniques and crops that can lead to successful economic mini-farming, beginning right in your own backyard. Recommended reading: Backyard Homestead and Ecology Action's Self-Teaching Mini-Series Booklets #18 and #26 available at Common Ground. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and the author of our book How to Grow More Vegetables, which has been translated into 7 languages and is used in over 130 countries. PLANT AN EARTH DAY HERB GARDEN Jody Main Saturday, April 21, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24, 0.5 CEU Celebrate Earth Day and plant an organic herb garden! Bring a beautiful diversity to your garden with a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. They bring harmony and health to ourselves and our gardens with their beauty, fragrance, flowers (that attract beneficial insects), and everlasting qualities that enable them to be brought indoors to share and enjoy. Learn how to grow and harvest perennial and annual herbs, herbs in containers, and essential herbs for the kitchen. You will take home herb cuttings and recipes. Plant lists will be provided. Jody is a local food and garden writer, educator and consultant. Her specialty is designing organic vegetable, herb and berry gardens. KID- AND PET-SAFE GARDENS Palo Alto Recycling Program Saturday, April 28, 2007 Free registration by calling 650.496.5910 10:30 - Noon SAFE PEST CONTROL Keep your pets and loved ones safe and your garden beautiful. Learn how to prevent garden pests and disease and how to use less toxic pest control products that really work. 1:00 - 2:30 HOME COMPOSTING Improve the health of your garden's soil. Learn to reduce pesticide, fertilizer and water use. Turn garden and food wastes into a nutritious soil supplement. Palo Alto residents attending the workshop will receive a voucher to purchase a Biostack compost bin at a reduced cost (a $99 value for $27). STARTING A SUMMER VEGETABLE GARDEN Jody Main Saturday, May 5, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24, 0.5 CEU The lessons from our forests guide us in gardening the easiest way of all . . . naturally . . . organically! Class will include planting and caring for vegetables and herbs organically, wonderful heirloom vegetables to grow this summer, traditional Native American methods of planting the Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) for gardens large and small, seasonal herbs, great crops for putting up, and summer harvesting techniques. Plant list and recipes included. Jody is a local food and garden writer, educator and consultant. Her specialty is desis awards in flower design, landscape management and installation. CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS Frank Niccoli & Dee Wong Saturday, May 12, 2007 2:00 - 4:00, $24, 0.5 CEU Take an extraordinary journey exploring natives, their uses, their beauty and their phenomenal will to survive. Join us for an afternoon to discuss the art and science of gardening with a palette of native plants. Dee Wong, a horticultural photographer, will give you glimpses of natives through her artistic photographic renderings. Frank Niccoli, an adjunct instructor at Foothill College, will show how to plant, grow and maintain natives. This lecture is drawn from long years of practice working professionally as a horticulturist. SOLAR OVENS: COOKING, BUILDING AND BUYING Don Larson Saturday, May 19, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24 Learn how to prepare healthy vegetables, grains, and beans, as well as tender meat dishes and bread with the Sun's energy. You can modify your favorite recipes for use in your solar oven. Learn heating and aiming techniques. Construction principles and suggested materials will be covered. Learn about different oven designs. Solar ovens and cookbooks will be available for purchase. Don owns and operates two solar ovens, a solar water distiller, a solar fruit drier, and generates his electricity at home using a 2-kilowatt solar photo-voltaic array. Don is our beloved Assistant Manager at Common Ground. DRIP IRRIGATION Frank Niccoli Saturday, May 19, 2007 2:00 - 4:00, $24, 1 CEU This hands-on class demonstrates the simplicity of installing and maintaining a drip system. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation versus a spray system. Pressure reduction and filtration as well as irrigation controllers will be shown. Frank teaches at Foothill College and for the Landscape Contractors Association. His company, The Village Gardener, has won numerous awards in flower design, landscape management and installation. CONNECTING HOME AND GARDEN Linda Lenore Saturday, May 26, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24 The garden provides one of our nearest connections to nature. Does your patio or yard enhance your life, reflect your inner sense and nurture your soul? Is there a place in your garden for you to create, entertain, play, rest and connect with your inner spirit? You will learn Feng Shui principles to enhance your garden and home. Linda is an international consultant, author, and speaker on Feng Shui. WILD FOOD WALK Matt Perry Saturday, June 2, 2007 10:30 - 5:00, $80, You will begin by seeing a beautiful slide show then carpool to Hidden Villa Farm and Wilderness Preserve to explore the wild edibles found in our bio-region. Explore the wild landscape and the gardens. Learn how to make wild weed raw energy bars, how to identify some key edible plants, what plants not to eat, nutritional values, strategies for enhancing wild food production and sustainable harvesting methods. Bring your "no garbage lunch." Matt is the garden manager at the Regenerative Design Institute at Commonweal Garden in Bolinas CA, where he teaches wild crafting courses, youth programs and Permaculture. SENSATIONAL SWEET PEAS Renee Shepherd Saturday, June 9, 2007 10:30 - 12:30, $24 Growing scented sweet peas is having a Renaissance! Learn all about the 26 varieties of Renee's Garden specialty sweet peas. She does extensive trials of different sweet pea varieties each year to select those with wonderful form and color, luscious perfume and interesting history. Class covers the fascinating and entertaining history of these wonderful perfumed annuals followed by descriptions and slides of major varieties and species available now. You will learn how to grow and enjoy these vining heirloom beauties in the garden and home. Renee has 15 years of stories to share and will be available to autograph her books! Seeds and books are always available for purchase at Common Ground. DESIGNING CALIFORNIA NATIVE GARDENS: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens Glenn Keator & Alrie Middlebrook Sunday, June 10, 2007 Noon - 1:30, $21 Author talk, slides and book-signing. Inspirational, practical, and easy to use, this book was created with the aim of conveying the awesome diversity and beauty of California's native plants and demonstrating how they can be brought into ecologically sound, attractive, workable, and artful gardens. Glenn Keator, a California plant specialist, is author of Introduction to Trees of the San Francisco Bay Area, The Life of an Oak, Plants of the East Bay Parks, and Complete Garden Guide to the Native Perennials of California. Alrie Middlebrook is the founder and president of Middlebrook Gardens in San Jose, a design company that specializes in California native gardens. They have been hiking California and teaching classes on native plants for thirteen years. BACKYARD CHICKENS Jody Main Saturday, June 23, 2007 10:30 - 1:30, $36 ADDITIONAL AFTERNOON CLASS ADDED! 1:30 - 4:30, $36 Chickens are a wonderful addition to an organic garden. They complete the circle. We give them our food scraps and garden greens . . . they give us eggs and fertilizer . . . we plant crops. Perfect! Chickens are wonderful pets that fully participate and contribute to the whole. Learn everything you need to know to raise happy hens, including: hen house and yard set-up, nesting boxes, water, feed, local suppliers, caring for your hens and favorite crops to grow for your chickens. Here you will see how easy it is to raise chickens and how great a role they play in creating a healthy organic vegetable garden. Garden snack included! Meet at Common Ground, then car pool to Jody's garden and hen house. Jody is a local food and garden writer, educator and consultant. Her specialty is designing organic vegetable, herb and berry gardens. HEALTHY PEST & DISEASE CONTROLS Annie Joseph Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:30 - Noon, $21, 1 CEU Join us for an informative workshop on healthier ways to manage pests and diseases in your summer garden. Find out about some of the more obscure beneficial insects that are an integral part in keeping a balance in your yard and how to invite them to stay. Free samples of organic products will be given to each participant. Annie Joseph is a bright and talented 30-year California Certified Nursery Professional. EXPLORING A SENSE OF PLACE Karen Harwell & Joanna Reynolds Saturday, July 7, 2007 Noon - 1:30 Local authors' talk, slide show and book signing. Have you ever felt the desire to be more connected to the place where you live? The Exploring a Sense of Place guidebook will help you with your own process of discovery and reconnection with the natural world. This book will inspire you and show you how you can begin to develop your own sense of place and share it with your children, grandchildren, friends, family and neighbors. Books are always available to purchase at Common Ground. "EDIBLE LANDSCAPING" TOUR Organic Food Grown in Our Neighborhoods Saturday, July 28, 2007 from 11 am - 4 pm Tickets: $35. To register, call 650 493-6072 or go online to http://www.conexions.org/vhd/gardentour Enjoy this self guided and bicycle friendly tour in and around Palo Alto. Learn what motivates your neighbors to grow their own food! Discover how folks weave edible plants into both garden beds and the landscape! Meet the gardeners and get inspired by the special features of their gardens! Registration packet, including maps and garden descriptions, given at check in, from 10:30 am - 3:00 pm at Common Ground. Common Ground and the Valley of Heart's Delight, a project of Conexions are co-presenting the tour as part of their shared mission to strengthen the local food system. Thank You Lyngso Garden Materials for sponsoring this event. MEDITERRANEAN FOOD GARDENING Pam Peirce Saturday, August 25, 2007 10:30 - 12:30 $25 Getting the most from your Bay Area food garden means adapting to our mediterranean seasonal rhythms. Learn some of the best crops you can grow year-round even in a small garden. You can garden through fall and winter as has been done for centuries in the Mediterranean Basin. Recipes offering new ideas for using your fall to spring harvests will be provided. Pam is author of Common Ground's best seller Golden Gate Gardening, a must-have book for Bay Area food gardeners, and Wildly Successful Plants: Northern California. Pam writes a weekly column for the S.F. Chronicle and offers private garden consulting services. 1 APLD CEU CONTAINER GARDENING Susie Mader Saturday, September 8, 2007 10:30 - 12:30 $25 Would you like to put in a garden in a small space? We have the easy solution for you. Get some color, fresh sweet herbs, vegetables and edible flowers in your life with container gardening. We have everything you need to get started and maintain one or more containers of lovely plants. Susie is a long-time friend and supporter and a landscape consultant and contractor specializing in ecologically complete systems. * WINTER COMPOST CROPS and DIET John Jeavons Saturday, September 15, 2007 10:30 - 12:30+ $25 John Jeavons will explain the selection and rotation of cool-/ cold-weather crops and their part in the design of a complete annual diet. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 130 countries around the world. * ECONOMIC MINI-FARMING John Jeavons Saturday, September 15, 2007 1:30 - 3:30+ $25 Learn the concepts, techniques and crops that can lead to successful economic mini-farming, beginning right in your own backyard. Recommended reading: Backyard Homestead and Ecology Action's Self-Teaching Mini-Series Booklets #18 and #26 available at Common Ground. John Jeavons is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 130 countries around the world. 1 APLD CEU 35th Anniversary FUNdraising Garden PartySaturday, September 15, 20075 to 9 pm $100. Register in advance by sending check to Common Ground and calling 650 493-6072 Join us at our 35th Anniversary FUNdraising Garden Party in the stunning garden of a Woodside home! Enjoy guest speakers John Jeavons and Jesse Cool, an organic, gourmet feast by JZ Cool Catering, and live music by Nancy Cassidy's Band! Participate in a spectacular silent auction of donated wines, vacation homes, organic products, local services and more! * INTRODUCTION TO GROW BIOINTENSIVE Margo Royer-Miller Saturday, September 22, 2007 10:30 - 12:00 $22 Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon farming (compost crops), calorie farming, and open-pollinated seeds. We emphasize a wholesystem approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm sustainable. Margo is in her second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. 1 APLD CEU * SEED PROPAGATION Dan Royer-Miller Saturday, September 22, 2007 2:00 - 4:00 $25 It all begins with a seed! Learning the GROW BIOINTENSIVE seed propagation techniques will help you have a more productive and efficient garden. This class will explain the advantage of using flats and your own soil, transplanting, pricking out seedlings from flats, proper watering, and planting by the phases of the moon. Dan is in his second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. STARTING A WINTER SALAD GARDEN Jody Main Saturday, September 29, 2007 10:30 - 1:30 $39 Grow bountiful crops of sweet buttery lettuce, spicy scallions, peppery radishes and other crispy greens throughout the fall, winter and spring. A small bed can keep a family of four in bountiful salads and braising greens. Class includes easy planting, harvesting, and kitchen preparation instructions, dressing demonstration and snack from Jody's Garden. Everyone takes home a planted 6 pack of salad veggies. Recipes included. Jody is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Her specialty is designing gardens that include vegetables, herbs and berries. * DOUBLE-DIGGING and BED PREPARATION Margo Royer-Miller Saturday, October 6, 2007 10:30 - 12:30 $25 Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will help to build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better and need less water; weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class includes a hands-on demonstration at a nearby garden. Margo is in her second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. .5 APLD CEU * COMPOSTING Dan Royer-Miller Saturday, October 6, 2007 2:00 - 4:00 $25 Composting with GROW BIOINTENSIVE methods is the basis for keeping your soil strong and healthy to grow the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. Learn the easiest and most effective way to compost. It is such fun and so satisfying that we must warn you, composting can become addictive! We will go to a nearby site and build our own compost pile. Bring a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or non-meat kitchen scraps). Dan is in his second year as an apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA. WORM COMPOSTING Alane Weber Saturday, October 13, 2007 10:30 - 1:30 $35 Everything you always wanted to know about worms . . . but were afraid to ask. Come join us and learn all about this tidy and very efficient way to turn all your kitchen scraps into botanical gold. Hands-on opportunities apply! Alane, "the worm lady of San Mateo," has been nurturing compost worms for 16 years and teaching vermicomposting. She teaches the educational program of RecycleWork's Master Composting Program for San Mateo County and sends her students to Common Ground. FACE PAINTING Fun for the Whole Family Saturday, Oct. 20th, 2007 11:00 to 1:00 Free Here at Common Ground Magician Phil Ackerly Performance Saturday, Oct. 20th, 2007 1:00 to 2:00 Free The Klutz Store across the street from Common Ground. Welcome Young and the Young at Heart TREE SELECTION and CARE Kevin Raftery Saturday, October 27, 2007 10:30 - 1:30 $35 Learn the basic principles and concepts that will help you choose the most appropriate trees for your growing conditions. The pros and cons of popular trees will be discussed. The rationale behind where and how one prunes will be covered, featuring bits of tree biology and architecture. Learn how plant placement and pruning techniques can promote successful, beautiful and low maintenance landscapes. Selection of proper pruning tools will be reviewed. Kevin is a Certified Arborist with a degree in horticulture and helps us select the best tools to stock. He has been associated with Common Ground for almost 35 years! 1 APLD CEU SOIL FOODWEB Alane Weber Saturday, November 10, 2007 10:30 - 12:30 $25 The soil foodweb consists of all the beneficial micro and macroscopic soil critters that function harmoniously in our garden soil. They are responsible for nutrient cycling, soil production and immune system boosting. Understanding the soil foodweb will give you greater ability to surf with nature's wisdom and make better compost. Alane is an advisor for Soil Foodweb, Inc. She runs the educational program of RecycleWork's Master Composting Program for San Mateo County. Her approach is animated with humor and surfaced with the integrity of sustainable care for our lands. 1 APLD CEU GARDEN HERBS AND TREES FOR YOUR HEALTH Darren Huckle Tuesday, November 13, 2007 5:00 - 6:15 pm $30 Location of Class: The Center, 435 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Darren Huckle loves to open gardeners to the abundance of health giving delights growing in their gardens. He will bring in an abundance of common garden plants and explain in plain language how to incorporate them into daily life. This will be a fun and flavorfully interactive class. |