Workshops for the urban gardener

Engaging and informative workshops help new gardeners navigate the urban edible landscape

Urban gardening is hotly gathering momentum in Vancouver. As interest grows in the community, more creative solutions are becoming available for those of us who long for our own piece of urban oasis but are stumped by the small spaces we live in. Indeed, container gardening and balcony gardening are increasingly becoming commonplace, regarded as a viable, healthy food source rather than mere whims indulged by the idealistic few.

If you are searching for sustainable food solutions to heal and soothe both your body and your wallet, look no further than the Village Vancouver workshops this weekend, March 6 and 7, 2010, featuring Robin Wheeler, founder of The Sustainable Living Arts School and the author of Gardening for the Faint of Heart and Food Security for the Faint of Heart.

 

Saturday, March 6

Introduction to Medicine Making

9-12 p.m., Mount Pleasant

Learn how to recognize and locate edible plants and make teas, poultices, tinctures and infused oils for personal use. Workshop will also cover solvents, supplies and storage.

Designing for Long Term Storage

1:15-2:45 p.m. (potluck at 12:30), Grandview Woodland

Learn strategies for food preservation and storage in apartments and houses.

Intentional Community – Shapes in Sharing

3-4 p.m., Grandview Woodland

What city dwellers can learn about the systems of social sharing and neighbourly support so prevalent in smaller rural communities.

Apartment and Container Gardening

4:30-6 p.m., Kitsilano

Covers the problems of tiny gardens and addresses some cures. Robin will talk about the best plants for small gardens and how to get the biggest, healthiest harvest possible.

 

Sunday, March 7

Food Preservation

9-10:30 a.m., Kitsilano

Ten techniques to help you save on your grocery bill. By learning about effective food preservation, you can stock up during sales and seasonal abundance and preserve the bounty for future use.

Edible Landscaping

11-1 p.m. (potluck to follow), Main St

Everything you need to know about edible landscaping, including microclimating, soil improvement and plant selection.

Intensive Urban Microfarming

2-5 p.m., Fairview

Boost production of your urban garden through a deeper understanding of microclimating, lateral growing, food cycles, succession planting, “shoulder” cropping and much more.

 

Sign up

To register or to find out more about the workshops, contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net. All workshops are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. There are only 15 spaces per workshop, so hurry!