HCP Presents - Year-Round Harvest for the Urban Gardener

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Sunday, January 27th, 2013
Dates Above

The mild winters of Coastal British Columbia make it possible to grow and harvest vegetables all year around.

The benefits of growing your own food are many: the knowledge that sound and sustainable gardening practices were followed; summer gardens are economical and winter gardens even more so and learning how to provide protection from deeper cold will expand the range of what can be grown; the variety of vegetables and fruit available to the urban gardener is enormous; flavour and quality that would never be found in a supermarket; the sense of accomplishment that comes from self-sufficiency. No matter how large or how small your garden is, you will learn how to make the most of it.

In 10 sessions, Linda Gilkeson will cover from seeds to harvest for large and small urban gardens.

All Sundays 1 pm to 5pm
There are two concurrent classes offered on different Sundays each month. If you are enrolled in the first class, please observe the first dates listed below with each class description. If you are enrolled in the second class, your dates are listed second.

Curriculum:

# 1 Garden Plans & Seed Starting January 20th / 27th
Garden location
Sun & water requirements
Bed design
Starting seeds
Timing spring planting
Crop rotation
Planning the garden for year-round harvest

# 2 Soil, Nutrients & Amendments February 10th / 17th
Soil types, liming & soil testing
Making compost, organic amendments
Cultivation methods

# 3 The Spring Garden March 10th / 24th
Transplanting, hardening off
Cold protection
How to grow cabbage & onion family crops, lettuce & greens, carrots & other roots

#4 Containers, Small Gardens & Greenhouses April 7th / 28th
Growing in containers, (including citrus & sweet potatoes)
Greenhouses & tunnels
Intensive methods that produce the most in the smallest space

#5 The Summer Garden May 5th / 26th
Summer pruning & fruit thinning
Summer seeding methods
Trellising, mulching, watering
How to grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, beans, squash & cucumbers

#6 Insects, Weeds & Diseases June 9thYard Mulch / 30th
Preventing pest & disease problems
Identifying common problems
Natural control methods & easy weed management
How to attract beneficial insects

#7 Planting for Winter & Basic Seed Saving July 7th / 21st
When to plant for successful winter crops
Fitting crops into the summer garden
Pollination basics
Easy seed saving methods for common crops

#8 Preserving the Harvest July 28th / Aug 25th
Simple food preservation including drying, juicing and freezing
Curing & storage of winter squash; potatoes & sweet potatoesZucchini
Tree fruit.

#9 Fruit Trees & Bushes September 8th / 29th
Choosing, planting & growing fruit trees, grapes, berries
Basic pruning methods for winter

#10 Preparing for Winter & Review October 6th / 27th
Cold frames, cloches & winter covers
Managing a winter greenhouse
Mulching, staking
Containers in winter
Review of the 12-month garden



Testimonials from the Class of 2011

�Excellent course � loved it. Enjoyed every class � Linda has a great sense of humour, entertaining & oodles of knowledge & great tips.�

�Good pace & thorough, humour tinged.�

�Loved the recipes that came with every class!�August Harvest

�This was the best course I have ever taken�

�Linda is very clear, concise and prepared. Her references and email reminders are a very useful add-on to the curriculum. I really appreciate her many methods to the same ends, and economic, home made solutions to common garden issues. She is a great teacher and very encouraging�

�Dr. Gilkeson is a fantastic instructor, very personable, extremely knowledgeable and brilliant at imparting her wisdom to the class. We laughed at every class & I am so enthusiastic about gardening following every class!�

�An excellent & informative course- as well as entertaining�

�A really great course- material appropriate to season as this is a spaced out monthly. This is a great way to learn as there is a chance to put theory into practice & come back with questions. Linda has plenty of practical experience & high quality expert knowledge � she is down to earth, no fuss practical.

�So, so good! Great teaching style. Awesome�

Growing fruits and vegetables used to be a hit or miss endeavor for me, until I attended Linda Gilkeson�s 10 month class Year Around Harvest at Glendale Gardens. Linda is without question, the best teacher I have ever had, anywhere; her depth of knowledge is equaled only by her wicked sense of humour that kept each of the four-hour classes entertaining. She is so well informed, from her personal experience in growing her own food for many years, that all questions, from all levels of gardeners, were answered with depth and clarity. It was refreshing to learn from an instructor who truly has experienced all the pitfalls with pests and weather conditions, yet knows how to rise above the challenges and share her wisdom. Thanks to Linda�s guidance, I had bountiful crops of a wide variety of produce all summer, and now in December I have winter crops of many nutritious vegetables that I only dreamed of growing before. I think every student in the class agreed with me in saying that we wished the class continued for another year; we wanted more of Linda, and will take any classes she offers.

HCP Members: 10 sessions $425.00
Non-HCP Members add 40%.
Including textbook & hand-outs, free parking