2011 GANG Workshop Series

A Project of the Green Acres Neighborhood Association and an educational project of the Association for the Regenerative Culture, a 501c3.

2601 E. DeKist Street

Bloomington, Indiana. 

Workshop space is limited. To pre-register, please contact Ann Kreilkamp, 812-334-1987 or arkcrone@gmail.com. Suggested donation per class: $5 – $15.

Shitake Mushroom Workshop

Sunday afternoon, April 17, 104 p.m.

This workshop, led by Nathan Harman, will entail a small feel to cover the cost of spores which we will learn to grow on oak logs.

Get Growing, GANG: Start the Garden

Saturday, April 30, 105 p.m.

Led by Rhonda Baird and Stephanie Bartridge, this workshop will provide an overview of spring garden tasks. The first half of the workshop will be indoors and the second half, hands-on in the garden. Let’s see how those raised, heavily mulched, lasagna beds built two years ago are coming along.  We will cover starting seeds in flats and direct seeding, transplanting starts, using the cold frame, checking for weed damage and problems, as well as soil analysis and amendment. Snacks and beverages provided.

Children’s Workshop: Inviting the Little People into the Garden

Saturday, June 25, 204 p.m.

Led by Stephanie Partridge and Emily Ginzberg. Tribes all over the world have stories of little people (elves, leprechauns, fairies, spirits, sprites, gnomes, borrowers) and many times they are associated with gardens. Some believe they are peaceful keepers of the plants and help them grow and flourish. Others believe they are tricksters and you must pay homage to them or else they will play with your plants. I believe the little garden spirits, in whatever manifestation, are good in nature and are here to help and have fun. Who better to help invite them to play than children? (We will talk about the fairies, and hand out supplies to paint rocks, bowls, shards. After done we will encourage them to make altars with twigs, leaves, etc.

(Summer Solstice Cob Oven Pizza, Potluck and Open House for the Green Acres Neighborhood and anyone else immediately following this workshop.)

Summer Assessment, Seed Saving, and Planting the Fall Garden

Sunday, August 7, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Led by Nathan Harman and Rhonda Baird. Just as summer crops are planted in spring, fall crops are planted in summer. This workshop will focus on caring for the garden in the high heat of summer, planting the foods that will be harvested through the coming cool, and seed-saving techniques.

This is the hay-day of the garden and we will hopefully have yields galore. But, the weeds and insects and drying sun are also trying to make their way, so mulch, shade cloth, row cover and other techniques will be employed as we keep the summer crops vibrant and give our fall crops a running start. BYO lunch. Snacks and beverages provided.

Harvest and Preservation: Drying, Canning, Freezing, Fermenting

Saturday, August 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Led by Jami Scholl and Leea Gauthier. In the midst of summer, it’s easy to think the zucchini and tomato flow will never quit. But cease they shall, and that’s when we turn to the cupboard full of the year’s stored sunlight in the form of canned, dried, frozen and fermented garden foods. This workshop will teach a variety of preservation methods useful to the home gardener. We will spend an hour with slides and handouts and then harvest, process and sample. Learn how to reduce food costs while increasing nutrition and flavor through the winter. BYO lunch.

Putting the Garden to Bed and Celebration

Sunday, November 6, 205 p.m., then celebrate

Led by Rhonda Baird and Stephanie Partridge. Though there are still winter-hardy plants in the ground, this is the time to clean up and compost any garden wastes, mulch well, tidy up, and put season-extending hoop houses and cold frames over more tender greens. Learn what plants require what degree of care in this risky weather and just how far into winter they can go. We will also spend time putting our tools to bed, cleaning, sharpening, oiling and storing to be sure they last as long and work as well as possible. It’s difficult to get excited about spending less time in the garden and that’s why we’ll enjoy our second annual harvest potluck dinner and celebration afterwards!