Begin forwarded message:
From: "Chrys B. Gardener" <ca...@cornell.edu>
Date: March 26, 2014 2:57:28 PM EDT
To: "Fingerlakes Permaculture List (fingerlakespermaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
) (fingerlakespermaculture@lists.ibiblio.org)" <fingerlakespermaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>
Subject: Spring Into Gardening workshops - Saturday 3/29 at CCE
Tompkins
Spring Into Gardening
Saturday March 29, 9 am - 5 pm
Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins County
615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY
Had enough of winter? SPRING IS COMING – this Saturday, March 29!
Start off on the right foot by learning skills to grow, cook and
preserve your own fresh organic fruits and veggies! This year's
Spring Into Gardening theme is Gardening and Climate Change - learn
how sound gardening practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
while reducing your 'food miles'. There will also be classes on
preserving the harvest and cooking with renewable energy sources.
Cost: $8.00 per workshop, or register for four different workshops
for just $25!
Workshop descriptions and a downloadable brochure are available at
http://ccetompkins.org/garden/spring-gardening
Spaces are limited! Call CCE's reception desk at 607-272-2292 to
register or download a brochure and send it in with your workshop
choices. For more information contact Chrys Gardener at ca...@cornell.edu
Spring Into Gardening 2014 – Workshop Descriptions
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Gardening in a Warmer Climate: Gardeners and farmers know that our
climate is changing and we have to adapt our growing methods.
Climate change means increased opportunities, such as a longer frost-
free season and warmer temperatures for heat-loving crops, but it
also can bring challenges such as droughts and new insect pests and
diseases. The Master Gardeners will share some tips for taking
advantage of the longer growing season and new plants to try out in
your garden, as well as information on preparing your garden for
longer dry spells and dealing with new insect pests and diseases.
Water-Wise Gardening: Climate change is altering the rainfall
patterns – our region is predicted to receive fewer rain events of
increased intensity. Gardeners need to be prepared to harvest and
store rainwater to use during dry spells, and also to design gardens
that can absorb run-off during heavy storms. Sharon Anderson, CCE
Environmental Program Leader, will present information on using
rainwater harvesting systems and planting ‘rain gardens’.
10:45 am – 12:15 pm
Composting Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gases: We all know how
composting can reduce our trash disposal costs, but did you know
that, when done properly, composting can also help reduce greenhouse
gases? Composting helps sequester carbon in soils, improves the
water-holding capacity of soils, and reduces or eliminates the need
for fertilizers and pesticides. The Master Composters will share
information on the best composting methods and techniques.
Extending the Growing Season: Learn about different strategies to
extend the growing season into the fall and winter. Margo Hittleman
and Richard Lansdowne will present information on constructing high
tunnels and low tunnels to grow greens all winter, and Chrys
Gardener will talk about solar greenhouses, which require no
additional heat and can be used to grow salad greens in winter.
There will also be a hands-on demonstration on constructing an
inexpensive light stand from PVC to grow plants under fluorescent
lights.
Canning Garden Fruits and Vegetables: Canning is a great way to
preserve some of the garden harvest for winter. This class covers
the science of food preservation and how to safely can high-acid
foods,, such as tomatoes, fruits or pickles. Participants will
receive up-to-date information and see a demonstration of canning by
CCE Consumer Educator Carole Fisher.
12:15 pm – 1:14 pm: Lunch Bring a brown bag lunch to eat at CCE or
go out to a restaurant or café downtown
1:15 pm - 2:45 pm
Unusual Fruits and Perennial Vegetables for the Ithaca Area: Sean
Dembrosky, owner of Edible Acres in Trumansburg, will talk about
less-common fruits such as paw-paw, persimmon, hardy kiwi , currant
and jostaberry, and perennial vegetables such as cardoon, sea kale,
skirret and air potato. Sean will also lead a hands-on demonstration
on taking cuttings from jostaberry and hardy kiwi. Participants will
take home cuttings from these plants for their own gardens.
Using Biochar as a Soil Amendment: There’s a lot of buzz lately
about biochar and its role in boosting soil fertility and
sequestering carbon in soils. Created through a process called
pyrolysis, biochar locks in and stabilizes carbon that decomposing
green waste would otherwise release back into the atmosphere as CO2.
In the form of biochar, that carbon can be returned to the soil
where it will continue to store carbon while increasing water
retention and air capacity as well as providing habitat for soil
microbiology, which helps cycle nutrients. John Gaunt from GreenTree
Garden Supplies will talk about what biochar is and how to use it,
and he'll have biochar samples to show.
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Worm Composting: No space for an outdoor compost pile? The Master
Composters will teach you all you need to know about
“vermicomposting,” an indoor composting system that is easy and
produces particularly rich compost for your garden and houseplants.
Participants go home with a working worm bin. There is an additional
materials fee of $15 per household (payable directly to the
instructor on the day of the class).
Cooking with Renewable Energy : You have grown and harvested your
garden vegetables in the most sustainable way possible, now learn to
cook those vegetables using sustainable and renewable energy
sources. Joey Gates, proprietor of Sol Kitchen, will show different
types of solar cookers and talk about solar cooking techniques as
well as cooking on a woodstove.
Freezing and Dehydrating Garden Fruits and Vegetables: Learn how to
preserve your garden harvest to feed your family throughout the
winter. Carole Fisher, CCE Consumer Educator, will demonstrate
techniques on freezing fruits and vegetables to get the best
results. You'll learn tips on blanching, packaging, and how to avoid
freezing errors, as well as methods for dehydrating fruits and
vegetables.
Chrys Gardener
Commercial/Community Horticulture Educator
Cornell Cooperative Extension - Tompkins County
615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY 14850
(607)272-2292, extension 241
www.ccetompkins.org
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