Tag Archive for: Seeds

Gardening: Companion Planting

  • sorry we have had to cancel this event due to unforeseen circumstances. We will try to reschedule in the future.

Gardening: Living Compost

Living compost is more than just an organic fertilizer; it is a dynamic ecosystem filled with diverse microorganisms that promote plant growth and enhance soil resilience. In this workshop, you will learn how to identify high-quality compost, understand what makes it “alive,” tap into the potential of its microscopic workforce to improve the health and productivity of your garden, and help the climate by capturing more carbon in your soil! This session is ideal for urban gardeners, empowering you to make informed choices and transform your soil into a thriving, life-supporting habitat.

Our instructor for this session is Jo Tobias from RootShoot Soils, who specializes in natural management of soil health.

This session will be presented live in person and be broadcast via Zoom. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link. Unfortunately the presentation will not be recorded.

 

This event is part of our Earth Week programming

Gardening: Common Garden Mistakes

Want to keep your garden looking great? Join Amanda Jarrett, garden educator and red-seal horticulturalist to learn about common garden mistakes and how to avoid them. New and experienced gardeners alike will learn important tips, which can save both money and heartbreak.

Join us in person or online via Zoom. Unfortunately the Zoom meeting will not be recorded. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link before the event date.

Gardening: Starting Seeds

January is the time to get going on your garden! Join us to learn how to start seeds for your home garden. You will save money and can have a steady supply of seedlings to plant outside.

With her seed starting technique using vermiculite, expert home gardener, Gail Felton achieves consistent, predictable results that are flexible and easy to accomplish at home. This is a hands-on session where you’ll get a chance to try the technique yourself and get your garden started. We will start seeds for lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers and basil. This is an excellent session for beginner gardeners and more experienced gardeners will learn some tips too!

 

**In preparation for this session, please save and bring some clean takeout sauce containers with lids (small plastic containers that ginger or dipping sauce come in). You will start your seeds in these containers and can take home again.**

 

This is a hands-on session, so Zoom attendance will be less satisfactory. Although the Zoom option will be offered, please consider coming in person.

Gardening: Integrating Native Plants Into Your Garden

Josh Thompson, owner of Plan Bee Native Plants, will talk about how to incorporate native plants into your existing garden. Native plants offer so many ecological benefits and are the wonderfully unique in every part of the world, including ours! Learn how best to incorporate native plants into your garden. You’ll help native pollinators and insects, and grow a beautiful garden that will thrive in our climate. Josh shares practical tips and ideas for increasing the native diversity in your own yard (or balcony!).

 

This presentation will be in person at the Main Branch or can be viewed online via Zoom. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link. Please note, the presentation will not be recorded.

Gardening: Balcony Gardening

Are you new to gardening? Have a small outdoor space and want to maximize your container garden? Join Winson Leung for terrific practical advice in setting up and growing an amazing balcony vegetable garden!

This workshop will be offered in-person at the Main Branch and livestreamed via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link. Please note that it will not be recorded.

Gardening: Seed Cleaning & Bulky Seed Exchange

If you grew seeds in your garden this summer, join us for a hands-on seed cleaning event to get your newly harvested seeds ready for storage (or donation to our seed library). We will be threshing, winnowing, screening and sorting seeds of all types. Bring your seed material from your garden to clean together and consider donating your extras to the seed library!

If you have large quantities of bulky seeds or have divided some bulbs and have some to share, bring them to the event in an informal sharing of your crops.

Meet outdoors in the parking lot at the Main Branch – weather dependent. If it’s pouring rain we’ll be inside in the Auditorium, but it may not be possible to do such messy work inside!

Bring seeds to clean, seeds and bulbs to share, and some small bags or envelopes to take new seeds home again.

Gardening: Seed Saving

Learn how to save seeds from your garden (to keep for next year or to donate to the NWPL Seed Library!) with gardening educator, Siri van Gruen. Learn the basics of the science of isolation, plant selection, ripening and harvesting techniques and save a bountiful crop of seeds for vegetables, herbs and flowers!

Bring your questions.

Program will be offered in person and will be streamed online via Zoom. All registrants will receive the Zoom link prior to the workshop.

Gardening: Plant Selection for Seed Savers

How do you select the plants you will save seeds from? How do you enhance positive traits and not inadvertently choose the worst ones? How do you keep track of all this information?

Join self-proclaimed dirt nerd, Freya Cirulis to figure out which plants you should save seeds from, how to track your garden from germination to harvest, and how to keep track of all this information year to year! You will even learn what you need to track to develop your own plant varieties! This will be a combination of talk and practical worksheets for you to use as you plan your own seed saving in the garden.

This event will be offered in person and online via Zoom, but will not be recorded.

All registrants will receive the Zoom link, as well as any distributed materials at the session.

Gardening: Pulses in the Urban Garden

Beans are a workhorse in the urban garden. Although balcony gardeners might be hard pressed to grow a winter’s worth of dried beans, beans’ nitrogen-fixing abilities mean they are an important addition to any garden, including pollinator gardens or container gardens! Learn about different varieties that will work in your setup, growing tips, and how to get the most out of your legumes with pulse and bean expert, Loki Wallace.

This program will be offered in person and be broadcast online via Zoom. All registered participants will receive the Zoom link a few days before the program. The program will not be recorded.