Events
Workshops 2012
Workshops are free and held at the store unless otherwise noted. We add to this list regularly. To learn about upcoming workshops, bookmark this page or sign up for our monthly e-newsletter by putting your e-mail address in the bright green box to the left and pressing GO.
To sign up for a workshop please call the store at (206) 324-0737 or send us an e-mail. We will cancel if there are not enough potential attendees. Thanks!
2012 Workshops
- Managing Pests in Fruit Trees, May 6th
- Beautiful Containers, June 2nd
- Bamboo Without Fear, June 9th
- All About Herbs, June 16th
- Tough Plants for Tough Places, June 30th
- Growing Fall and Winter Edibles, July 14
- Drought Tolerant and Low Maintenance Gardens, July 21st
- Fruit Canning Basics, August 18th
- Color: Beyond the Flower, August 25th
- Fruit Drying Basics, September 8th
- Pruning Fruit Trees, September 9th
- Dividing Perennials: Fall, September 15th
- Hoop Houses to Extend the Growing Season, September 22nd
- Apple Identification, September 22nd
- Best Spring Bulbs, October 6th
Managing Pests in Fruit Trees
Sunday, May 6th, 11 am - 12:30 pm
Learn how to prevent and manage common fruit tree pests and diseases – including codling moth, apple maggot fly, scab and fungal diseases – without toxic chemicals. Simple preventative measures such as practicing good tree hygiene and encouraging beneficial insects are encouraged. Instructor Ingela Wanerstrand is the owner of Green Darner Garden Design, specializing in edible garden design. She has many years’ experience teaching urban pest management.
Creating Beautiful Containers
Saturday, June 2nd, 11 am - noon
Garden Designer Alison Greene will teach you how to fill your pots with color, texture, and style. She will go over plant choice and care. The store will be filled to brim with both annuals and perennials to make some incredible displays for your deck or front porch.
Bamboo Without Fear
Saturday, June 9th, 11 am - noon
Bamboo buyer for the Garden Store Rolland Heibert loves bamboo for its instant privacy screen, fine texture, and strong vertical structure. In this workshop, Rolland will focus on his favorite non-invasive, clumping species, and will teach about bamboo care and containment.
All About Herbs
Saturday, June 16th, 11 am - noon
Richard Greenberg of Earth Wizardry Gardens will talk about growing herbs -- both indoors and out, including container herb gardening. Richard will discuss cooking with various herbs and share recipes from flavored vinegars to tempting sweets!
Tough Plants for Tough Places
Saturday, June 30th, 11 am - noon
Does your garden have bad soil, deep shade, windy exposure, hot and dry conditions or some other difficult situation? There ARE plants you can pick for these areas that will survive and even thrive! Richard Greenberg of Earth Wizardry Gardens will go over these tough plants and how to care for them.
Growing Fall and Winter Edibles
Saturday, July 14, 10 am - 11 am
You don't have to put the vegetable garden to bed at the end of tomato season. With some planning and planting now and through September, you can eat fresh salad crops, root vegetables and brassicas like broccoli and kale throughout the fall and winter. Bill Thorness, author of Edible Heirlooms, will share timing and techniques for year-round gardening.
Drought Tolerant and Low Maintenance Gardens
Saturday, July 21st, 11 am - noon
Richard Greenberg of Earth Wizardry Gardens goes over practices for low water and easy-to-maintain gardens. Learn about how plant choice, soil prep, and site specifications can all work to keep you from fretting during a dry spell and allow you to relax and enjoy the garden when you don't want to toil in it!
Fruit Canning Basics
Saturday, August 18, 10 am - 11 am
From fruit selection and preparation to the basics of water bath canning, learn how to can fruit and make jams, jellies, and marmalades. Avid canner Nancy Gohring will talk about pectin versus non-pectin recipes, no sugar or low sugar recipes, hot packing versus raw packing, syrup choices, and equipment. Nancy's been canning for more than five years and earned a Master Food Preserver certificate from Seattle Tilth.
Color: Beyond the Flower to the Plant
Saturday, August 25th, 11 am - noon
Choose color for your garden other than through a plant's flowers. Flowers are wonderful, but often short lived. Richard Greenberg of Earth Wizardry Gardens will show you many special plants that have year-round interest and color in their leaves, berries, stems, and bark.
Fruit Drying Basics
Saturday, September 8th, 10 am - 11 am
Drying fruit is a simple way to extend its life into the winter and dried fruit is a sweet snack with no added sugar. In this class you will learn basic preparation for drying fruit, types of dryers, drying time, storage, how to make fruit leather and recipes for dried fruit. Instructor Kristen Danielson-Wong is a long-time fruit preserver, has taught fruit drying for City Fruit and several schools, and works as a nutrition educator.
Pruning Fruit Trees
Sunday, September 9th, 11 am - noon
Late summer is a great time to prune fruit trees. Some experts say it's the only time. Trees are slowing down by fall, and summer pruning doesn't produce emphatic new growth. Bill Wanless is co-owner of brooke/wanless gardens, a garden care and pruning service, and he is an ISA certified arborist with over 20 years field experience.
Dividing Perennials: Fall
Saturday, September 15th, 11 am - noon
Fall is the time to divide spring blooming perennials. Richard Greenberg of Earth Wizardry Gardens is back to go over which perennials to divide in fall. He will demonstrate the best techniques and tools for the job and go over how to care for the divisions after returning them to the ground.
Apple Identification
Saturday, September 22nd, 11 am - noon
Instructor Lori Brakken, past president of the Seattle Tree Fruit Society, will have you look at apples and discuss the qualities that tell you when to pick, how to store, identify what variety it is, and what to do for better fruit next year. Visual identification of the fruit gives us a lot of information. Come and see!
Using Hoop Houses to Extend the Growing Season
Saturday, September 22nd, 1 pm - 2 pm
Join Alex Ekins of Scratch & Peck, makers of the Hoopla Garden Hoops system (greenhouse, shade house, bird deterrent, insect barrier, as you need through the seasons) as he demonstrates how to use the Hoopla system to extend your harvest of greens and other hardy vegetables. He’ll also talk about fall vegetable harvesting and storage, clearing your beds, cover crops, and winter planting.
Fall Composting
Saturday, September 29th, 11 am - noon
Cedar Grove will be here to talk about mulching for fall and other compost applications.
Best Bulb Varieties for the Spring Garden
Saturday, October 6th, 11 am - noon
Spring seems so far away, but if you plant your spring bulbs now, you will have flowers when it is still too cold outside to garden! Learn about truly perennial bulbs and which varieties to plant for the best show from Richard Greenberg, our most versatile instructor and owner of Earth Wizardry Gardens.
