Education — Community Gardening

Windy City Harvest

Workshops in Sustainable Vegetable Production

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Classes are open to the general public and have a min/max registration of 5/15 students. Registration for each class ends the Thursday one week prior to each class. Classes will be held at the Arturo Velasquez Institute at 2800 S. Western Avenue, in the greenhouse. Please contact with additional questions.

CLASS	DATE	DESCRIPTION
Crop Planning	January 23	Cabin fever is setting in. It’s time to grab your seed catalogs and start dreaming about the growing season. Let’s plan your veggie garden early!
Seed Starting	February 27	Learn different techniques for starting your own veggie transplants. Learn to blend your own seed-starting mix and use a soil-block maker, a sustainable method for starting seeds.
Season Extension	March 27	Learn how to extend your growing season with low tunnels and cold frames.
Window Box or Container Gardens	April 24	Discover space-saving ways to grow your own vegetables.
Building Healthy Soil	May 22	Learn about composting, early spring cover cropping, and other soil-building techniques. Healthy soil is the key to healthy plants!
Organic Pest Control	June 26	Organic pest control remedies will help you keep those pesky pests in check.
Harvest Techniques	July 24	Learn proper harvest and handling techniques for your summer veggies.
Cover Cropping	August 28	Discover the best cover crops to use for the fall and winter months. This is a follow-up to spring's "Building Health Soil" workshop.
Seed Starting: Cool Season Crop Planning	September 25	Learn about fall crops to extend the growing season. Start your own seeds for your fall garden.
Season Extension Techniques	October 23	Extend your growing season to Thanksgiving. What could be better than harvesting your own veggies for your holiday feast!
Troubleshooting Cool Season Production	November 27	Learn about different pests and diseases, and effective control methods for extending the growing season.
Fruit Tree Pruning	December 18	A farmer’s work is never done. Now is the time to prune your fruit trees. Learn about proper pruning techniques to maximize fruit production.

Workshop Time, Location, and Registration Information
All workshops are held Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in the greenhouse classroom at the Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Avenue (enter the south parking lot at 31st Street). The cost is $39. per course. All materials and handouts are provided. There is a $20 cancellation fee per class unless the class is cancelled due to low enrollment. Workshops are taught by Chicago Botanic Garden and Windy City Harvest staff.