***Under Construction!! Check back often for updates!!***
If you are interested in one of our class series, please contact us for details and to bring it to your community.
Every citizen on Earth has the right to fresh, healthy, local food!
Fresh Earth Gardens is proud to announce the newest additions to our educational offerings!
If you are a Municipality, School System, Institution, or anyone else that is interested in learning about the localization movement, you may be interested in our new informational presentation:
Why Local?: Opportunities in Demand-Driven Agriculture
With the many challenges facing individuals, communities, the economy & our country, there are many people wondering what to do and how to get involved. This 2 hour dynamic presentation can inform individuals, educate families, assist communities & stimulate the type of direct action necessary for the practical revitalization of the food system of your organization or township. This is not just about dinner, it is about revitalizing & stabilizing your local economy, improving your quality of life, and having fun!
How to Grow for Your Family
This 4 class course is designed to guide the individual homeowner through the steps needed to grow as much food as possible on whatever land is available. Wether you live in an urban jungle, a suburban environment, or on acreage; in a matter of 4 short classes we will have you eating fresh, heirloom produce from your own merits. Step by step instructions, easy to follow plans, and use of everyday materials will astonish you with ease and have you eating better produce than the supermarket. Stop paying for stale food; It is time to get growing!
Bring the Fresh to your town!
Learn the techniques that have students quitting their day jobs to become Local Agrarians!
Modern Organic Farming on Small Acreage
This 10 session intensive course is designed to take the individual or team through the steps needed to become a food producer for their community.
Site Selection, Scale & Scope.
A discussion of what to look for in land, layout, and size of operations. The strategic importance of planning will be covered; highly beneficial, even to the experienced farmer. Transitioning to Organic production will be covered in this lecture also.
Tools & Techniques
An examination of a wide range of tools for the small farm including modern, traditional, foreign, homemade and custom manufactured. In the second half, we will discuss uses of those tools and demonstrate effective practices.
Whole Land Concepts & Field Work
A discussion of how to organize land effectively and create an efficient production field. Row spacing options, plant spacing, field blocks and how to work greenhouses and land successively will be topics of discussion.
Propagation & Plant Varieties
We will compare many propagation methods and examine 100′s of plant varieties. Soil blocks, speedy plugs, soil mixes, direct seeding, and scatter planting will be discussed. Diversity in the garden, seed saving, locating varieties, growing for yield, flavor and other characteristics will all be included in the second half.
Soil Fertility & Compost
A lecture on how to make good compost, create healthy soil and how to keep it that way. Cover crops, green manures, living mulches, compost tea, and recent advances in composting technology will all be discussed.
Irrigation & Individual Crop Care
A variety of Irrigation systems will be discusses, and also how to care for individual crops properly. Flow rates, sizing of systems, types of irrigation, and when to irrigate will be covered. In the second half, a number of crops and best practices for those crops will be examined.
Pests & Weeds
This week we will tackle the 3 biggest roadblocks to success, bugs, pests and weeds, not to be missed! Weed identification, bug identification, damage identification, physical barriers, plant diversity, use of OMRI listed sprays, companion planting, and double cropping will all be examined.
Season Extension
In this class we will look at methods of extending production for spring and fall, leading to year round growing. We will examine Greenhouse designs, Hoophouse designs, cloche designs, planting schedules, hardy variety selection, blanching, shade house planting and other techniques. If you ever wanted to learn how to garden year round, this is the class for you.
Harvest & Post Harvest/Marketing
We will examine proper harvest, handling methods and storage needs. Cleaning, cooling, packing, bundling, weighing, and temperature & moisture considerations will all be discussed. Farmers Markets, CSA’s, Neighborhood programs, Co-op and Restaurant sales will all be discussed as in the Marketing section.
Business & Operations Management
Spreadsheets, accounting forms, budgets, operating cash flow, taxes and many other issues will be addressed; highly critical for the success of the market farmer. This week we will discuss why small is better in farming and why that translates to success.
*Each Class is 3 hours long and includes a handout for each student to take home. Two topics will be covered each week, each 1.5 hrs long with a short break separating them, and a Q & A session at the end of the class.
** Partial scholarships may be available if there is sufficient class size
About the Instructor: David Knaus currently operates Fresh Earth Gardens, has a BS in Business from the University of Pittsburgh and has been Organic Farming for 7 years. Raised in the garden, schooled in business, and being exposed to many different farming methods has provided him the experience to implement highly effective techniques for growing large amounts of produce in small areas. He has worked on farms in Washington, Oregon, New York, Hawaii, and India and delivers fresh produce weekly to some the best chefs in the Portland area.
