Teaching a Beginner Gardening Class Next Weekend

[vfem]

I am actually going to be teaching a beginner, hands on, gardening class next weekend. I'm passing out some booklets that get more in depth over certain things we'll be covering. Some of the girls coming have not started their first garden and I want to give them a clue on how to get going on the important stuff so they don't overwhelm themselves, or miss something vital and quit. I think that's the most important thing I want to get across.

"Gardening isn't always a perfect WIN, and sometimes things fail when its out of our hands. You just don't quit, but gain information to use in the future... and we move on!"

I am covering all the options to home gardening, traditional, raised beds, containers, hydroponics, ect. Then talking about organic options for gardening. Going on about composting, soil management, our zone, veggies, flowers, trees, companion planting, pruning, seed starting....

I'm trying to figure out what else we can cover? I've already put 20 pages into this booklet and I know I need to get more covered. Since this is pretty much an all day event, we start at 10:30am and quit when we've covered all everyone can handle in a day. We're having coffee, tea, baked goods and a lunch break. Looks like its going to be a beautiful weekend for it too.

So any suggestions of more I could cover, maybe some links to some of these things to see what I may have missed in my notes to print up? Sometimes, the information is in my head... I just need someone to mention it to dig it out and remember what its all about. My brain is pretty overwhelmed lately, and I just need some clarity I guess.

 

[ninnymary]

Vfem, I think you would be perfect to do what Cynthia does. I think I've mentioned her before. She is a former lawyer who turned full time gardener. She is the owner of Love Apple Farm in Santa Cruz, Ca. She grows over 100 heirloom tomatoes for sell. I met her when she had a 3 acre farm and she has since bought a bigger property. She teaches alot of classes, beginning gardening, container gardening, compost making, jam, cheese, soap, raising chickens, bee keeping, etc. She is now going corporate and giving classes at companies.

I personally think her classes are expensive but yet they are always full. Rarely does she have full day classes, most are usually a few hours. Check out her website. You will get alot of ideas. I envision you doing something like this in your area. I think this is right up your alley.

Mary

 

[vfem]

Wow... well I opened up this class to a lot of friends who ask for help quite often. I thought this would be wonderful to answer their questions and answer things they haven't even asked yet. I had a few friends confirm they are coming, and they are bringing a couple of friends and family members now. It looks like I'll have about 8 people, maybe more... I have people 'considering' coming because they know this will be the last saturday of the year I'm not working and can cover everything.

I only asked $25 per person since I'm feeding everyone and it will pay for all my time putting together the booklets and printing them up. I even got nice little binders! hahaha

I'm going to go check out that website, but it sounds so familar... I bet you've mentioned her before or I read about her previously! Especially if she's big into tomatoes... I have NO doubt I've run across her! hahahaa

 

[digitS']

This should be just great for you, V!!

Twenty pages? You could fill 200 pages!

But, can they handle it??

Steve

 

[Greenthumb18]

That's great V! You'll be able to teach others all about gardening, Good for you for doing this!!
I say teach them the basics on gardening then gradually get into more complicated details.

Have Fun Vfem

 

[vfem]

Oh, I so want to stay away from complicating things! lol They'd quit gardening before they even began.

I want them to stay 'hungry' for information, but give it a go this year. I think its important to share this with friends. Get them hooked and then I can have people to share my passion with. I hate when I don't have people to share my garden love with. Gotta get 'em hooked!!! :watering

I've put together a bit more. Most of it just 'simple' coverage. A little here, a little there... ect ect.

I figure doing it here would be awesome... though my yard looks terrible and its all 'winterized' and everything is naked and dead. But I get a chance to show them how I treat the soil, how I till, pruning when its the correct time... you know?

Don't know if I'll do it again, but I sure will if it goes well and I get good feedback. :weight

 

[Ridgerunner]

I look at what you are trying to accomplish then see this statement in your first post.

I want to give them a clue on how to get going on the important stuff so they don't overwhelm themselves

You are taking on a bunch, lady. don't overwhelm yourself. I'd be real tempted to try to limit what you are actually going to talk about or really just barely brush over some of it. Maybe go into more detail on traditional or container gardening and cruise over hydroponics pretty darn quickly unless you have someone really interested in hydroponics. Don't spend any time on things they are not going to try. Carefully select where you are going into detail. Or look at it more as providing an overview and relying on your handout for details. Simplify as much as you can.

Now, exactly opposite to what I just said, maybe as part of your zone, you talk about varieties or cultivars for your zone, frost and freeze dates, such as that. Starting green peas as soon as the ground can be worked but peppers don't go out until the ground is warm. Don't try to grow things that won't grow in your zone.

How about watering and irrigation? The importance of drainage? Shade versus full sun?

As part of soil management, how can they get the soil tested and what would it cost? Different plants need different nutrients and pH levels?

Do yo want to say anything about preserving? Canning, freezing, dehydrating?

Maybe a topic on seed saving or propogation? Hybrid versus open-pollinated? Rooting or cuttings? If fruit trees come up, maybe grafting?

Does your extension service have a planting calendar, telling you what you can plant each month? Are there any other neat pamphlets you can get from the extension service to include in your handout?

Companion planting?

This can get pretty complicated pretty fast so I'll quit. You've accepted a huge challenge. Good luck with it and have fun with it.

 

[thistlebloom]

Great idea V! I think Ridgerunner covered the things that also occurred to me pretty thoroughly.

I'll just add again, don't cover too much variety in one day. Especially with newbie gardeners. You can stick to the very basics and still have a days worth of material. Send home the handout for their perusal at their leisure.

This sounds like something you could spread out throughout the year if you could swing it, to go more into depth on different aspects of gardening.

No doubt as many of them begin they'll have questions that won't even occur to them now.

 

[ninnymary]

Vfem, I personally wouldn't make the class longer than 2 or 2 1/2 hrs. Too much information will overwhelm people. You can always add other classes such as "intermediate gardening" or "seed starting". A short, simple, beginners class will whet their appetite and get them started. Just being with an experienced gardener and seeing their place is already a hugh plus.

Mary

 

[vfem]

Well this is some hang out time with friends mainly... so they know they can leave anytime! hahaha

They'll probably stay for the food though... lucky brats I'm baking for them.

Ridge, awesome ideas! I forgot about irragation (since I'm a hose dragger until I can afford the pump for the pond) so we'll just touch base on that a little. I did print up a planting schedule for our zone and put that in the hand out so they could keep a copy. Good stuff!