Image by Flickr user Auntie P
Whether you’ve been eating your own lettuce and tomatoes for years or are in the early planning stages of your garden, the Charleston Parks Conservancy is offering a series of Educate You Classes that offers Help for the Home Gardener.
Classes begin February 19th and cover everything from starting seeds, to vegetable gardening and tips for gardening in the Lowcountry. Jim Martin, gardener and horticulturist with the Conservancy, will lead the classes along with guest gardeners. Participants will have hands-on opportunities for learning.
“Everywhere I go people ask me questions about growing their own vegetables, the kind of soil to use or how to start a compost pile,” Martin says. “It’s clearly a trend that isn’t going away and we’re happy to offer classes that will help locals grow their own food.”
The Help for the Home Gardener Series includes:
Starting Seed and Transplants-Everything You Need to Know for Success
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 at Sea Island Savory Herbs Nursery, 5920 Chisolm Road on Johns Island. This class will cover what you need to get started; where to grow your seeds; where to find seeds; growing conditions; keeping diseases and pests away from your growing plants; and transferring your seeds to the garden. The class – a mixture of presentation and demonstration – will be taught by Danielle Spier, head grower at Sea Island Savory Herbs, and Jim Martin, gardener and horticulturist with the Conservancy. Cost: $35.
Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5 at the Conservancy’s classroom space located at DwellSmart, 804 Meeting St. in Charleston. Jim Martin, gardener and horticulturist with the Conservancy, will lead the class, covering: designing the vegetable garden; getting your soil ready to plant; deciding what to grow; warm and cool season vegetables; seed-sown basics; fertilizing the garden; and starting a compost pile. The class – a mixture of presentation and demonstration – will end at Martin’s edible garden location on James Island. Cost: $35.
Natural Approaches to Dealing with Pest and Diseases in the Vegetable Garden
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19 at the Conservancy’s classroom space located at DwellSmart, 804 Meeting St. in Charleston. Kari Whitley, horticulturist and owner of Scout Horticultural Consulting, and Jim Martin, gardener and horticulturist with the Conservancy, will cover natural defenses in the garden; defining the healthy vegetable garden in the context of how we garden; major pests and diseases and the vegetables they like to bother; ways to control the pests without harming everything else around them; and rotating your crops for a healthy garden. The class – a mixture of presentation and demonstration – will end at Martin’s edible garden location on James Island. Cost: $35.
Lowcountry Gardening from the Ground Up
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, April 3 at the Conservancy’s classroom space located at DwellSmart, 804 Meeting St. in Charleston. Jim Martin, gardener and horticulturist with the Conservancy, will lead the class, covering: making the soil you have plantable; designing a garden using some basic steps; choosing plants based on the right place and right plant scheme; and seasonal techniques that work whether you are a newbie or seasoned gardener. The class – a mixture of presentation and demonstration – will end at Martin’s garden location on James Island. Cost: $35.
Participants should register online. You may register for each class individually or register for the entire four-class series for a reduced cost of $110. Space is limited.
