Are you interested in starting a garden in your neighborhood? Do you want to grow your own food? Beautify a vacant lot? Garden at your school? If so, this Garden Tenders class is for you.
This self-help course is designed for individuals and groups who want to improve their neighborhoods by turning vacant lots and other spaces into both community and individual gardens. Garden Tenders participants learn how to get gardens started, and how to keep things going once the garden is in the ground.
The eight-session course combines in-depth and hands-on gardening experience with topics such as basic horticulture, sources for garden supplies, recruiting and keeping volunteers, finding other resources in your neighborhood, plant selection, starting seeds, planting and garden maintenance.
This training is held at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor.
Fee for the series is $25. Although there are 8 scheduled sessions, you need only pay the registration fee ONCE. Please register no later than Monday, March 21. To register and pay online, go to https://www.pennhort.net/gardentenders
For more information, contact Sally McCabe at 215-988-8846 or gardentenders@pennhort.org
Dates: Wednesdays, March 23, 30, April 6, 20, and 27, May 4 and 11, 5:30-8:30 p.m. & Saturday, April 16, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Topics to be covered during the Garden Tenders Basic Training Course
- Basic Organizing & Resources in and out of the neighborhood
What’s Garden Tenders all about? Meet other gardeners; learn where your support can come from, and what you need to get started - Tour of Community Gardens
- Real Estate Issues & More Organizing
Who owns a lot?
How to Obtain Permission to Garden a Neighborhood Vacant Lot
How to Manage your Community Garden; Organizing Volunteers & Building an Organization; Down-to-earth Garden Organizing - Site Analysis & Garden Design
Site Analysis for Garden; the Design Process; - Plants & Trees
Selecting the Right Plant for the Right Place; Garden Maintenance; - Soil
Soil Building; Composting
Soil Testing; Children & Lead - Design Presentations & Everything Else
Present the design for your community garden! - Intensive Gardening
How to get the most food, flowers and beauty out of your garden - Let’s Build a Garden!
Site will be picked from participants in the previous classes.
