By Jackie Le / Communications coordinator, Growing Places Indy
As the warmer weather settles in, local residents can enjoy the outdoors with friends and family while learning various gardening tips and techniques.
Beginning Saturday, April 24, Growing Places Indy will launch monthly in-person workshops to help you grow a flourishing home garden. From soil preparation, pruning, and seed saving, every workshop is designed for beginning home gardeners and those who want to freshen up their gardening skills.
Leading each workshop will be Christine Kelley, Growing Places Indy’s director of farms operations, and Danielle Guerin, Growing Places Indy’s farm manager. With several years of farming and cultivation experience, both Kelley and Guerin are excited to share their expertise.
Kelley, a sixth-generation farmer, has overseen four urban lots and two greenhouses in year-round production while managing all of its performances. Danielle participated in Growing Places Indy’s summer apprenticeship program in 2014, now called Young Grow Getters, where apprentices gain hands-on gardening and farming experience, benefit from personal and leadership development, and engage with their community. She also spent two years in West Africa working with farmers before returning to Indianapolis and joining the Growing Places Indy team.
Growing Places Indy has a mission to cultivate a healthier community through educating and providing better access to fresh foods. By helping others develop their home gardens, community members will have the opportunity to practice self-sustainability and begin their healthy eating journey.
Workshops are offered every second Saturday of the month at 1 p.m. on the Growing Places Indy farm at 727 N. Oriental St.
To sign-up for a workshop, visit the events calendar page at www.growingplacesindy.org.
The sessions, all on Saturday, are set for:
o April 24 – Getting Started. The basics of starting a garden at home, from soil preparation to planting, watering and maintenance.
o May 8 – Pest and Disease Control. Discuss the most common garden pests, diseases, and do-it-yourself solutions and prevention.
o June 12 – Pruning and Trellising Crops. Learn to train crops for healthy plants with good yields.
o July 10 – Garden Harvest and Storage. Discuss harvesting techniques, food safety, and tips on making the most of a garden’s harvest.
o August 14 – Extending Your Season. Gain tips on growing fall crops, weather control, and ways to extend the season.
o September 11 – Putting the Garden to Bed and Seed Saving. Learn how to prepare beds and save seeds to set up for a great spring season.
PHOTO ABOVE: The gardening workshops will be presented on the Growing Places Indy farm at 727 N. Oriental St.
