[Lapg] Tujunga - Ecofriendly high yield gardening course

[Cory Brennan]

Ecofriendly High-Yield Food Gardening
April 20, 27, May 18, 25, Jun 1, Tujunga
 
See below for full announcement. Enrollment, payment, and refund policy appears below course announcement.
 
Call or email Darren Butler to sign up:
allnet at pobox. com
818.271.0963
 
www.EcoWorkshops. com
 
Ecofriendly High-Yield Food Gardening
 
      Is organic the best way to garden? My answer is emphatically NO! Certainly it's better than chemical gardening, and it provides a good basis in many respects, but it falls short of what we need to do to achieve personal and global sustainability and be stewards of our planet and our lives.
      Most general gardening books are for temperate climates, and their advice will lead Southern Californians astray. Ecofriendly High-Yield Food Gardening is a basic to intermediate course taught through the specialized lens of sustainability and appropriate methods for Southern California. This course can save you years of mistakes and frustration in trying to implement climatically inappropriate methods in our dry Mediterranean climate. Strongly recommended as a prerequisite for the more advanced Sustainable Biointensive course that I also teach.
      Have your vegetable gardens or fruit trees failed to produce as expected? Do plants seem stressed or die before bearing? Uncertain about best ways to prepare soil, manage watering, or plant seeds? Does your compost pile not turn into compost? This course will teach you how to produce huge yields in Southern California’s unique dry Mediterranean climate, using methods that go beyond organic.
      Topics are expected to include building soil fertility while minimizing energy trails and resource use, philosophical and spiritual approaches, bed preparation and double digging, use of tools, sustainability, seed starting, composting, vermicomposting, keeping plants healthy and thriving, watering, seasonal gardening and crop suitability, tips and tricks for gardening in Southern California, hot-weather gardening, and more. A large fraction of the course material, including spiritual/philosoph ical approaches, perspectives on soil, and information specific to gardening in Southern California are based upon my own experience and invention and are available nowhere else.
       During the course we will create and plant a small garden. There will be demonstrations but little to no hands-on work during classtime (you're expected to work at home and bring questions).
      Course difficulty:  2 to 3 out of 10. Gardening experience recommended but not required. Basic topics will be covered thoroughly. Beginners or relatively new gardeners should expect some difficulty. Intermediate gardeners should expect that time will be spent on basics.     
      Course dates:  April 20, 27, May 18, 25, Jun 1 (Sundays) from 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM with short breaks only (arrival encouraged by 9:00 AM).
       Course location:  Tujunga near Foothill and Commerce. Easy access from the 210 freeway.
      Course fee:  $175 for early registration through April 11. Special bring-a-friend early-registration price of $315 per couple making a combined payment. $195 per person for registration after April 11. There will be an additional $50 fee and additional requirements to receive a course certificate.
      Reading List (required for a certificate only):  Core book is The Sustainable Vegetable Garden by Jeavons and Cox (1999). Many other books are recommended throughout the course based upon the day's topics of discussion.
      Assistance is needed for video recording of the sessions. Free tuition available in trade.
 
 
Darren Butler is a Consulting Arborist, Ecological Designer, and Landscape Specialist. His recent projects include designing and developing food forests in residential landscapes, which are forest-like systems that produce food with minimal maintenance once established. He has appeared on several episodes of "Weekend Gardening" for a large international television audience as an expert horticulturist and landscaper, on NPR radio, in newspapers, and other media. He has taught Sustainable Landscape Design and Diagnosing Plant Problems for the University of California Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, Small-Space Food Gardening at Descanso Botanic Gardens, and is working with the Getty Villa to develop and teach gardening-related workshops. He holds many landscape- and plant-related certifications and lice nses. In 2007 and 2008 he developed curriculum for and taught certification programs in Sustainable Biointensive Gardening and in Edible Landscaping. He currently
 serves on a statewide advisory committee for all University of California Master Gardener programs, and is a speaker at the upcoming 2008 University of California Master Gardener Conference. He has been gardening since childhood, and developing expertise in Southern California gardening since 1996.
 
Comments from prior students:
 
"Darren is just so knowledgable. This is a crucial part of the owner's manual for Planet Earth."
 
"Darren is an outstanding teacher. He integrates real life to gardening. He's down to earth, full of laughs and personality. His enthusiasm is infectious."
 
"Wow! The idea that so many things are just soil in another temporary format is pretty powerful. Darren has thought more than any other person I have ever met. The class was awesome."
 
"I got so much out of this! Packed full of information that was immediately usable to me. I love listening to this guy! He knows so much and is so humble about sharing what he knows. He knocks my socks off."
 
"If you want to change your perspective on the world and get deeply in touch with the Earth, come to this class!"
 
Enrollment, payment, and refund policy:
   Half tuition must be sent to reserve enrollment, with the remaining half due by the first day of class. If full tuition is not paid by the second class, attendance is expected to stop until payment is completed. Full refunds less $50 will be available until seven days before the first session. No refunds thereafter except for cancellation by the instructor. If tentative details change after enrollment has been paid, full refund is available until three days before the first class if cancellation is based upon the change(s).
   Payment is by check, cash, or money order and should be sent to Darren Butler, PO Box 920434, Sylmar CA 91392-0434. Contact me if you prefer to pay with a credit card via the internet.
 
Courses are rated as to my best guess about difficulty from 1 to 10 with 1 being appropriate for absolute beginners and 10 for accomplished experts.
 
Courses not guaranteed to carry. Some courses fill up quickly. To avoid disappointment, please do not delay.
 
A certificate in Ecofriendly High-Yield Gardening is available. Specific requirements for completion will include required reading, minimum attendance of two of the three sessions with makeup for the missed session, a project, and additional fee of $50.
 

       
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