Garden Workshops & Series

Spring 2012 Garden Workshops at the Great Park

Our spring workshops begins at the Great Park Farm + Food Lab in March. Come out and learn from local experts. The workshops begin at 10:00 am and run about 1 hour. Admission and parking is free. After the workshop, wander through the Farm + Food Lab demonstration gardens and enjoy the many displays and our new chicken coop – complete with chickens.

For more information visit ocgp.org or call 949 724-6800.  

The workshop schedule:

• March 17, 2012
  Irrigation Ways to Water Effectively
• March 31, 2012
  Fruit Trees for the Home Garden
• April 7, 2012
  Beautiful Flowering Native Plants for Your Garden
• April 21, 2012
  Grow it Now – What’s Hot Now (Warm Season Edibles)
• April 28, 2012
  Using Fruit from the Garden: Making Jam and Jelly
• May 5, 2012
• Edible Gardening in Small Spaces

Gardening Series for Adults: Growing Edibles

You can grow your own fresh produce, no matter what your skill level or space available, with a little help from the City of Irvine, the Orange County Great Park and UCCE Master Gardeners and Preservers. Gardening for Adults: Growing Edibles is a monthly, six-part series that will cover the basics of how to grow edibles in your garden, patio or balcony.  Classes will focus on what’s easy to grow, how to choose what to plant and how to keep them alive and thriving! Admission and parking are free.

Visitors can attend any or all of the workshops held at the Great Park Farm + Food Lab. Workshops are 5:30pm-6:30pm on the first Thursday of the month from May through October, rain or shine.  This series was developed as part of a Health and Wellness partnership between the City of Irvine Senior Services and the Orange County Great Park to teach adults how to grow their own fresh, healthy food. The Gardening for Adults Workshops include:

The gardening series dates are:

• Edibles You Can Plant Now
  May 3, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30p.m.
  What do you like to eat?  What's easy to grow?  Learn how to choose what to plant and how to keep it alive and thriving!
• Food Preserving
  June 7, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30p.m.
  Enjoy the fruits of your garden labor year round. UCCE Master Food Preservers will teach you the basics of food preserving.
• Pest Management
  July 5, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30pm
  Learn Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques to control insect and rodent pests using 'least toxic' methods.
• Start your Seeds
  August 2, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30pm
  Increase your garden variety and decrease your cost by learning the basics of seed starting at home.
• Composting
  September 6, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30pm
  Use your kitchen and garden waste to supercharge your soil.  Learn how to choose an effective compost bin and composting materials.
• Gardening Q&A
  October 4, 2012
  5:30pm-6:30pm
  Don’t let garden issues bring you down. Ask the experts! A panel of previous workshop speakers will be available to answer any gardening questions you may have.

For details on how to find the Farm + Food Lab at the Great Park, see http://www.ocgp.org/visit/hours-directions/