Organic school hosts gardening series

The Organic Growers School, in Asheville, North Carolina, is teaming up with Diana McCall, manager of the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden, to launch its popular annual gardening series.

This year will feature three pair of classes covering the Spring, Summer, and Fall growing seasons. The school has restructured the series from in-person workshops to a six-part webinar series, in response to the need for virtual learning opportunities.

Each season’s classes can be purchased individually, or participants can buy the full series for a discounted price.

Class topics cover:

Spring: Site planning, preparing a bed for planting, seeds versus starts, how to sow seeds and transplant starts, crops for Spring, tool show-and-tell, soil science 101, becoming a steward for soil fertility and species diversity

Summer: How to build sensational compost, forging a new relationship with weeds, crops for Summer, watering, fertilizing, pollinators and companion plants

Fall: Crops for Fall, low-tunnel construction, Winter gardening, and planning for next year’s garden: cover cropping, double digging, and sheet mulching.

“We noticed an increase in interest in gardening and home growing in 2020,” says Carrie Moran, the school’s director of systems and communications. “This resurgence speaks to the desire for self-sufficiency and sustainable food systems in an ever-changing world.”

McCall manages the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden, located on town property in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The garden is maintained by nearly 70 families. It includes over 100 fruit and nut trees, mushroom logs, a native species trail and a biodynamic donation garden which produces 4000 pounds of produce annually for distribution in Black Mountain. McCall’s work also includes school garden programs, expanding community gardens in the town, and partnering with numerous agencies and institutions to educate the community on how to grow, access and prepare healthy food for themselves and their families.

The gardening series will kick off Spring classes on March 29 and April 5. More information, details about each webinar session, and registration can be found at https://organicgrowersschool.org/gardeners/gardening-series/ or by emailing nicole@organicgrowersschool.org.

The Organic Growers School, a 501(c)3 non-profit, offers practical and affordable organic education, building a vibrant food and farming community by boosting the success of home growers and farmers in the Southern Appalachians.