Classes are selling out!

Register early by clicking on the eventbrite link, or calling Common Ground at 650 493-6072, then sending a check for the full amount to Common Ground, 559 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Seniors and low-income persons may request a $4 discount on classes.

Deva Luna  Saturday, March 6, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://droughttolerant.eventbrite.com/

Come learn practical tips to safeguard new and existing landscapes. Plants, soils, compost, irrigation and mulch will be covered. Handouts will be included. The best kept secrets will be revealed to save you money and our precious resources. Deva works for Earth Care Landscape and specializes in water-wise gardens.

John Jeavons  Saturday, March 13, 2010
10:30 - 12:30+   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://gardenplan.eventbrite.com/

Learn how to use the charts in How to Grow More Vegetables. Getting seedlings started at the right time and in the right quantities can help you make the best use of your garden space. YOU BRING: a copy of How to Grow More Vegetables, 7th edition, a sharp pencil and a calculator.

John Jeavons  Saturday, March 13, 2010
2:00 - 4:00+   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://croprotation.eventbrite.com/

Learn how to grow the most food, calories, and soil-nourishing compost materials for this summerÕs garden with a dynamic plan for the health of your garden over the next 3 years.

Jody Main  Saturday, March 20, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31 + $5 materials fee, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://herbsgardenkitchen.eventbrite.com/

Plant an organic herb garden! Bring a beautiful diversity to your garden with a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. Herbs bring harmony and health to us and our gardens with their beauty, fragrance, flowers (that attract beneficial insects), and everlasting qualities that enable them to be brought indoors to share and enjoy. Learn how to grow and harvest perennial and annual herbs, herbs in containers, and essential herbs for the kitchen. Plant lists, recipes and tasty samples will be provided. Everyone will plant herbs to take home.

Nancy Garrison  Saturday, March 27, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://greattomatoes.eventbrite.com/

Learn which tomatoes have really great flavor and reliable production and are able to hold up under regular garden conditions. You will learn her favorite trellising methods, soil preparation, what NOT to do, and how to avoid the brown crispy foliage blues so a bountiful harvest will be yours until frost. Tomatoes featured will be the result of her 25 years of hands-on tomato research.

---

Past Classes

---

ROSE PRUNING AND CARE
Carole Kraft  Saturday, January 10, 2009
10:30 - 1:30 $37, To register call 650-493-6072

Encourage beautiful, profuse flowering with winter pruning and proper care. Learn about the very best soil and amendments for healthy, happy roses. Mulches also discussed. The class will go to a nearby garden for a demonstration and some hands-on pruning. YOU BRING: a snack, pruning sheers optional. Carole is an energetic and articulate horticulture consultant with 24 years of experience.

Edible Garden Series: from Design to Harvest
Drew Harwell
5 Saturdays
January 17, February 7, March 7, April 11, May 2, 2009
10:30 - 2:00 $295, To register Call 650-493-6072
Class limit 20 students - register early

Learn garden design and planning, composting, soil testing and preparation,seed propagation and transplanting, watering, and how to nurture healthy edible crops. You can create a garden oasis of beautiful edibles in the front, side or back of the home. Master harvesting techniques and learn what compost crops to plant after harvest.
Permaculture design and GROW BIOINTENSIVE methods harmonize together in this special series. Home owners and professional landscape designers will gain valuable knowledge to create gardens of nutritious and delicious organic food in your homes and communities. Make lasting friendships! Learn about proper tools, supplies, books and resources throughout the course.
Drew is the talented and wonderful Manager of the Common Ground Demonstration Garden, and the former manager of the Stanford Community Farm. He has gardened in the Ecology Action Research Garden/Mini-Farm in Willits. Going green by growing green

* INTRODUCTION TO GROW BIOINTENSIVE
Dan Royer-Miller  Saturday, January 24, 2009
10:30 - 12:00 $26, To register call 650-493-6072

We emphasize a whole-system approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm more self-sustaining. Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon-farming (compost crops), calorie-farming, and open-pollinated seeds.Dan is a third-year apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA.

*GROW BIOINTENSIVE SEED PROPAGATION
Margo Royer-Miller  Saturday, January 24, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

It all begins with a seed! Learning GROW BIOINTENSIVE seed propagation techniques will help you have a more productive and efficient garden. This class will highlight how to choose the best soil mix, transplanting, pricking out seedlings from flats, proper watering, and planting by the phases of the moon. Margo is a third year apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA.

* AMARANTH TO WHEAT and all points between
Dan Royer-Miller  Saturday, January 31, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Grains are some of the most beautiful and satisfying crops to grow in the garden. Not only are they pleasing to the eye and nourishing to the body, grains are also part of the key to maintaining your soil's fertility. We will discuss the many varieties, their characteristics and attributes, how to bring them from seed to maturity, and what to do with them afterward. Come learn how simple grains are to grow and use! Dan is a third year apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA.

* GROW BIOINTENSIVE COMPOSTING
Margo Royer-Miller  Saturday, January 31, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

GROW BIOINTENSIVE composting is the basis for growing the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. Besides being the easiest and most effective way to compost, it is so fun and satisfying that we must warn you composting can become addictive! We will go to a nearby site and build our own compost pile. YOU BRING: a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or non-meat kitchen scraps). Margo is a third year apprentice at Ecology Action's Research Garden in Willits, CA.

FRUIT TREE PRUNING
Kevin Raftery  Saturday, February 7, 2009
10:30 - 2:00 $41, To register call 650-493-6072

Learn how to maximize tree health, fruit production and dead wood identification. Espalier care also discussed. Meet at Common Ground, then proceed to a local orchard-rain or shine. YOU BRING: pruning shears, bag lunch and a notebook. Kevin is a Certified Arborist with a degree in horticulture. He teaches at Foothill College and has been associated with Common Ground for over 30 years.

FRUIT TREE VARIETIES
Nancy Garrison  Saturday, February 14, 2009
10:15 - 12:15 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Learn which varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots, apples and pears are the delight of connoisseurs. Be introduced to the best of the best-tasting deciduous fruits that grow in this area and learn where to source your own plants. Nancy has been conducting and attending fruit tastings for the last 26 years in her diverse home fruit garden and in research facilities around the state. She has collaborated with Andy's Orchard and Dave Wilson Nursery and oversees the rare fruit plantings at Prusch Farm Park.

* COMPLETE-DIET MINI-FARMING
John Jeavons  Saturday, February 21, 2009
10:30 - 12:30+ $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Does your desire for better nutrition have you wondering if you could live off your land? This class will show you how to plan a garden or mini-farm that will produce healthy, nutritious food and be highly productive as well as truly sustainable in the smallest space possible. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and the author of our book How to Grow More Vegetables, which has been translated into 7 languages and is used in over 141 countries.

* ECONOMIC MINI-FARMING
John Jeavons  Saturday, February 21, 2009
2:30 - 4:30+ $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Learn the needs, concepts, techniques and crops that can lead to successful economic mini-farming, beginning right in your own backyard. Recommended reading: Backyard Homestead and Ecology Action's Self-Teaching Mini-Series Booklets #18 and #26 available at Common Ground. John is the Executive Director of Ecology Action and author of How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its 7th edition and used in over 141 countries around the world.

SCHOOL GARDEN BASICS
Susan Stansbury, Jody Main, Margaret MacNiven
Saturday, February 28, 2009
10:30 - 1:30 $37, To register call 650-493-6072

Be inspired by the founders of the Woodside School Garden who will share a slide show story of how the garden started. Learn ways to get the children excited and participating in all aspects of a school garden, even composting. Learn to know, love and guide kids in seasonal plantings, organic plant care, soil preparation, planting seeds and seedlings. Organizing harvest festivals and sharing ideas with the community will be discussed. The story and workbook of the Woodside School Garden, The Children's Garden, is available for purchase at Common Ground. Susan Stansbury, Executive Director for Conexions, co-directs Valley of the Hearts Delight, which provides support to school gardens throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Jody Main, co-founder of the Woodside School Garden, is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Margaret MacNiven, co-founder of the Woodside School Garden, began enjoying the fruits of her double-digging during the 70s in Common Ground's test garden.

ROOTS DEMYSTIFIED or GET DOWN AND DIRTY WITH YOUR ROOTS
Robert Kourik  Saturday, March 7, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Change your gardening habits to help roots thrive. Learn how to make any plant flourish, using methods based on the knowledge of how roots actually grow. Class attendees will explore the subterranean areas of every gardener's world, revealing the complex and secret lives of roots and root systems, debunking worn-out gardening myths, and providing down-to-earth advice on root-efficient planting and cultivation methods. Robert has written ten books on a variety of topics including drip irrigation, environmentally sound homes, edible landscaping, and lavender. His articles have appeared in numerous national publications, including seven in The New York Times. He has received two national awards for the best article of the year from the Garden Writers of America Association.

* USING THE MASTER CHARTS IN HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES TO PLAN YOUR GARDEN
Carol Cox  Saturday, March 14, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Getting seedlings started at the right time and in the right quantities can help you make the best use of garden space. YOU BRING: a copy of "How to Grow More Vegetables" 7th edition (always available at Common Ground), a sharp pencil and a calculator. Carol is an excellent teacher, co-author of The Sustainable Vegetable Garden, and Research Garden Manager at the Ecology Action Research Garden in Willits, CA.

* DOUBLE-DIGGING and GARDEN BED PREPARATION
Carol Cox  Saturday, March 14, 2009
2:00 -4:00 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will help to build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better and need less water and weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class includes a hands-on demonstration at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden. Carol is an excellent teacher, co-author of The Sustainable Vegetable Garden, and Research Garden Manager at the Ecology Action Research Garden in Willits, CA.

GROWING A SALAD GARDEN
Jody Main  Saturday, March 21, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Grow bountiful crops of sweet buttery lettuce, spicy scallions, peppery radishes, and other crispy greens throughout the spring and early summer. A small bed can keep a family of four in bountiful salads that can include: Italian misticanza, arugula, radicchio, French mesclun, chervil, endive, frise, Asian baby greens, bok choy, mizuna and spinach. Create a mix of braising greens by growing kale, chard and spinach together. Class includes easy planting, harvesting and kitchen preparation instructions. A salad and dressing demonstration, snack and recipes will be provided. Jody is a local organic food and garden writer, educator, and consultant. Her specialty is designing gardens that include vegetables, herbs and berries.

GROWING GREAT TOMATOES
Nancy Garrison  Saturday, March 28, 2009
10:30 - 12:30+ $28, To register call 650-493-6072

Learn which tomatoes have really great flavor and reliable production and are able to hold up under regular garden conditions. You will learn her favorite trellising methods, soil preparation, what NOT to do, and how to avoid the brown crispy foliage blues so a bountiful harvest will be yours until frost. Tomatoes featured will be the result of her 25 years of hands-on tomato research. As the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor and Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Nancy has been and continues to be involved in tomato variety evaluations.

YOGA FOR GARDENERS AND STIFF PEOPLE
Patricia Becker  Sunday, March 29th, 2009
Location: 248 Hamilton Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301
10:00 - 12:00 $30, To reserve please call 650-462-1980 or email info@amrithika

Come and play, learn balanced body techniques and have fun! Growing food, herbs, and flowers is rich and satisfying and even more enjoyable when your body feels good. This class will teach you yoga techniques to lovingly better care for your back, shoulders, knees and body. You'll learn basic stretches for fitness and fun! * All are welcome. …if you can smile and breathe you can do Yoga! Patricia Becker is a certified Anusara Inspired Yoga Teacher. Anusara Yoga based on the life enhancing and affirming Universal Principles of Alignment. Patricia is the Center Director at Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto 559 College Ave.

HOW TO START YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN
Jody Main  Saturday, April 4, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $28 To register call 650-493-6072
2:00-4:00 $28, Class added... To register call 650-493-6072

The lessons from our forests guide us in gardening the easiest way of all . . . naturally . . . organically! Class will include methods of organically planting and caring for vegetables and herbs. Also covered are wonderful heirloom vegetables to grow this summer, traditional Native American methods of planting the Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) for gardens large and small, seasonal herbs, great crops for putting up, and summer harvesting techniques. Plant list and recipes included. Jody is a local food and garden writer, educator and consultant. Her specialty is edible landscape design.

Oliver Frank  Saturday, April 11, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

The Bay Area is fantastic for keeping bees. Learn about the benefits, methods, startup equipment, and technicalities of backyard beekeeping. Learn how and where to obtain bees, various types of beehives and supplies. Natural beekeeping vs. medications for keeping your hives healthy, colony-collapse-disorder, foulbrood and mites will be covered. Find out about local beekeeping clubs, categories of commercial and hobbyist beekeepers.

John Jeavons  Saturday, April 18, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

GROW BIOINTENSIVE emphasizes a whole-system approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) often become unnecessary, thereby making the garden and farm more self-sustaining. Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon-farming (compost crops), calorie-farming, and open-pollinated seeds.

John Jeavons  Saturday, April 18, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will help to build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better and need less water and weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class includes a hands-on demonstration at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden.

Jody Main  Saturday, April 25, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $30, To register call 650-493-6072

Celebrate Earth Day and plant an organic herb garden! Bring a beautiful diversity to your garden with a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. They bring harmony and health to us and our gardens with their beauty, fragrance, flowers (that attract beneficial insects), and everlasting qualities that enable them to be brought indoors to share and enjoy. Learn how to grow and harvest perennial and annual herbs, herbs in containers, and essential herbs for the kitchen. You will take home herb cuttings and recipes. Plant lists will be provided.

Nancy Garrison  Saturday, April 25, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Would you like to be able to harvest citrus year round? Yes, you can successfully grow most varieties of citrus in this area, so come learn the best varieties of mandarins, oranges, lemons, limes and less-common types such as citron, kumquats and ones just for marmalades and drinks such as Bouquet de Fleurs and Calamondin. Learn about size control through the various dwarfing rootstocks that are used in building the trees we can buy.

Nancy Garrison  Saturday, May 2, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

You will be introduced to the best of the best easy-to-grow flowers with staying power. Common plant foliage will compliment and add wonderful effect. Learn which specific varieties do well in arrangements. Save money and have more joy growing your own flower bouquets. Purple orach, colorful amaranths, 10 different alstromerias, purple millet, peonies, and long-stemmed roses will be discussed. A slide show is included. Nancy will share 20-plus years of knowledge on selecting and growing local cut flowers.

Frank Niccoli  Saturday, May 9, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

This hands-on class, held at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden, will teach you the simplicity of installing and maintaining a drip system. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation versus a spray system. Pressure reduction and filtration as well as irrigation controllers will be shown.

Drew Harwell  Saturday, May 16, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

This popular class will inspire you to grow vegetables and herbs. Learn exactly what plants thrive now and how to grow them. Basil, chard, cucumbers, tomatoes and much more can all be transplanted now. Corn, lettuce, squash, bean, and carrot seeds are among the many seed varieties eager to germinate at this time of year. You will get plenty of ideas and instructions for direct sowing, transplanting, creating healthy soil and harvesting. Class will conclude with a tour of the Common Ground Demonstration Garden.

Jim Howard  Saturday, May 23, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Transform your yard into a thriving native ecosystem and bird sanctuary. Learn how simple and inexpensive it can be to create a destination for birds and beneficial insects, while conserving water, protecting the environment, and making your neighbors jealous of how green and progressive you've become.

Sherri Osaka and Laura Allen  Saturday, June 6, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $30, To register call 650-493-6072

Drought conditions and water rationing are constantly in the news. Learn how you can irrigate even during water shortages by using grey water. This class describes what grey water is, how to use it safely in your garden, and which types of grey water systems are available, from home-grown to professionally designed and installed. State regulations and permitting will also be covered.

Kit Davey  Saturday, June 13, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Do you love to putter in your garden, improve it and tweak it? Would you like your garden to look and feel more creative? Learn how to add humor, mystery and spirit to your garden using unpredicted objects. You'll be inspired to create a garden that truly expresses who you are. Handouts included.

Jody Main  Saturday, June 20, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Come learn the easiest way to grow a vegetable garden . . . naturally . . . organically! Class will include planting and caring for vegetables and herbs organically, wonderful heirloom vegetables to grow this summer, traditional Native American methods of planting the Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) for gardens large and small, seasonal herbs, great crops for putting up, and summer harvesting techniques. Learn practical information and inspiration to go out and do it! Plant list and recipes included.

Darren Huckle  Saturday, July 11, 2009
10:30 - 3:30 $67, To register call 650-493-6072

Herbal medicines abound in your garden. Herbs disguised as ornamentals and "weeds" await your discovery. By studying the foundations of garden based herbalism, we will learn how to safely prepare and use garden herbs for preventing and treating common maladies including cuts, burns, colds, indigestion, etc. Also, we'll learn how to make teas and tinctures from fresh local plants. We will smell, feel and taste our way to understanding the uses for dozens of plants from our unique bio-region. This class is very popular and entertaining.

Don Larson  Saturday, July 18, 2009
12:00 - 2:00 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Prepare delicious sun-cooked meals using fresh produce from your garden. Create easy soups, breads, healthy snacks and glorious grain dishes. Modify your favorite recipes for solar ovens. Participate in a hands-on demonstration of aiming, pre-heating, and cooking using the "Global Sun Oven" and "Solar Cookit." Both ovens are available for purchase at Common Ground. Recipes included.

Deva Luna  Saturday, July 25, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 $29, To register call 650-493-6072

Your edible garden need not be relegated to the back corner of your property. It can be integrated seamlessly into the whole landscape design. Beautification, screening, shading, directing circulation and controlling erosion can all be fulfilled with plants that also provide you with organic food. You will learn and taste which edible trees, shrubs and flowers grow well in our urban landscapes. A great slideshow and list of recommended plants included.

Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009   11 am - 4 pm
$35, To register, call 650-493-6072 or register at:
www.conexions.org/greenfork/gardentour

Enjoy this self guided tour in and around Palo Alto. Learn what motivates your neighbors to grow their own food! Discover how folks weave edible plants into both garden beds and the landscape. Meet the gardeners and get inspired by special features in their gardens.

Registration packet, including maps and garden descriptions, given at check in, from 10:45 am - 3 pm at Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center 559 College Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94306

This tour is presented by and benefits Common Ground Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center and Conexions' Green Fork project.

Thank you Lyngso Garden Materials for sponsoring this event.

Bicycle route is approximately 20 miles from Common Ground and return. Thank you Tine Gildersleeve for bicycling the route first for the mileage.

Patricia Becker  Saturday, August 29, 2009
10:30-12:45   $35, To register call 650-324-2517 or email

Growing vegetables and flowers is very satisfying especially when your body feels good ... during and afterwards. Come, play and learn balanced body techniques for yourself while you are gardening. We will play and practice poses to align and care for your shoulders, knees, hips and back. Learn to sit and stand with greater ease. Anusara Yoga begins with a good attitude, then alignment, then action. Anusara Yoga is based on the life enhancing and affirming Universal Principles of Alignment. Join us for the fitness and fun! Class held at Avalon Art & Yoga Center, 370 California Ave, Palo Alto.

Margo and Dan Royer-Miller  Saturday, September 5, 2009
10:30 - 12:30 Part I   $30, To register call 650-493-6072
1:30 - 3:30 Part II   $30, To register call 650-493-6072

Grains are some of the most beautiful and satisfying crops to grow in the garden. Not only are they pleasing to the eye and nourishing to the body, grains are also part of the key to maintaining your soil's fertility. In the morning, we will discuss the many varieties, their characteristics and attributes and how to bring them from seed to maturity. In the afternoon, we will look at what to do with them afterward: threshing, cleaning, and processing. We'll discuss cooking grains and indulge in tasting them, too! Come learn how simple grains are to grow and use!

Jody Main  Saturday, September 12, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30 plus $5 materials fee

Celebrate the season and plant a vegetable garden! Bring beautiful diversity to your garden with a variety of vegetables. Learn how to grow vegetables in containers and in your yard. Special attention will be paid to planning for a year-round harvest, coordinating the garden with your kitchen, finding the easiest crops to grow, including those that will produce in the shade. Plant lists will be provided. We are very fortunate to have Jody Main teach and share her knowledge with all of us Common Ground.

Also see, Stonecrest MANAGERS / Monthly news bulletin, Professional Profile: Common Ground, August, 2009.

Dan Royer-Miller  Saturday, September 19, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30

Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon-farming (compost crops), calorie farming and open-pollinated seeds. We emphasize a whole-system approach that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm sustainable.

Margo Royer-Miller  Saturday, September 19, 2009
2:00 - 4:00   $30

Composting with the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method is the basis for keeping your soil strong and healthy to grow the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. Learn the easiest and most effective way to compost. It is so fun and satisfying that we must warn you, composting can become addictive! The class will conclude at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden where we will build our own compost pile. Bring a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or vegetarian kitchen scraps).

Doniga Markegard/Drew Harwell  Saturday & Sunday, September 26 & 27, 2009
10:30 - 4:30   $170, Postponed

Learn the tools to create a sustainable future in your backyard and beyond. Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use and design, based on patterns found in the natural world and ecological principles. We use a solutions-based method to harmoniously integrate the land with people. This course will cover sustainable living systems - including food systems, water harvesting, waste cycling, home design, climate care, holistic land management, and natural building and observation techniques. Participants will take part in a hands-on Permaculture project in Common Ground's Demonstration Garden to put theory into practice.

John Jeavons  Saturday, October 3, 2009
10:30 - 12:30+   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://completedietminifarm.eventbrite.com/

Does your desire for better nutrition have you wondering if you could live off your land? This class will show you how to plan a garden or mini-farm that will produce healthy, nutritious food and be highly productive as well as truly sustainable in the smallest space possible.

John Jeavons  Saturday, October 3, 2009
2:30 - 4:30+   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://doubledig.eventbrite.com/

Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Loosening the soil 24 inches deep will help to build essential soil structure. Plants will grow much better and need less water; weeds will come out easily. This ever-popular class concludes with some hands-on at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden.

Carol Cox  Saturday, October 10, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://usingmastecharts.eventbrite.com/

Getting seedlings started at the right time and in the right quantities can help you make the best use of garden space. YOU BRING: a copy of How to Grow More Vegetables 7th edition (always available at Common Ground), a sharp pencil and a calculator.

Carol Cox  Saturday, October 10, 2009
2:00 - 4:00   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://seedcollection.eventbrite.com/

Your garden can produce the seeds you need for next year! If you save your own seeds, you can save money and preserve your favorite varieties for many years. Carol will present the basic principles involved in producing, collecting, and saving your own seeds.

Jody Main 
10:30 - 12:30   $30 per child plus $10 materials fee per family, POSTPONED

Create sweet memories that will last a lifetime for yourself and your children. They will remember how you were there when they planted their first seed and when you created your first salad garden bed together! This time together will always stay in your heart and theirs. You will share in preparing and planting a salad garden bed, making and enjoying a community salad with edible flowers. You will be able to create a harvest decoration from herbs and everlasting flowers from Jody's garden. Plant a salad garden to take home. All ages welcome! Class will be held in the Common Ground Demonstration Garden.

Susie Mader  Saturday, October 24, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://containergarden.eventbrite.com/

Fall is the perfect time for cool-weather edible container gardens. A container garden lets you put some color, fresh herbs, vegetables and edible flowers in your life the easy way! Learn principles, techniques and how to choose containers and plants. We have everything you need to get started and maintain one or more containers of lovely plants.

Alane Weber  Saturday, October 31, 2009
10:30 - 1:30   $35, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://wormcompost.eventbrite.com/

Everything you always wanted to know about worms, but were afraid to ask. Come join us and learn all about this tidy and very efficient way to turn all your kitchen scraps into botanical gold. We will take a snack break.

Dru Rivers  Saturday, November 7, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 pm   $30 plus $20 materials cost, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://wreathmaking.eventbrite.com/

You will have fun learning how to make a beautiful wreath with all organic plant materials. Bring holiday cheer home with a wonderful wreath made by YOU! Decorate and transform your garden abundance into gifts for yourself and your friends.

Nancy Garrison  Saturday, November 14, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://berries.eventbrite.com/

Learn how to successfully grow blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and mulberries for bountiful berry harvests May through late fall. Mulberries are less known but wonderful in that they are seedless and Thornless, with flavor like a combo of many different berries. You will learn the best varieties of each and specific planting instructions including soil amendments and trellising. Nancy offers a center tour of her favorite and must have products after the class.

Alane Weber  Saturday, December 5, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://soilfoodweb.eventbrite.com/

Super soil! The soil Foodweb consists of all the beneficial micro- and macroscopic soil critters that function harmoniously in our garden soil. They are responsible for nutrient cycling, soil production and immune system boosting. Understanding the riches in our soil will give you greater ability to surf with nature's wisdom and make better compost.

Sherri Osaka  Saturday, December 12, 2009
10:30 - 12:30   $30, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://rainwater.eventbrite.com/

The rainy season is just beginning here in California and hopefully 2009/2010 will be wetter than the drought conditions of the past three years. But no matter what the weather holds, we can prepare for the coming dry season by collecting and storing rain water. This class explores methods of rainwater harvesting and storage from roof materials, to tanks and their costs, to landworks, and finally to using pure, sweet rainwater in your garden. We'll discuss permitting, mosquitos, and calculating the amounts of rainwater against the cost of storage. We'll show how rainwater harvesting not only saves water, but energy and infrastructure as well, and how it can be a part of every garden.

Natasha Fernandez  Saturday, January 9, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://seedpropagation.eventbrite.com/

It all begins with a seed! Learning GROW BIOINTENSIVE seed propagation techniques will help you have a more productive and efficient garden. This class will explain how to make your own healthy flat soil, transplanting, pricking out seedlings from flats, and proper watering.

Ed Fernandez  Saturday, January 9, 2010
2:00 - 4:00   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://doubledigbedprep.eventbrite.com/

Double-digging is the first step in a GROW BIOINTENSIVE garden. Learn how easy, fun and productive this method can be. Learn what makes soil healthy and how to create it in your own garden. This ever-popular class includes a hands-on demonstration at the Common Ground Demonstration Garden.

Kevin Raftery  Saturday, January 16, 2010
10:30 - 2:00   $42, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://fruittreepruning.eventbrite.com/

Learn how to maximize tree health, fruit production and dead wood identification. Espalier care also discussed. Meet at Common Ground, then proceed to a local orchard Ñ rain or shine. YOU BRING: pruning shears, bag lunch and a notebook.

Carole Kraft  Saturday, January 23, 2010
10:30 - 1:30   $38, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://rosepruning.eventbrite.com/

Encourage beautiful, profuse flowering with winter pruning and proper care. Learn about the very best soil and amendments for healthy, happy roses. Mulches are also discussed. The class will go to a nearby garden for a demonstration and some hands-on pruning. YOU BRING: a snack, pruning shears optional.

Drew Harwell  January 30, February 20, March 6, March 27, and April 17, 2010
9:00 - 1:00   $325, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://ediblegardenseries.eventbrite.com/
Class size limited - register early

Learn garden design and planning, composting, soil testing and preparation, seed propagation and transplanting, watering, and how to nurture healthy edible crops. You can create a garden oasis of beautiful edibles in the front, side or back of the home. Master harvesting techniques and learn what compost crops to plant after harvest. Permaculture design and GROW BIOINTENSIVE methods harmonize together in this special series. Home owners and professional landscape designers will gain valuable knowledge to create gardens of nutritious and delicious organic food in your homes and communities. Make lasting friendships! Learn about proper tools, supplies, books and resources throughout the course.

Jody Main and Nancy Jamello  Saturday, February 6, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31 + $10 materials fee, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://sproutsaregood.eventbrite.com/

Sprouts are young, tender and flavorful baby plants. For centuries, sprouted seed has been a major food for over one third of our world's population. Is there wisdom there? Growing fresh baby sprouts during the winter months is easy, fun, delicious and only takes 1 to 4 days. Learn to grow a kitchen garden with crunchy almond, pumpkin and sunflower sprouts, sweet baby clover, radish and alfalfa sprouts, rich and creamy lentils, black beans and many other legumes that are sweeter, more digestible and cook in half the time. A cooking demonstration and tasty samples will be provided, and everyone will go home with a sprout jar, seed, recipes and instructions to grow sprouts right away.

Mark House  Saturday, February 13, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://composting.eventbrite.com/

GROW BIOINTENSIVE composting is the basis for growing the healthiest, most nutritious, and most disease-resistant plants. This composting method is simple and effective. It is so fun and satisfying that we must warn you composting can become addictive! We will go to the Common Ground Demonstration Garden and build our compost pile. YOU BRING: a five-gallon bucket of "green material" (grass clippings, weeds, and/or non-meat kitchen scraps).

Nancy Garrison  Saturday, February 20, 2010
10:30 - 12:30   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://fruittreevarieties.eventbrite.com/

Learn which varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots, apples and pears are the delight of connoisseurs. Be introduced to the best of the best-tasting deciduous fruits that grow in this area and learn where to source your own plants.

John Jeavons  Saturday, February 27, 2010
10:30 - 12:30+   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://introgrowbio.eventbrite.com/

GROW BIOINTENSIVE is a whole-system approach to gardening and farming that builds soil fertility in a relatively short time, so that fertilizer inputs (other than compost) become unnecessary, or almost so, thereby making the garden and farm as sustainable as possible. Learn the principles of double-digging, composting and soil-building, intensive planting, companion planting, carbon farming (compost crops), calorie farming, and open-pollinated seeds.

John Jeavons  Saturday, February 27, 2010
2:00 - 4:00+   $31, To register call 650-493-6072 or
http://companionplant.eventbrite.com/

Discover how to enhance your garden's health and productivity while attracting a beneficial insect population. Learn how to make efficient use of your garden space and the plants' natural properties by using methods that have been used for centuries.

---

More Past Classes

For an idea of the breadth of classes and activities offered at Common Ground, please browse through past newsletters, available on the Newsletters page.