Gardening and Urban Farming Workshops

Low Cost Management of Contaminated Soils
Saturday 8:00 AM
Join Bonnie Churner, Elizabeth Goodwin, and Emma Landau, Dilmun Hill Student Farm, for a session about farming on compromised sites.  We will empower gardeners and farmers to assess their soils for contaminants and to explore best management options for soils that have contamination issues. Topics will include raised beds, mulching, basic soil sampling, and assessing soil health characteristics, and we’ll practice analyzing soil test results.

Earth Medicines for Plants
Saturday 1:00 PM
Healing herbs have much to offer the gardener. Going beyond using this spray for that bug means we will be leaving the learned principles of toxicology behind. Herbal remedies go hand in hand with fungal alliances to make for healthy fruit trees, herbs, flowering plants, and vegetables alike. Join Michael Phillips, Lost Nation Orchard, to learn about stimulating plant immune systems to resist disease, repellent plants, higher medicinal content in the foods we eat, and things like calendula salve for tree canker. Sounds like a much different discussion already, eh?

Currants and Comfrey:  Consciously Creating and Cultivating A Cooperative Economy In Your Garden
Saturday 2:30 PM 
Explore the interactions of Nature’s Cooperative Economy and how to maximize these exchanges in your garden.  Patty Love, Barefoot Permaculture, will discuss how to choose plants that function as a cooperative community to build soil structure, increase soil fertility, maintain moisture, and increase yields, while decreasing your workload.  You’ll be introduced to the principles of permaculture and the practices of edible forest gardening while you learn how to create and foster cooperation among the plants and animals of your edible landscape whether you have a small or large yard.  

Plant Propagation and Planting Mediums 
Saturday 4:15 PM
In this workshop Todd Lighthouse, Lighthouse Gardens, will discuss various plant propagation methods for annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetables.  Both seed and vegetative propagation techniques will be described as well as greenhouse technology options from inexpensive to state of the art propagation systems.  Todd will also share his experience growing in both sterile planting mediums and compost based potting soils.

Current Research in Urban Agriculture
Sunday 8:00 AM
Urban environments come with their own set of challenges when it comes to producing food. Deborah Greig and Annie Novak, East New York Farms, have been conducting variety trials this past year for production suitability in an urban area. Hear about some of their results and tips for growing produce on an urban farm. 

The State of Seed: Reclaiming Regional Seed Independence
Sunday 9:30 AM
Saving Seeds used to be an integral part of farming and gardening. Today, bio-tech and pharmaceutical corporations control the bulk of seed resources. Join Ken Greene, Hudson Valley Seed Library, for an exploration of what we can do to preserve, develop, and reclaim our genetic and cultural seed resources for the future.