We would like to invite you to attend our 2012 Youth Gardening Leader Workshop June 4-5, 2012, held at Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, Eureka Springs, AR. The two-day event includes seminars on the first day, June 4 and tours of school gardens in the northwest Arkansas area on June 5. The workshop is open to any adult who works with youth gardening programs or is thinking of starting a youth gardening program – teachers, cub scout leaders, county extension agents, 4-H leaders, Master Gardeners, etc. The workshop has two tracks – primary (elementary) and secondary (middle school/high school).
The registration form is attached. Deadline for registering for the class is May 4, 2012. Registration includes four meal for the two-day event, seminars, and tours. A block of rooms is available for this conference. Cost is $89.00 for all standard rooms with one king or two queen beds. Mention Youth Gardening Workshop when making your reservation. May 4 is the deadline to make room reservations on this block. Each participate should make their own lodging arrangements (Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, 479-253-9768).
Please share this information with those in your community that work with youth or would like to start a youth gardening program.
We look forward to seeing you this summer. If you have questions about the event, call Julie Treat at 501-671-2231 or e-mail jtreat@uaex.edu for more information.
Julie
Julie D. Treat | UA Division of Agriculture | Cooperative Extension Service
Horticulture Program Technician
2301 South University Avenue | Little Rock | AR | 72204
501-671-2231 (phone) | 501-671-2303 (fax) | jtreat@uaex.edu | www.uaex.edu
The Dig In! Festival is an annual food and farming conference held in Fayetteville. It is this weekend (Friday evening and Saturday). The festival focuses on small, local, sustainable agriculture. The schedule is filled with films and short courses on things from bee-keeping to multi-species grazing. More info on their website diginfestival.com .
This looks like a great week to get the garden ready. Its a bit early to plant but some things can handle the cold – carrots and spinach come to mind. Row covers are a great asset to getting a head start. I also planted some cilantro, beets, turnips, and radishes. Its really a bit early if you look at the calendar, but nobody says you have to look.
If you are doing your own seedlings in a window or a sunroom or a greenhouse, this is a good time to get your cool weather plants started. Don’t start your tomatoes too early or they’ll get too big before the weather settles down. Here’s a link from a seed company on getting started doing your own transplants. Get setup, do it once, and you’re unlikely to ever go back to buying your seedlings. http://www.southernexposure.com/a-beginners-growing-guide-ezp-152.html
Doing chickens this year? I know Diamond B on 21 will be getting chicks in a couple weeks. Make sure you have a home ready for them.
Here’s a short, off-the-cuff list of priorities for your garden:
- Sun
- Soil
- Deer (and other pest) Control
- Water (Drip Irrigation if you have a garden over 3000 sq ft, and sprinklers for over 1,000 sq ft.)
- A plan – Nothing goes to plan, but its immensely valuable anyhow.
Carroll County Fresh! announces a regional photography contest, with cash prizes up to $100. Photos may be submitted in 3 categories – Still Life, Portraits, and Landscapes – and should be taken within 75 miles of Eureka Springs, and are being accepted until October 15th, 2012. Check out more details on this page.
- Now is the time to make a map of your garden and figure what you want to grow this year. Order seeds if you haven’t done so yet.
- Prepare your garden beds when the soil is not too wet. Be careful not to over-till. The more you fluff it, the more compact and lifeless it will become later. Any type of organic mulch is your soils best friend. Compost is the best, and should not be tilled in.
- If you are raising your own seedlings, clean out and ready your greenhouse/window space.
Patrice Gros from Foundation Farm has been growing for market in this area for over 10 years. He uses simple, efficient methods that conserve our thin soils. He is again doing his annual gardening classes in Eureka Springs.
Time: Wednesdays: 3:30pm to 5pm,
from 02-01 to 03-21
Place: Unitarian Church, 17 Elk Street in
Eureka Springs.
Eureka Springs.
#1 - Wednesday, Feb. 1st: Selecting
Seeds and Growing Transplants
#2 - Wednesday, Feb. 8th: Preparing and
Nourishing your Soil
#3 - Wednesday, Feb. 15th: Growing
great Greens & Lettuce
#4 - Wednesday, Feb. 22nd: Growing
great Strawberries & Asparagus
#5 - Wednesday, Feb 29th: Growing great
Squashes & Cucumbers
#6 - Wednesday, Mar. 7th: Growing great
Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplants
#7 - Wednesday, Mar. 14th: Preparing a
Perfect Garden Bed (hands-on, at farm)
#8 - Wednesday, Mar. 21st: Caging and
Trellising (hands-on, at farm)
Seeds and Growing Transplants
#2 - Wednesday, Feb. 8th: Preparing and
Nourishing your Soil
#3 - Wednesday, Feb. 15th: Growing
great Greens & Lettuce
#4 - Wednesday, Feb. 22nd: Growing
great Strawberries & Asparagus
#5 - Wednesday, Feb 29th: Growing great
Squashes & Cucumbers
#6 - Wednesday, Mar. 7th: Growing great
Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplants
#7 - Wednesday, Mar. 14th: Preparing a
Perfect Garden Bed (hands-on, at farm)
#8 - Wednesday, Mar. 21st: Caging and
Trellising (hands-on, at farm)
Fee: $15/class, or $100 for all 8 classes
RSVP:
email: mamakapa@yahoo.com
phone: 479-253 7461
Welcome to the new CCF website. Please explore our various resources.
The gardening forum is a place for locals to talk about their gardening experiences.
Projects include ongoing projects and events such as Farm to Table Dinners and Harvest Parties that CCF sponsors.
Farmers and Farmers’ Markets are the source and distribution of local food. See what is happening in our area.
