October Workshops: Composting & Backyard Chickens

Reminder: Suburban Homesteading Workshops for Adults!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Just a reminder that our Suburban Homesteading Workshop series is continuing through the fall!  If you haven’t already, consider signing up for one of our two October workshops!

 

Small-Scale Composting

“Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants – and people.” It’s an old adage, and an important truth. Nowadays we call that “organic, sustainable practice.”

How to do that? Adding quality compost to our gardens is the best thing we can do for our soil and for the plants that grow in it.  Composting is not difficult to accomplish – as they say, compost happens! – but there are some things you can do to encourage the process to happen faster and/or more effectively, and to improve the quality of the final product. There are also things you can do wrong and we will help you prevent those.

Following an overview of the composting process, we’ll get our hands dirty (just a little!) while we explore a variety of composting techniques (including worm composting!) that you can put to use at home to feed your soil – which will in turn feed your flowers, shrubs, vegetables and fruit.

Date:  Saturday, October 5

Time:  9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cost:  $30 per person
Co-Instructors:  Eric Carlberg, PCLF Farm Manager and Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Backyard Chickens

Do you like the idea of having fresh eggs available to you on a daily basis?  Are you looking to add some animals to your yard that will also provide you with food, fertilizer, and pest control?  Are you wondering what it takes to keep a few backyard chickens?  If so, then this workshop is for you!

Backyard chickens are becoming increasingly popular in both urban and suburban areas!  We will discuss the basics of backyard chicken keeping – including chicken breeds and behavior, where and how to obtain your hens (or chicks!), how to feed and house your backyard flock, local ordinances, and other things to consider before you get your own hens.

As part of the workshop, we will also tour the Learning Farm chicken flocks in their different locations on our farm, discuss the similarities and differences between the flocks and how they are being housed, and tie those observations back to best practices for backyard chickens.

Date:  Saturday, October 26

Time:  9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cost:  $30 per person
Instructor:  Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director