Fourteen organizations are working together in Fairfield during the months of March, April and May to provide free, quality programming and resources for backyard projects in sustainability. “These workshops and organized sales focus on sustainable efforts that community members can incorporate into their everyday lives and techniques they can utilize to improve their backyard landscapes,” says Scott Timm, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Fairfield.

Gardening workshops, given by local residents on how to attract birds and create habitat, develop edible landscapes and incorporate permaculture techniques, increase and identify pollinators, and strategies for composting will help residents get out of their homes and hands dirty this spring. The City of Fairfield and ISU Extension are also hosting a one day sale of high-quality, City-approved, Earth Machine composters for an amazing price of only $46 (first come, first served, April 24th); and the second annual Edible Cityscape sale by the Sustainable Living Coalition will expand its sale this year to berry bushes and a larger variety of fruit trees at extremely low prices. ($5-$15, May). In addition, the Jefferson County Conservation Board has scheduled a prairie burn, weather permitting, for next week.

Groups and speakers will be visiting from out of town presenting on sustainable topics as well. Russ Tell, from the DNR, will hold a workshop on how to identify wells and cisterns on your property – and either utilize them for gardening or safely deal with them. The team from COSC will be running workshops on green roof design and storm water runoff. Wayne Peterson and members from IDALS will present a workshop on rain garden design – followed by a hands-on workshop and an actual install in Fairfield with the help Mr. Peterson and the Master Gardener’s of Extension.

Backyard Abundance will visit Fairfield this Friday evening to kick off the workshop and lecture series with a presentation on creating bountiful backyard landscapes and resilient communities. For more information on events, the schedule, locations and workshop descriptions can be found on the City’s website, and you can also contact Scott Timm at the Extension office at stimm@iastate.edu.

For a a complete listing of workshops please download this printable brochure.

Here is another great opportunity for local gardeners new and experienced to learn more about growing their own food!  As part of his internship in the Iowa Master Gardener program, MUM Sustainable Living professor Alex Kachan is offering a series of workshops on various aspects of small-scale, organic gardening to the entire community for free.  The only requirement is that you register at least one week in advance because each workshop is limited to 15 participants.  If Alex gets more than 15 requests for a workshop he will schedule a repeat for the overflow members.

I had the great pleasure of both attending one of Alex’s lectures on Vermicomposting (using composting worms to biologically break down organic matter) and working with him at the Ecovillage CSA two summers ago.  He is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about growing food sustainably from every step in the cycle, so I am sure these workshops will be not only informative but inspiring.

Here is a brief listing of workshop times and topics.  Email Alex at the address below for complete descriptions and to reserve a spot in the ones that interest you.

Sunday, March 14th, 2010: Starting Seeds
Workshop length: 1:00– 4:00 PM (3 hours)
Location: SL Dept., room 111 & SL greenhouse

Sunday, April 18th, 2010: Making your bed – the art of Double Digging!
Workshop length: 1:00– 4:00 PM (3 hours)
Location: MUM Community Garden

Sunday, April 25th, 2010: Compost – learning to grow soil!
Workshop length: 1:00– 4:00 PM (3 hours)
Location: MUM Community Garden

Sunday, May 2nd 2010: Compost Tea – pampering your soil & vegetables!
Workshop length: 1:00– 4:00 PM (3 hours)
Location: SL Dept. room 111

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010: Garden Q&A’s
Workshop length: 2:00– 4:00 PM (2 hours)
Location: MUM Community Garden

Workshops will be filled on a first come, first served basis.  To register, choose the workshops you wish to take and send their titles, dates & your name to Alex at: akachan@mum.edu

Click here to download a flyer providing more details on the workshops.

There may still be snow on the ground, but the days are getting longer, the temperatures are creeping up and if you listen, lots of birds have returned from their winter journeys.  That means it’s the perfect time to start planning your garden!  For anyone thinking of starting a garden for the first time, or who wants to learn some new tips and tricks, the At Home Store is hosting a new garden planning series this spring.  Starting next week is a two-part class called Planting a Garden with guest lecturer Moni Hayne.

Here is the information from the At Home Store’s Facebook event page (click to RSVP):

Moni Hayne will be joining us to share her garden knowledge. An organic gardener, with lots of experience gardening in the Midwest, Moni will be lecturing on Garden Planning, and Beneficial Insects. Learn tips on how to plan your garden, how to start seeds (and how many to start!) and how to work with beneficial insects to make a healthy garden.

The first class will focus primarily on garden planning, and the second class will focus on beneficial insects of the garden, and how to enlist their help!

The first class is on Thursday, March 11th from 6:30 to 8:00pm.  The second class is Thursday, April 8th. Cost is $10 per class, or $15 for both classes.  The At Home Store is located at 52 North Main Street, on the Fairfield square.

Once again, here is a link to the event page if you would like to RSVP.

Here is the At Home Store page on Facebook.

Stay tuned to Fairfield Voice for more gardening tips and resources coming soon!

I started a garden on my car’s dashboard last year – an experiment that eventually ended up just straight lawn.

However, my car broke down in Febuary, and we only got it running at the end of May… no watering = dry dead grass.

I’ve decided to plant this year’s dashboard with native prairie grasses…. however, the old stuff needs to be removed somehow. Read the full story