Free Organic Gardening Classes at the Collegeville Farmers Market

Collegeville Farmers Market Committee Head Cathy Kernen submitted the following information:

Mark your calendars for Oct. 8, 15 and 22 from 10 – 11 a.m. for the “Overview of Organic Gardening” miniseries taught by Perkiomen Township resident Wayne Schultz.

Wayne will be sharing his practical advice on how to plan, prepare and protect your 2012 vegetable garden which he has learned from his 60+ years of gardening.  Please bring paper and a pen if you wish to take notes.  The classes will be conducted under the market’s blue Education Tent.  Here is the course line-up:

“Overview of Organic Gardening” at the Collegeville Farmers Market

Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 – 11 a.m.:  “Planning, Preparation, and Budget Costs of a Vegetable Garden.”

Saturday, Oct. 15, 10 – 11 a.m.:  “Where and What Gardening Tools to Obtain, and When and How to Start Seeds.”

Saturday, Oct. 22, 10 – 11 a.m.:  “Protecting the Garden Utilizing High or Low Tunnel Construction.”

Wayne’s grandfather, who ran a family-owned florist business in Rhode Island, grew flowers in 30,000 square feet of greenhouses.  Wayne learned the basics of gardening by working in the greenhouses with his dad from the age of 13 through high school.  As an adult, he maintained vegetable gardens, and after he retired from his career, his gardening interest turned into a passion.  He built his own 12 X 24 hoop house and also annually maintains a 20 by 30 foot vegetable garden—remarkable considering that Wayne is a young man in his 80s!

Unfortunately, many of us get carried away in the spring and don’t think our garden through before we start digging.  “I want to teach this course so that other people can avoid the mistakes I have made,” says Wayne.  “It is important for people to be realistic—for example, to decide how big a garden they can actually support with their spare time, and to know how much to plant of each vegetable so they don’t have too much.”

Question:  How many tomato plants do you need to feed a family of four? Answer:  Just two!

Wayne will provide us with practical tips on everything from protecting our gardens against hungry critters to the best way to till the soil and build soil quality—as well as that how to handle the bane of the gardener’s existence: weed control.  He will disclose money saving ideas too, such as how to make your own soil blocks to start your seedlings.

Please RSVP to Cathy Kernen at 610-409-0370, or e-mail her at catherine.kernen@comcast.net, if you would like to attend.

The Collegeville Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. through Nov. 19 and is located in the lot behind the AmeriGreen Gas Station, 460 E. Main St., Collegeville.