The Organic Growers School Harvest Conference is an educational event that offers affordable classes on organic growing and sustainable living. The 6th annual Harvest Conference takes place on September 6 & 7, 2019 at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC, and features a selection of FOUR 2-day workshops taught by outstanding guest speakers. This allows for a deeper dive on a specific topic. You can take a one-day standalone workshop or a two-day with one instructor OR you can even take a one-day workshop with two different instructors.
Forest Farming
Friday: Agroforestry & Silvopasture
Saturday: Forest Gardening
James Geoffrey Steen
Do you dream of a diverse and beautiful farm or yard filled with food-bearing plants?
Instead of fighting a landscape that quickly returns back to its natural forested state, learn to use tree crops and land practices that enhance productivity, beauty, and usefulness. Forest farming or ‘agroforestry’ is the art and science of putting plants together in ways that forge mutually beneficial relationships and create vibrant and resilient ecosystems.
As you prioritize these sustainable design systems, you’ll discover the extraordinary ecological and social implications such as: renewal and regeneration of soil, reduction of erosion, enhanced beauty and usefulness, sequestration of carbon, and mitigation of water issues. Each effect leads to climate resilience and further integration with natural designs.
In these two full-day workshops, learn everything you need to know about working with trees on your land, no matter the scale.
What
Friday 9/6: Agroforestry & Silvopasture
Saturday 9/7: Forest Gardening
Each workshop is stand alone. Take one or both days with one instructor. Or another one-day from different instructor.
When
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7, 2019
9:30am–4:30pm both days
Where
Garden Cabin
Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
How Much
$70 = One day only (either Friday or Saturday)
$125 = Both days (Friday & Saturday) of any two workshops at the Harvest Conference
Agroecology & Silvopasture on Friday 9/6
Friday 9/6: Agroforestry & Silvopasture (9:30am to 4:30pm)
For stewards of farms and fields, learn the key concepts of installing and maintaining beneficial trees using agroforestry techniques. Optimize and diversify your production and landscape with the addition of tree crops and animals to annual plantings. We’ll cover the following topics:
Edible tree identification as well as pruning, training, and grafting
Trees for fertilizer, forage and soil-building
Compost tea and micro-nutrient creation & application in foliar sprays
Managing livestock operations inside of orchards
Large installations on a budget including wholesale prices on quality planting stock
Hands-on agroforestry design (bring a GIS image of your to apply design techniques to your project!)
Appropriate for market and commercial farmers and landscapers. Beginning farmers welcome.
Each workshop is stand alone. Take one or both days with one instructor. Or another one-day from different instructor.
Forest Gardening on Saturday 9/7
Saturday 9/7: Forest Gardening (9:30am to 4:30pm)
Learn to encourage and benefit from the land’s natural tendency to grow trees specifically through the practice of planting and maintaining fruit and nut trees in your home landscape. We’ll focus on edible perennial plants with a small segment on annual gardening. We’ll cover:
Theory & Practice including using trees for soil building
Design elements including what to grow and how much
How to prepare soil for annuals & perennials
Planting on a budget
Properly planting trees
Transition spots and landscape fixtures for beauty
Edible fruit and nut tree identification
Pruning, training, and grafting
Compost tea brewing & application
Appropriate for gardeners, backyard growers, homesteaders, and landscapers.
Each workshop is stand alone. Take one or both days with one instructor. Or another one-day from different instructor.
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