Greenhouse

Summer & Fall Events

• The Greenhouse workshop series will focus on seed starting, seed saving, season extension and growing culturally meaningful crops in Vermont.
• The majority of events will be free for all participants, thanks to funding from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). When there is a registration fee, we will also have a number of full scholarships available.
• Event listings below also include Drop-In Demos (stop by for hands-on learning with our Greenhouse Team) and Community Events (celebrating seasons and sharing abundance).
• Scroll down below the Summer & Fall Calendar to read detailed descriptions of each event.
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Succession Sowing from Solstice to Solstice – Thursday, June 11, from 5:30-7pm
at Greenhouse at Landry Park, Winooski

The summer solstice marks a seasonal shift to plan the remainder of the growing season. Our goal is to have a continuous harvest through late summer and into December by transplanting and direct seeding multiple times. Midsummer is when we prepare to start seeds for our favorite fall crops that grow particularly well during the cool weather of autumn – radicchio, cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, endive, lettuce, cilantro, and scallions, among many others. If you are starting a garden later than you hoped, if flea beetles devoured your arugula in spring, or if you are curious to explore garden-scale season extension, then this workshop experience is for you!

Free! Please register here to save your spot!

Bonus!

We are welcoming workshop participants to start seeds in the greenhouse for a small fee. VGN will provide Fort Vee potting soil, a collection of trays (all sizes, including air pruning and soil blocking options), a generous selection of seeds (curated for succession sowing this time of year), and best of all – we will provide daily watering! You simply decide what you want to grow, plant your seeds, and do any potting up your plants might need. We ask anyone interested in accessing seed starting table space to participate in a greenhouse orientation session and contribute $20 per tray/flat.  A “flat” fits 15 or 32 or 50 or 72 or 128 plants, depending on what you are growing.

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Seed Saving for Small-Scale Growers
July 16, August, 20 and September 24
5:00-7:00pm
in the Greenhouse at Landry Park

This three session intensive will immerse growers into the practice of seed saving through hands-on learning, presentations, and field trips. We will begin with building a common understanding of seed terminology and botany. Participants will learn isolation and hand-pollination techniques, and also explore seed saving practices for encouraging high genetic diversity and bioregional adaptation. Together we will harvest seeds from dry-seeded and wet-seeded crops to learn processing techniques and review best practices for seed storage.

Through all three sessions, we will explore the value of seed saving for food sovereignty, climate resilience and cultural heritage.

Participation: We ask participants to commit to expanding their knowledge and skills by attending all three sessions (July 16, August 20 and September 24). No prior experience in seed saving is necessary to participate, although basic gardening knowledge will be helpful.

Fee: $75 for the 3-session intensive

Scholarships
We are able to offer a limited number of full scholarships to participate in this 3-session intensive.
Scholarships are made possible by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and will prioritize Winooski residents and individuals identifying as part of a historically underserved community.

Please fill in a Scholarship Request to be considered for a scholarship. We will respond to your request within one week of receiving your request.

Register here!

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Drop-in Demo: Garlic Harvesting & Curing – Wednesday, July 22, from 5:30-7:00pm
at Greenhouse at Landry Park, Winooski

Join us in the greenhouse to learn by doing! We will harvest garlic, talk about effective garlic curing methods, and learn how to save garlic seed for planting in the fall. Come celebrate garlic and learn tips & tricks for growing this amazing crop in your own garden.

We’ll be sharing iced herbal tea and fresh garlic oil on bread!  No registration required, just bring a friend and drop-in!

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Overwintering Greens to Extend Your Harvest Season – Thursday, September 10, from 5:30-7:00pm
at Greenhouse at Landry Park, Winooski

Overwintering techniques allow gardeners to grow cold-hardy greens through winter’s low temperatures and harvest vibrant green leaves in very early spring. Some of our favorite overwintering crops include spinach, kale, mache, claytonia, cilantro, arugula and scallions. During this workshop we will tour our raised bed setup inside the greenhouse and also discuss techniques to overwinter greens in a garden setting by using row cover and DIY hoop house designs. We’ll explore the science behind what happens to plant cells during freezing temperatures and how the Persephone period impacts plant growth. Participants will leave with seedlings and seeds to implement newly acquired skills at home.

Free! Please register here to save your spot!

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The Background Story: How the Greenhouse at Landry Park Came to Be

This project materializes a new partnership between Vermont Garden Network and City of Winooski. We extend much gratitude to the grant support from Vermont Foodbank and to the contractors at Vine Ripe for making this dream a reality.

Here is a little background on the greenhouse structure: Julie from Red Wagon Plants, in partnership with New Farms for New Americans, were the first to erect the greenhouse structure at the O’Brien Center in Winooski almost a decade ago. A few years later, NFNA passed along the greenhouse management to the City of Winooski, and for several years it functioned as a community greenhouse where residents rented table space for starting their seeds. Consecutive years of vandalism to the greenhouse structure and property theft forced the City of Winooski to close down the greenhouse.

In spring of 2024 stars aligned and the City of Winooski reached out to VGN after hearing that we were searching for a location to build a greenhouse. We met with VineRipe and defined what it would take, logistically and financially, to relocate and reskin the greenhouse. A heroic group of volunteers and staff cleaned up the site at the O’Brien Center in preparation for the big move.

In early June, a tarp was laid down to mark the footprint of the new greenhouse at the Landry Park Community Gardens, adjacent to the Myers Memorial Pool. We could not have imagined a more ideal location! By mid August, the greenhouse had been reassembled and skinned with new plastic. The City of Winooski is working hard to connect electricity to power the vents and to install propane for the heater.

Greenhouse Grand Opening

The greenhouse grand opening will be in March 2025. We’ll be seed starting 6,000+ plants, including many culturally meaningful crops, for our garden programming in central Vermont. We’ll also be demonstrating season extension (overwintering greens, perhaps growing ginger and turmeric, seed saving from biennials, so many options!), offering a series of community workshops and highlighting climate resiliency practices for garden-scale growers.

We opened our doors and welcomed over 150 community members to the Greenhouse Grand Opening at Landry Park on March 22, 2025! The day was a beautiful celebration of community, with local organizations, City of Winooski employees, public officials, and neighbors all coming together to mark this exciting new chapter. From the moment the doors opened, From the moment the doors opened, attendees had the opportunity to choose from thousands of donated seed packets, each one destined for a local gardener ready to grow their own crops. Within just a few hours, attendees helped seed 9 trays of onions, shallots, and scallions—about 800 plants—which will go on to feed our community for months to come. From toddlers to experienced gardeners, everyone played a part in sowing these crops for the benefit of all.

Throughout the day, there was laughter, learning, and plenty of cheddar and chive biscuits to go around. We’re deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners— Gardener’s Supply Company, The Skinny Pancake, City of Winooski Recreation & Parks, and Vermont Foodbank—for their support in making this event possible. The grand opening is just the beginning of an exciting journey, and we look forward to growing together with our community in the months and years ahead.

   

Event Photography: Annalisa Madonia

Growing thousands of plants for our garden community will only be possible with support from our community. Various contractors, electricians, volunteers, consultants, and many farmer friends have advised this project. We invite YOU to help us GROW by contributing to our Annual Fund.

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