Workshops

VGN offers garden workshops on varying topics throughout the season.  The best way to keep in touch and hear about workshops as soon as they are announced is by following us on Instagram (@vtgardens) and by signing up for our monthly newsletter (scroll down to the footer of this webpage to join our mailing list).

If you are interested in nutrition education workshops, check out our Mobile Classroom webpage to learn about scheduling a visit from our Veducator van.

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Succession Sowing for Fall
A 4-week Long Intensive to Extend Your Growing Season

Date and Time: Wednesdays 5-6pm on June 18 & 25 and July 2 & 9

Location: Greenhouse at Landry Park, Winooski

Description: The summer solstice marks our seasonal shift to plan our fall crop successions. This 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, scallions, and many others. We often hear of gardeners thinking that the planting season ends in June and we often see empty spaces in gardens that could be filled with so many nutritious and delicious harvestables. But there is still so much you can grow by starting seeds in midsummer! If you are starting your garden later than you intended, if flea beetles devoured your baby kale, or if you are curious to explore garden-scale season extension – this gardening intensive is for you.

Over the course of four weeks, participants will engage in hands-on learning around midsummer succession sowing. Each participant will have access to greenhouse table space to start seeds for their personal gardens. The VGN greenhouse staff supplies all the materials and we keep up with watering needs so that you can focus on seeding what you need and enjoy your garden. Together, we’ll work on developing succession sowing planting calendars for midsummer through fall by selecting seed varieties best suited for cool weather and we’ll support you to face the challenges of high summer sun, shortening days, and pest pressure.

Instructor: Carolina Lukac, Co-Executive Director of the Vermont Garden Network, first planted seeds in a rooftop greenhouse for school garden programs she coordinated in Mexico City. After moving to Vermont in 2015, she transitioned to starting seeds in her basement and now she facilitates educational programming at the New Farms for New Americans greenhouse at the Intervale and manages the Greenhouse at Landry Park. Carolina is passionate about growing culturally significant and locally adapted crops, gardening like a farmer, seedkeeping and collective gardening. In the past couple of years, in response to the devastating July floods, Carolina has leaned into succession sowing for fall harvests as a practice of resilience and opportunity in the midst of a changing climate (and to satisfy her passion for radicchio!).

Fee: $200

The fee includes:

• Instruction during the four in-person classes and ongoing guidance through a group text thread and resource sharing via email.
• Access to greenhouse table space: 
  • Participants may fill up to seven 1020 trays (the standard greenhouse tray size), on their assigned half of a greenhouse pallet table. One tray fits between 32-72 plant starts, depending on how much space you prefer to give seedlings. You could grow 200+ plants on your greenhouse table space, including lettuce, radicchio, cauliflower, sprouting broccoli, fennel, cilantro, and more! (To put it into perspective, if you were to purchase that many 4-packs from a local greenhouse, you would be spending around $250 on plants.)
  • If you are interested in using additional greenhouse table space (more than 7 trays) please contact carolina@vtgardens.org to discuss arrangements.
• Potting soil, a variety of trays & pots, soil blockers, and curated seed varieties best suited for fall harvests. Participants are welcome to bring their own seeds as well.
• The VGN team manages all watering needs, stocks all supplies, monitors for pests and we keep the greenhouse tidy and welcoming for your seed starting enjoyment.

Registration: We welcome registrations on a first come, first served basis.

Scholarships: Limited scholarships are available for Winooski residents, with priority considered for BIPOC, New American and immigrant community members. If you are interested in requesting a scholarship, please fill out a registration form and reply to the scholarship request questions.

REGISTER HERE