Organic Vegetable Farming Workshop
May 17 Near Farmington
CONTACT: Parker Forsell, LSP, 507-523-3366; parker@landstewardshipproject.org
4/30/09
FARMINGTON, Minn. — An organic vegetable farm planning workshop on soils, cover crops and rotations will be held Sunday, May 17, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Gardens of Eagan vegetable farm near Farmington. This event, which is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program in collaboration with the Organic Field School @ Gardens of Eagan, is free to Land Stewardship Project members and open to the public for a cost of $35. This is a production workshop for people farming or interested in beginning farming. Space is limited to 20 people. Please pre-register by May 8 by calling Parker Forsell at 507-523-3366 or e-mailing parker@landstewardshipproject.org.
This workshop/field day offers a unique opportunity to learn from Atina and Martin Diffley, two of the area’s most experienced organic vegetable growers. Participants can view firsthand how the principles discussed at the workshop are being put into practice on the farm. Topics to be covered include:
- Composition and characteristics of different soils.
- Soil characteristics and how they affect crop growth.
- Why and how to take soil samples, what to test for and what to do with the results.
- Nutrient cycling and the soil food web.
- How to manage for healthy soil ecosystems, increased fertility and sustainable crop production.
- Creating a soil “report card.”
- Soil building: cover crops, green manure, catch crops, living mulch and forage crops.
- Goals of soil building: fertility, organic matter, weed management and soil conservation.
- Planning and managing soil-building crops.
- Various benefits of a system of crop rotation.
- Planning crop and soil-building rotations.
For more information on the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program, see www.farmbeginnings.org, or call 507-523-3366.
