January 2016

To the New Year
With what stillness at last
you appear in the valley
your first sunlight reaching down
to touch the tips of a few
high leaves that do not stir
as though they had not noticed
and did not know you at all
-W.S. Merwin

LONGFELLOW SERIES:
sign up

Monday, February 8. 7pm:  Get Your Seeds Out  Eli Wheeler 
Dare we call this one a classic? Elizabeth Wheeler, intrepid seed starter for Rush Creek Growers, has been scattering the seeds of her wisdom on the Mother Earth Gardens community for lo these seven years, and still this is one of our most popular classes. Attend one of these two seminars if you truly want to be successful with indoor seed starting in our cold climate, and with planning and timing your seeds for a productive veggie or flower garden.

Monday, February 22, 7pm:  Designing and Planting for Pollinators  Anna Bierbrauer 
Whether you are thinking about creating a pollinator area, or looking to integrate more natives into your overall design, this class will help you understand the relationship of pollinators to native and non-native plants in our backyard environments. Anna’s pollinator friendly landscapes for residences, businesses, and municipalities incorporate native and heirloom varieties, and demonstrate how great design and sustainability can form a beautiful partnership.

Monday, March 7, 7pm:  Ferment FreeStyle  Natalie Benson and Eli Wheeler
We had so much fun making kraut and kimchi last year, that Natalie and Eli are back this year and adding a primer on kombucha and kefir. For a minute did you think that all fermented foods start with the letter K? All of them except beer! And yogurt, and fish sauce, and sourdough bread, and loads of other things that are preserved by the action of microorganisms. Yum!

Monday, March 14, 7pm: New Annuals and Cutting Gardens  Vicky Weis  
Rush Creek Growers’ co-owner Vicky Weis has been treating us to a yearly sneak peak at what’s new in the plant world. This year we are focusing the conversation on annuals, and cutting gardens in particular. Some new, some old, plants that are great for cut flowers are so satisfying to grow because you can enjoy them inside and out. 

Monday, March 21, 7pm:  Buggin’ Out  Jess Heimer and Stephen Gregg  
What is eating my plant, and how do I deal with it? This is a question we hear about houseplants in the winter, and about every imaginable landscape plant in the summer. Mother Earth Gardens’ own horticulturalist and indoor plant expert Jessica Heimer will give you an overview of the indoor issues, while veggie and native plant guru Stephen Gregg will cover the outdoors. This is a big topic about little creatures, bring your questions.

Monday, March 28, 7pm: This City is Perfect for Chickens Rob Czernik  Rob Czernik from Powderhorn Feed Company will present almost everything you need to know about keeping chickens in the city!  Learn about different breeds, housing the birds, feeding your hens, and applying Permaculture principles to backyard poultry. Multifaceted Rob has two Permaculture Design Certificates and has been hanging out with backyard chickens in South Minneapolis for over 5 years. His own Powderhorn Feed Co. has been providing organic, non-GMO all grain chicken feed milled in Minneapolis since 2011. LIVE poultry may be present…

NORTHEAST SERIES:
sign up

Wednesday, February 10. 7pm: Get Your Seeds Out  Eli Wheeler
Dare we call this one a classic? Elizabeth Wheeler, intrepid seed starter for Rush Creek Growers, has been scattering the seeds of her wisdom on the Mother Earth Gardens community for lo these seven years, and still this is one of our most popular classes. Attend one of these two seminars if you truly want to be successful with indoor seed starting in our cold climate, and with planning and timing your seeds for a productive veggie or flower garden.

Wednesday, February 17, 7pm: No Dig Gardening  Bob Dahm
“No Dig” is how to convert lawn into a garden using sheet mulching to turn turf and weeds into a rich, soft soil without the work and expense of removing sod. Bob will also cover raised beds, and touch on straw bale gardening. Bob Dahm is a soil expert and landscaper who has been working on ways to help urban gardeners with contaminated soil use their land to grow food. “Organic Bob” owns one of the Twin Cities’ original organic lawn care services.

Wednesday, February 24, 7pm: Buggin’ Out  Jess Heimer and Stephen Gregg
What is eating my plant, and how do I deal with it? A question we hear about houseplants in the winter, and about every imaginable landscape plant in the summer. Mother Earth Gardens’ own horticulturalist and indoor plant expert Jessica Heimer, will give you an overview of the indoor issues, while veggie and native plant guru Stephen Gregg will cover the outdoors. This is a big topic about little creatures, bring your questions.

Wednesday, March 2, 7pm: Pollinator Planting  Anna Bierbrauer
Whether you are thinking about creating a pollinator area, or looking to integrate more natives into your overall design, this class will help you understand the relationship of pollinators to native and non-native plants in our backyard environments. Anna’s pollinator friendly landscapes for residences, businesses, and municipalities incorporate native and heirloom varieties, and demonstrate how great design and sustainability can form a beautiful partnership.

Wednesday, March 9, 7pm: New Annuals and Cutting Gardens  Vicky Weis
Rush Creek Growers’ co-owner Vicky Weis has been treating us to a yearly sneak peak at what’s new in the plant world. This year we are focusing the conversation on annuals, and cutting gardens in particular. Some new, some old, plants that are great for cut flowers are so satisfying to grow because you can enjoy them inside and out.

Wednesday, March 16, 7pm: Harvesting Rainwater with Creative Outcomes  Roxanne Stuhr
How do I capture and reuse rainwater?  Roxanne will help you explore a myriad of possibilities, including rain barrels, rain gardens, dry creek beds, French drains, cisterns, dry wells, permeable paving. Use her expert advice to decide which option(s) are best for you and your home; and learn how to make these a real part of your landscape next spring. Bring your goals and an open, creative mindset. Roxanne Stuhr grew up gardening; is educated as a landscape architect; has been professionally gardening since 1981 and designing landscapes since 1995.  She is a certified MNLA professional and is a certified Master Water Steward.  She owns True Nature Design, and her work emphasizes creative integration of nature supportive practices. 

Sunday, April 17, 10:30am-12:30pm: 
Grow Your Own Mushrooms - Jeremy McAdams
Cost: $38 including oyster mushroom log kit
sign up

Growing your own gourmet mushrooms can be easy and nearly maintenance free - perfect for backyards and community garden plots.  Learn what mycelium is and how to start and care for garden mushrooms and large-diameter mushroom logs.  You will also get a peek at how we grow mushrooms at Cherry Tree House Mushrooms. 

Each participant will inoculate his or her own oyster mushroom log to take home – which should fruit mushrooms in a matter of months!  Ready-to-fruit shiitake logs will also be available for purchase.

Jeremy McAdams runs Cherry Tree House Mushrooms, a farm in south Minneapolis and Ham Lake that provides log-grown shiitake and other culinary and medicinal mushrooms and log kits to Twin Cities markets, restaurants, vegetable CSAs, and stores. 

AND LASTLY - Mother Earth Gardens will be offering a four week long design course on Saturday mornings mid February to mid April. We are still sorting out the details, but the course will be geared toward the homeowner who is interested in getting a handle on his or her home landscape through design. Anna Bierbrauer and Mary Gaytan, two of MEG's in house designers, will guide you in building a workable design by defining your needs and goals, working through the specifics of your site, and helping you understand the available materials and plants within your budget. Materials included, cost $200. 
An additonal email will be sent with sign up links, but feel free to email services@motherearthgarden.com if you are interested in being put on the preliminary list.