Seed to Harvest: A Four-Season Training About Growing Your Own Medicine

You can grow medicine anywhere!

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This class will start at square one of planning and propagation and bring you all the way to the end product of medicine you or your family/community can use. Through the year we will learn about and conduct activities through lecture, discussion, and hands-on activities that are seasonally appropriate. We will also go in depth about herbs the class chooses to highlight. This course provides take home goodies such as plants, harvested herbs, and other tools to help you continue your learning at home. This course is for all levels of gardeners. It is designed to provide you with the basics and beyond so you can grow medicine in any space you call your garden.

The course will meet from 7-9 PM on the second Wednesday of every month starting February 8th, 2012 through November 7th. (20 hours of class time! See course outline below.)

Instructor Bio:

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/a/6/a/event_63366762.jpegLaura Altvater grew up in Connecticut and Arizona, which offered her a diversity of climate and gardening perspectives. She went to Connecticut College where she received a Bachelors in Botany in 1996. This is where her love of medicinal plants began as she collected medicine around the campus and made teas. In 1997 Laura moved to Oregon to farm at Sauvie Island Organics for a season. In 1998 she began working at Portland Nursery as a seasonal cashier where she continues to work, now as a manager and buyer. In 1999 she did a three month apprenticeship at the Herb Pharm in Williams, OR and has taken numerous herb courses over the years. In 2005 Mostly Medicinals nursery was born with some seeds and a car port converted into a greenhouse. Today Mostly Medicinals is a larger back yard operation selling plants directly to customers as well as at herb fairs and farmer’s markets. She has also traveled to many places around the world which has expanded understanding for different cultures and climates. Besides plants her passion is to share what she knows with others. Laura has taught many classes on medicinal herbs and gardening at Portland Nursery, Garden Time TV show, Portland Plant Medicine Gathering, The Herb Shoppe and Northwest Herbal Fair.

Course Outline:

February 8th Planning your garden- This class will help you decide what to grow, learn how to assess your gardening space and resources as well as offer some suggestions for what plants will grow well together.

March 14th Seed Starting- We will start some seeds so you can get the feel of how to get your herbs off to a good start. This class will also talk about demystifying seed dormancy, different seeding techniques and tools you will need to germinate a wide range of seeds.

April 11th Division and Cuttings- Here we will learn how to make more plants from what you or a friend may already have. We will be taking divisions and sticking cuttings from material in the nursery. We will also discuss plant anatomy, techniques and proper timing.

May 9th Planting- This class will provide you step by step instructions on how to get your plants in the ground. We will also discuss soil prep and biology, fertilizers and container gardening. We will plant a bed at the nursery specifically set aside for this class so we can tend and harvest the bounty through the course.

June 13th Harvest of leaves and flowers- This class will give you the guidelines for harvesting, drying and storage for maximum quality. We will also discuss making your own tea.

July 11th Watering, weeds and Pest Control- In this class we will discuss how to control some of the toughest weeds, devouring insects and major diseases that can occur in the garden. Including some effective home remedies. We will also talk about good watering techniques since 80% of what goes wrong in the garden is due to improper watering.

August 8th Harvest flowers and fruits- We will harvest flowering crops such as Calendula and learn how to make oils and salves. We will also talk about making fruit elixirs, and touch base on other activities happening this time of year. We will also go in depth about your favorite herb(s) and share our experiences.

September 12th Seed Saving- In this class we will collect and take home seeds we can collect at the nursery. We will talk about winnowing, curing and storage of seeds.

October 10thHarvesting Roots and Making Tinctures- We will make tinctures and discuss the different materials needed as well as how to dry roots for storage. We will also go in depth about your favorite herb(s) and share our experiences

November 14th Putting the Garden to Bed- Here we will go over the chore list for getting the garden ready for winter and how to protect tender plants. We will also look at some basic pruning techniques so you are ready this winter.

If you have specific questions about curriculum, please contact Laura directly: mostlymedicinals [at] yahoo.com

Two Work-Study Spots Are Available- Please contact Leonard (link on lefthand column of meetup site) for more info. Work-trade positions have been filled.