FARMINGTON, Minn. — A fertility and soil management workshop will be held May 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Gardens of Eagan farm near Farmington. Participants will view firsthand fertility and soil management decisions, and be exposed to a variety of topics important to managing soils for organic vegetable production.

This event, which is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program, will be hosted by the Organic Field School at Gardens of Eagan. It 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 starting a farming operation. Participation is limited to 20 people. Please pre-register by May 3 by contacting Parker Forsell at 507-523-3366 or parker@landstewardshipproject.org.

Please bring a sack lunch; lunch will not be provided.

This workshop/field day offers a unique opportunity to learn from Atina and Martin Diffley at Organic FarmingWorks (www.frontiernet.net/~atinagoe), and to learn the fertility and soil management practices they utilized at Gardens of Eagan, one of the area’s most successful organic vegetable farms. Topics to be covered include:

• Understanding the basics of soil health
• Planting and managing soil building crops
• Cover crops
• Catch crops
• Living mulch systems
• Soil building crops
• Planning crop and soil building rotations
• Crop incorporation—organic matter management
• Managing off-farm inputs

For more information on the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program, see www.farmbeginnings.org, or call 507-523-3366.

CONTACT: Parker Forsell, LSP, 507-523-3366; parker@landstewardshipproject.org

FARMINGTON, Minn. — A greenhouse management workshop will be held April 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at Gardens of Eagan farm near Farmington. Participants will view firsthand greenhouse management decisions and be exposed to a variety of topics important to greenhouse management.

This event, which is sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program will be hosted by the Organic Field School at Gardens of Eagan. It 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 starting a farming operation. Participation is limited to 20 people. Please pre-register by April 12 by contacting Parker Forsell at 507-523-3366 or parker@landstewardshipproject.org.

This workshop/field day offers a unique opportunity to learn from Atina Diffley, of Organic FarmingWorks, and to learn the greenhouse practices she utilized at the Gardens of Eagan, one of the area’s most successful organic vegetable farms. Topics to be covered include:

• Pest management
• Planning seeding schedule
• Understanding planting media
• Fertility issues
• Germination techniques
• Direct seeding
• Transplanting
• Judging water needs
• Hardening off plants
• Heating and venting a greenhouse

For more information on the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program, see www.farmbeginnings.org, or call 507-523-3366.

Sunday July 12, 1-4 pm
Skill Session – Mid-season crop management

Presenters: Mike Leck and Linda Halley of Gardens of Eagan

Snail in the Park from Slow Food Minnesota

Sunday, June 14, 4 – 7 p.m.

A potluck picnic and talk on small gardens and container gardening. Hidden Falls Park, St. Paul

Derek Hook will discuss container gardening in the condo (or anywhere else), and Laura Frerichs of Loon Organics will discuss backyard gardening. Slow Food MN will provide grilled food. Learn something new and meet others who are interested in good, clean

In-The-Field Farmer Workshop in collaboration with Land Stewardship Project

June 14 2009 1:00 – 5:00 pm

Skill Session – Vegetable Machinery Workshop

• Demonstration of Tillage and Cultivation Equipment
• Presenters: Atina and Martin Diffley of
  Organic Farming Works Consulting
• Limited to 20 participants
• See the press release

Come view tillage and cultivation equipment at work, learn about sizing equipment to your operation, purchasing equipment based on farm goals. prioritizing equipment purchases. and the ins-and-outs of weed management and weed psychology.

Please RSVP Parker if you will be attending this field day parker@landstewardshipproject.org