URBAN HOMESTEADING BOOTCAMP 2024

Are you ready to awaken your "inner homesteader"?

If you're like most folks, you've probably become much more aware during the last few years about the multiple levels of fragility inherent in our current food supply systems, including the absolute reliance of industrial food production on harmful chemicals, the large-scale destruction of soil health, nutrient-deficient vegetables in our grocery stores and unreliable food supply chain issues. 

As a result, it comes as no surprise that more and more folks are looking for real food solutions, and seeking out ways to source food grown naturally in healthy, living soil, food that is nourishing and nutrient-dense, and food that they can source reliably, even in challenging times.

With 80% of Canadians living in urban environments, it makes sense that we look at strategies for creating more food production hyper-locally, on our balconies, in our community gardens, in our school yards and in our back and front yards, instead of relying completely on our big-box grocery stores to bring in food shipped from long distances. 

But even if you understand the importance of shifting gears, what do you do if you have absolutely no experience growing food, taking care of soil, sowing seeds, let alone composting? 

One of our core mottos at Urban Farm School is "empowerment through positive action". 

Empowering yourself by building practical skills that will have a positive and lasting impact on your ability to gain creater levels of abundance and resilience is the key first step. 

The reason I developed the URBAN HOMESTEADING BOOTCAMP is that I don't want you to feel overwhelmed- I want you to feel empowered with the skills and knowledge you need to get growing NOW.

It's a full-weekend, multiple-session and information-dense event that will provide a strong foundational base to kickstart  your urban homesteading dreams. Designed specifically for folks who want to get started on their gardening journey and don't know where to start, this workshop includes the following sessions:

Session 1: SOIL HEALTH FOUNDATIONS - Saturday, March 16, 9:00am - 12 noon

In this super-informative first session, we will discuss the foundation for growing healthy, nutrient-dense food: healthy soil absolutely teeming with microbes. We'll dive into this fascinating topic and explore key strategies for unlocking your soils highest potential, getting the most nutrients into your crops, all while building and supporting essential soil microbial populations

Session 2: SEED STARTING SUCCESS - Saturday, March 16, 12:30 - 3:00 pm

Geared toward the short-season gardener, this session will give you the information and tools you need for successful growing. You'll learn everything you need to know to start your own veggies from seed, including equipment, seed storage and viability, optimum germination requirements, seed-starting mix recipes, specific seed-sowing dates for Calgary, and so much more. We'll discuss which plants need to be started indoors (and when) for our Calgary climate, and which seeds are happiest sown directly into your garden

 

Session 3: COMPLETE GUIDE TO GROWING - Saturday, March 16, 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm and Sunday, March 17, 9:00am - 10:30am

This session will cover everything you need to know, from seed to harvest, for organically growing the food crops that thrive in our climate. We'll talk about garden placement, site and soil preparation, seeding and planting techniques and schedules, and much more. You'll come away with the confidence to get growing now.

Session 4: SMALL GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT FOR THE HOME GARDENER - Sunday, March 17, 10:30 am - 1:00pm

Are you dreaming of having a small greenhouse? Greenhouses provide a very unique and sometimes challenging growing environment. To get the best use of your greenhouse, it's important that you get it right and avoid many of the common mistakes many people make in setting up and managing their greenhouse. We'll discuss best practices, suitable crops and tons of tips for optimizing your greenhouse and extending your harvests.

Session 5: COMPOSTING - Sunday, March 17, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

A key strategy for resilient growing systems is healing damaged nutrient cycles. This means finding ways to keep as many nutrients on site as possible and nurturing healthy populations of beneficial soil microbes. In this session we will explore various strategies for producing super high-quality compost absolutely overflowing with beneficial microbiology, why that's important, and how to customize your compost for your growing conditions. You will learn all you need to know to start composting, including bin styles (what works and what doesn't), compost ingredients and receipes, and basic rules-of-thumb to ensure that you can successfully build soil fertility and nutrient cylcing through composting!