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Adult Education Classes
Community Horticulture
Brooklyn GreenBridge
Brooklyn GreenBridge is BBG's community horticulture program, including our Brooklyn Compost Project. For a free copy of our newsletter and more information about GreenBridge programs and events, call 718-623-7250. To reach our compost help line, call 718-623-7290. All classes are free, but you must preregister at 718-623-7220 unless otherwise indicated.
Workshops listed below are open to members of community groups, including community gardens, block associations, and neighborhood organizations.
Fall and Winter Classes
Registration begins on August 1, 2008, at 9 a.m.
Make Compost with a Touch of Spanish
Luke Halligan and Karla Osorio-Pérez
This class addresses two audiences—English and Spanish speakers—and is translated in both languages simultaneously throughout the session. We will cover the basics of composting in a complete, practical, and interactive way. Participants receive handouts and literature to review at home.
Tuesday, September 9 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Register with Karla Osorio-Pérez at 718-623-7368.
Registration Information
Haz Abono Orgánico con un Toque de Inglés
Luke Halligan and Karla Osorio-Pérez
Esta clase está diseñada para el público de habla hispana e inglés y será brindada enambos idiomas al mismo tiempo. El taller ofrece una gran oportunidad para aprender cómo hacer abono orgánico en una forma práctica, sencilla y de una manera interactiva. Participantes recibirán material informativo para estudiar en casa.
Martes, 9 de septiembre | 6–8 p.m.
La clase es GRATIS, pero es necesario registrarse.
Llama a Karla Osorio-Pérez al 718-623-7368.
Registration Information
Constructing Cold Frames for Winter Harvest
Elisabeth Thomas
Learn the basic carpentry skills needed to construct a cold frame out of low-cost materials! In addition to a hands-on building demonstration, this workshop will cover other season-extension techniques like row covers and cloches. Fall crops such as lettuces and greens will be discussed as well as the crops you may harvest throughout the winter such as spinach and mâché. This class will spend time outdoors, so dress appropriately.
Tuesday, September 9 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Teacher Workshop: Worm Composting in the Classroom
Luke Halligan
Working with worms in the classroom is a great way to teach ecology, recycling, and gardening. Learn how to set up a worm bin, feed worms with food scraps, and maintain the system successfully. Activities and how to incorporate worm composting into science, math, and language arts for students of all ages will be introduced. Teachers receive the activity guidebook Worms Eat Our Garbage, by Mary Appelhof, and, for an optional $10 materials fee, a voucher for a pound of worms and a plastic worm bin.
Tuesday, September 23 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
This class may also be held at your Brooklyn school for a group of ten or more teachers; call the Compost Help Line for more information at 718-623-7290.
Registration Information
Street Tree Bed Gardening
Susan Fields
Street trees do so much to improve our environment, but they often receive little care. In this class, learn the benefits of street trees, how to improve the health of a street tree by caring for the bed, get tips on tree-bed gardening and more in-depth information on street-tree care. Bring your street-tree care questions and find out more about the city's efforts to increase and protect the urban forest canopy.
Thursday, September 25 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Mulch, Leaves, and Cover Crops: How to Protect and Improve Your Soil
Luke Halligan
The key to beautiful, healthy plants is the soil in which they grow. In this workshop, learn the basics of soil structure, organic fertilizers, soil amendment secrets, the underworld critters that abound, and the importance of organic matter and composting for healthy soil. As a fall focus, we will discuss what to do with leaves, the benefits of mulching, and which cover crops will protect and improve your garden's soil.
Tuesday, October 7 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Rainwater Harvesting
Lenny Librizzi
Learn the benefits of reducing your dependence on NYC water and minimizing storm-water flows into our sewers by collecting rainwater for use in your garden. It's easy to use roofs from nearby buildings and garden sheds to harvest rainwater. Come learn about the different types of rainwater-harvesting systems being used throughout NYC community gardens, from simple pickle barrels to large tanks, and get tips on how to build your own.
Thursday, October 16 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Starting a Children's Garden Program
Elisabeth Thomas and Sara Epstein
Have you ever wanted to begin a new children's garden in your school, block association, or neighborhood organization? This workshop for adult leaders who want to organize a children's gardening program will provide tips for how to plan it and what tools and plant materials are needed. You will receive a free activity booklet and get a chance to visit our children's education greenhouse for hands-on activities.
Tuesday, October 21 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Composting in the City
Luke Halligan
Leaves, kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, and weeds can all become garden gold through composting. Making dark, rich, crumbly compost doesn't take much time, work, or space. This class covers the basics: what the composting process is, how to compost, how to use the finished compost, how to avoid and solve some issues, and which equipment and tools are helpful. Participants will receive a copy of the BBG handbook Easy Compost: The Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants.
Section A: Tuesday, October 21 | 6–8 p.m.
Section B: Tuesday, December 16 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Composting Alternatives and Gathering Materials
Luke Halligan
Want to compost without giving up your precious garden space? This workshop will give you some options to make rich compost in your backyard and a list of materials you can find in the neighborhood to balance your compost pile. Participants will receive a copy of the BBG handbook Easy Compost: The Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants.Wednesday, November 5 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Healing with Horticulture
Susan Fields
Why is gardening therapeutic? There is an increasing interest within the health and human service fields about what most gardeners know intuitively: Time spent planting, potting, pruning, observing, and harvesting is restorative. This class is for institutions and individuals interested in starting a therapeutic horticulture program or wanting to learn about the profession of horticultural therapy. Research and theories about the benefits of contact with the natural world will be reviewed, and therapeutic horticulture activities will be demonstrated.
Thursday, November 6 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Composting Indoors: Worm Bin Basics
Luke Halligan
Worms will eat your kitchen scraps and make them into compost for your indoor and outdoor plants. As they do in the soil outside, worms indoors in a container will turn food scraps into nutrient-rich worm castings. You will learn all about vermicomposting, or composting with worms, including how to make a home for these hungry red wiggler worms and how to maintain the worm bin. Participants will receive a copy of the book Worms Eat My Garbage, by Mary Appelhof, and may purchase a $10 voucher for a pound of red wiggler worms and a plastic worm bin.
Tuesday, November 18 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information
Brewing Compost Tea
Luke Halligan
Compost tea not only inoculates plants against certain diseases by introducing an abundance and diversity of microorganisms but also contains nutrients vital to plant health. Come learn more about how to make and apply this amazing brew, which can be used along with other organic gardening techniques to improve the health of your garden.
Tuesday, December 2 | 6–8 p.m.
No charge, but registration is required.
Registration Information