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Square Foot Gardening Workshop
March 18, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
$30.00 – $35.00
Square Foot Gardening
Gardening 101 Workshop
Saturday, March 18, 2023
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Square Foot Gardening is a unique technique developed by Mel Bartholomew in 1975 that closely mirrors the Shakers’ affection for both simplicity and symmetry. For over three decades the Square Foot Gardening Foundation has spread Mel’s message of growing more food in less space with less waste. Just one 4 x 4 Square Foot Garden Box (16 square feet) will grow enough produce to make a salad for one adult every day of the growing season! This method of gardening is great for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike and can be done virtually anywhere with tangible results right away!
Join VT Master Gardener and Certified Square Foot Garden Instructor Nichole Wolfgang at Enfield Shaker Museum for a comprehensive Gardening 101 Workshop. Topics include different types of gardens (including Square Foot Gardening), the pros and cons of each, general methods and examples of each variety. How to plan and set-up your garden; including soil, size, location, and companion planting. What, when and how to plant, including guidance on climate zones, seeds vs. plants, and spacing. Watering, weeding, feeding and general care, as well as how to harvest your crops will be covered. Learn everything you need to create the perfect garden for your home from start to harvest!
The Shakers and Gardening:
Much of daily life in a Shaker village revolved around farming and gardening. From growing food for their large self-sufficient communities, to their seed business and the production of patent herbal medicines, the Shakers had a deep reverence and connection to the earth.
A spiritual undertaking as much as a physical one, the Shakers believed a garden was “an index of the owner’s mind” and that removing weeds from the garden was like removing impure thoughts from one’s mind, keeping the tenet “cleanliness is next to godliness”. This meant, like everything else in the village, Shaker gardens were laid out in tightly packed, neat and tidy rows, creating a grid of intentionally placed plants which resulted in an abundant harvest.
Class size limited to 25. Advance registration required.
Museum Members – $30/person
Non-Members – $35/person
Meet Nichole Wolfgang:
Nichole Wolfgang is a woman of many talents! She is a graduate of both Lehigh and Drexel Universities, and served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. In 2009 she received her Vermont Master Gardener Certification and became a Square Foot Gardening Certified Instructor in 2010. She considers herself a perpetual learner, and has taught yoga, watercolor painting, book binding, software use, and of course gardening. In addition to home schooling her children she is a certified EMT and joined her local fire department! Nichole is also co-owner of Artesano Mead and KIS Kombucha, two beverage companies located in Groton, Vermont.
