Learn the Basics of Fresh Food Gardening

Free monthly workshops cover everything from the ground up.

IRVINE – You can grow your own fresh produce, no matter what your skill level or space available, with a little help from the City of Irvine and the Orange County Great Park. Gardening Basics for Adults: Growing Edibles is a monthly, six-part series that will cover the basics of how to grow edibles in your own garden, on your patio or even on a balcony. Classes will show you what’s easy to grow, how to choose what to plant and how to keep any plant alive and thriving! Admission and parking are free.

Visitors can drop in to any or all of the workshops, held at the Great Park Farm + Food Lab on select Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. This series was developed as part of a Health and Wellness partnership between the City of Irvine Senior Services and the Great Park to teach adults how to grow their own fresh, healthy food. The Gardening Basics for Adults Workshops include:

The Basics: Sun, Soil, Water, Fertilizer
November 10, 2011
10:00 a.m. to noon
Learn about the benefits of raised beds and containers, soil needs, irrigation and feeding strategies.

What and How to Plant
December 8, 2011
10:00 a.m. to noon
What do you like to eat? What’s easy to grow? Learn how to choose what to plant and how to keep any plant alive and thriving!

Composting Basics
January 12, 2012
10:00 a.m. to noon
Use your kitchen and garden waste to supercharge your soil. Learn how to choose an effective compost bin and composting materials.

Pest Management
February 9, 2012
10:00 a.m. to noon
Learn Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques to control insect and rodent pests using ‘least toxic’ methods.

The Warm Season Garden
March 8, 2012
10:00 a.m. to noon
Learn how to switch your garden to warm season veggies, such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans and other favorites.

Series Recap and Seed Planting
April 5, 2012
10:00 a.m. to noon
Trouble-shoot your garden dilemmas and participate in a take-home seed planting activity. Note: The Series Recap will be held at the Rancho Senior Center, 3 Ethel Coplen Way, Irvine.

The Orange County Great Park is located at Sand Canyon and Marine Way, and can easily be reached by the 5 or 405 freeways. For more information, visit, please visit www.ocgp.org or call 949-724-6800.

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About the City of Irvine
This year, the City of Irvine celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Since its incorporation in 1971, Irvine has become a nationally recognized city, with a population of 212,375, spans 65 square miles and is recognized as one of America’s safest and most successful master-planned urban communities. Top-rated educational institutions, an enterprising business atmosphere, sound environmental stewardship, and respect for diversity all contribute to Irvine’s enviable quality of life. This family-friendly city features more than 16,000 acres of parks, sports fields and dedicated open space and is the home of the Orange County Great Park – the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century. For more information, please visit cityofirvine.org.

About the Great Park
The Orange County Great Park, with its 1,347-acre master plan, is the focal point of the redevelopment of the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro. The Great Park features an iconic tethered helium balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing an aerial view of Park development. Other features include the Carousel, Farm + Food Lab, Kids Rock Playground, Walkable Timeline, Palm Court Arts Complex, North Lawn recreation area and historic Hangar 244. The South Lawn lighted soccer fields and Community Garden will be added in 2012. For more information, please go to www.ocgp.org.