First off I have to tell you, I don't like gardening! I don't like the bugs, the heat or the smell of manure and I am allergic to the weeds. I grew up in a family of gardeners, a long line of people who grew up working the land -- joyfully, successfully and without complaint. My grandfather grew two gardens well into his 80s -- one for the house and one to sell from. The green thumb gene passed me by.
This spring, since my grandchildren love to plant things and watch them grow, I decided to take the Sustainable Gardening class offered at Granite State. The professor is a well known organic gardener who has written several books on the subject and also writes articles for a local newspaper. I decided that with his help I might be able to actually grow something. I figured that if I grew a garden as homework I would be even more motivated to make it a success. What I found was that even though gardening was still hard, hot and dirty work I wasn't in it alone. Most of the students in the class were starting from scratch just like I was. Over the next 12 weeks we all learned by trial and error and commiserated with each other or celebrated with each other depending on each success or failure-of course we didn't call it failure, the professor called each mistake a learning experience and encouraged us to keep trying new things.
Eventually we all had our gardens in place -- 8' by 10' was the requirement. We all grew different things, some grew flowers, some grew herbs and some vegetables-one enthusiastic student who was a new homeowner planted everything from herbs to fruit trees and we actually learned how to do everything from starting seedlings to how to plant a tree. It was amazing how much we packed into 12 weeks. Besides planting and tending our gardens we also visited many local greenhouses and fruit growers in the area both in New Hampshire and Vermont-not only the organic ones, but also the ones who are part organic and part chemical users. We learned about beneficial bugs, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and the dangers of using chemicals on our food. One thing I learned in those 12 weeks is that I want to grow my own vegetables just so I know what I am eating.
The class ended in June, but our gardens are still thriving -- or as much as they can with the small amount of rain we have had lately. So far I have had tomatoes and squash and broccoli out of the garden, as well as string beans and spinach and beet greens. This is probably one of the most fun classes I have taken at Granite State. I think the program could even be expanded to a second class involving more advanced techniques for pruning trees or even landscape design. The thing about Granite State College is that there is always something new and different being offered and they are open to new ideas from the students. It's great to have a resource like Granite State College right here in Claremont, NH.
This spring, since my grandchildren love to plant things and watch them grow, I decided to take the Sustainable Gardening class offered at Granite State. The professor is a well known organic gardener who has written several books on the subject and also writes articles for a local newspaper. I decided that with his help I might be able to actually grow something. I figured that if I grew a garden as homework I would be even more motivated to make it a success. What I found was that even though gardening was still hard, hot and dirty work I wasn't in it alone. Most of the students in the class were starting from scratch just like I was. Over the next 12 weeks we all learned by trial and error and commiserated with each other or celebrated with each other depending on each success or failure-of course we didn't call it failure, the professor called each mistake a learning experience and encouraged us to keep trying new things.
Eventually we all had our gardens in place -- 8' by 10' was the requirement. We all grew different things, some grew flowers, some grew herbs and some vegetables-one enthusiastic student who was a new homeowner planted everything from herbs to fruit trees and we actually learned how to do everything from starting seedlings to how to plant a tree. It was amazing how much we packed into 12 weeks. Besides planting and tending our gardens we also visited many local greenhouses and fruit growers in the area both in New Hampshire and Vermont-not only the organic ones, but also the ones who are part organic and part chemical users. We learned about beneficial bugs, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and the dangers of using chemicals on our food. One thing I learned in those 12 weeks is that I want to grow my own vegetables just so I know what I am eating.
The class ended in June, but our gardens are still thriving -- or as much as they can with the small amount of rain we have had lately. So far I have had tomatoes and squash and broccoli out of the garden, as well as string beans and spinach and beet greens. This is probably one of the most fun classes I have taken at Granite State. I think the program could even be expanded to a second class involving more advanced techniques for pruning trees or even landscape design. The thing about Granite State College is that there is always something new and different being offered and they are open to new ideas from the students. It's great to have a resource like Granite State College right here in Claremont, NH.
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