Regional Garden Education Center Classes
In May 2011, Wild Willow Farm & Education Center was chosen to be one of five Regional Garden Education Centers (RGEC) in San Diego County, serving the southern areas of the county. In fulfilling this role, Wild Willow Farm will be a resource for those wishing to get more involved in backyard, school and community gardening. These gardens will make fresh produce more accessible for the residents of San Diego as well as decreasing the huge carbon footprint of imported agricultural resources. If you, or someone you know, wants to get more involved in gardening or has thought about starting a community or school garden this is the perfect opportunity for you!
Regional Garden Education Centers are being guided by and modeled on SD Roots' Victory Gardens San Diego program, as one part of a much bigger project called Healthy WorksSM, a countywide initiative making systems and environmental changes promoting wellness and addressing the nationwide obesity epidemic.
Healthy WorksSM is a component of the County of San Diego's "Live Well, San Diego! Building Better Health" initiative, a 10-year strategic vision for improving health and wellness and combating the toll of chronic diseases, including obesity. Healthy WorksSM creates "Paths to Healthy Living." Healthy WorksSM engages San Diego County residents, businesses, and community leaders in systems and environmental approaches such as farmers' markets, community gardens, bike-to-school and work programs, school exercise and nutrition programs, as well as changes involving land use and transportation.
Free school gardening class
Gardening 301: How to Start and Sustain a School Gardening Program
If you want to get involved in starting or sustaining a school garden somewhere near you, join us for this FREE class!
This course offers eight lessons on building support for school gardens among peers, educators, and administrators, including: making the case for school gardening programs; building a garden leadership team; garden planning and design; financially sustaining your gardening program; community partnerships, volunteers and joint use; curriculum and outdoor classroom management, before- and after-school garden clubs, and gardens in the wellness movement. This series will provide classroom education and opportunities for active discussion and brainstorming.
School gardening operator's manual included!
Three Saturday classes
Saturday, November 5, 9am to 1pm
Saturday, Novebmer 19, 9am to 1pm
Saturday, December 3, 9am to 1pmLocation:
La Mirada Elementary School, 222 Avenida De La Madrid, San Ysidro 92173
While Gardening 301 is geared toward starting and managing the school garden, this class is really going to be special. We will incorporate some Gardening 101 how-to into the time so we can gain useful skills like composting, bed design, and seed sowing. We will actually help build a school/community garden for La Mirada during our time together. How amazing!
Register below or RSVP Erynn: 619.540.2431 or
Registration Form
Meet Erynn Pierce
Regional Garden Education Center Coordinator
Erynn is a yoga teacher, mother of two, urban farmer, and an intern at Wild Willow Farm. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, she grew up playing in the mossy forests of Washington state, and hiking to hidden aquifers on the islands of Saipan and Guam. Diversity and the bounty of nature in these settings inspired her to study biology and zoology as an undergraduate at San Diego State university, where she worked in conservation research on the Mexican Gray Wolf and the Indian White Rhinoceros. A shift from animal science to food systems came about rather unexpectedly with the birth of her two children, when the most important questions became, "What do I feed my young family? What impact does the answer to this have?" Feeling a deeper connection to all living systems as a human and spiritual being has been the underlying focus to everything, no matter the disguise.
Erynn is actively farming an acre of land in Spring Valley, honing the skills she's learned as an intern at Wild Willow Farm. She is working on a large-scale school garden, with the hopes of feeding even more children healthy local food. Now that she's on the Roots team, she is looking to educate and empower more people to effect real change in their communities. Feed the soul, feed the family, feed the community, feed the world.
Regional Garden Education Center Classes
Gardening 101:
How to Grow Your Own Food
Topics covered include:
- Introduction to Basic Gardening
- Garden Design
- Bed Preparation
- Soil and Composting
- Plant Parts and Basic Botany
- Seeding and Planting
- Irrigation
- Weeds, Pests, and Disease
- Cooking and Harvesting
- Potluck following class; Bring your favorite healthy home-cooked meal to share. Also your own plate/cup/utensils to reduce waste.
A class manual will be provided.
This is a great place to meet other gardeners!
Gardening 201:
How to Start and Manage
a Community Garden
Topic covered include:
- Community Development and Organizing
- Finding and Obtaining Land
- Budgeting and Fundraising
- Garden Design and Supplies
- Managing the Garden
- Community Interaction
A class manual will be provided.
This is a great place to meet community members with similar goals in gardening!
Gardening 301:
How to Start and Sustain
a School Garden
Topic covered include:
- Making the Case for School Gardens
- Building A School Garden Leadership Team
- Garden Planning and Design
- Budgeting and Fundraising
- Community Partnerships and Volunteers
- Curriculum and Outdoor Classroom Management
- Gardens as Part of the Wellness Movement
A class manual will be provided.
This is a great place to meet community members with similar goals in supporting school gardens!
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