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The Year-Round Vegetable Garden

An Organic Approach for Maryland and USDA Hardiness Zone 7 Regions

Instructor: Shane J. LaBrake, Agricultural Consultant

This is a two-day workshop designed to provide a framework for creating the successful design and implementation of a productive organic vegetable garden in Central and Southern Maryland.   

Saturday April 19th, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm:

• Overview
• Soils – Part I:                
• Mid-morning Break
• Soils – Part II:        
• Compost – the vital key to the organic garden:
• Lunch Break
• Planning, seeds, and seed-starting:       
• Afternoon Break
• Growing needs and considerations, harvesting:
• Question, comments, and wrap-up

Sunday April 20th, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm:

• Garden pests and controlling them:
• Morning Break
• Season Extension – the garden in Spring, Fall and Winter:
• The Year-Round Garden seasonal chore list:
• Lunch Break
• The Proper Use and Care of Garden Tools and Equipment: 
• Question, comments and wrap-up

The class will include demonstrations for watering, mulching, season extension, staking and trellising, and fencing.  Participants will be introduced to a wide variety of tillage and cultivation tools, including rototillers.  Class participants will be allowed and encouraged to use the tools to compare and contrast, thus allowing them to make appropriate purchases for their own gardening endeavors.  

Class participants are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening tools for the purpose of comparison.  Please wear appropriate shoes, gloves, and clothing for outdoor activity in mid-April weather.  Depending on the weather forecast, this portion of the workshop may be moved up in the schedule.      

Notes:  This class will provide exposure to a number of different resources, including seed and supply catalogs, slides, useful books, and a huge variety of tools, supplies and equipment.  There will also be a significant number of hand-outs offered during the workshop.  

About the Instructor

Shane J. LaBrake is an Independent Agricultural Consultant and Trainer based in Accokeek, MD.  Shane works with a wide variety of clients and students who are interested in advancing skills and enhancing the productivity and profitability of their sustainable agriculture enterprises.  Shane places a strong emphasis on learning, safety, efficiency, and disciplined productivity as keys to success and profitability in agriculture.

The internationally acclaimed architect and designer William McDonough says that “Design is the first signal of human intention.”  Shane works with clients to clarify in precise language their intentions for their farming ventures.  He conducts a careful inventory of all of the farm resources:  the human skills and knowledge base;  the infrastructure, including buildings, machinery, roads, etc.; the physical resources of soils, water, proximities to markets, etc.;  and the clients financial resources.  Once intention and available resources are clarified, Shane helps his clients create effective designs for their farming operations that enhance the overall well-being of the whole farm entity. 

Shane has practically an entire life's work in food and agriculture.  Prior to working independently, he worked for the Accokeek Foundation, where he was hired in 1995 to create a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project at the Foundation's Robert Ware Straus Ecosystem Farm.  Shane managed the farm and the CSA program from 1995 – 2004, and again in 2006. 

In 1996, Shane began to develop a “land-based training” program designed to further develop the skills and knowledge of individuals planning to operate their own small-scale organic vegetable farms.  To date, 30 apprentices have worked alongside Shane at the Accokeek Foundation's Center for Land-Based Training.

Throughout his years at the Accokeek Foundation, Shane presented workshops at many sustainable agriculture conferences in the Northeastern States.  He is well known for the 2-day tractor and farm machinery operation and maintenance intensives that he has created.  He has also presented many times on CSA, soils, new farmer training and garlic production.  Shane has served on many boards and committees, and was one of the founders of the Northeast On-Farm Mentor Network. 

Prior to moving to Maryland, Shane created and managed The Community Farm Project for the Food Bank of Central New York, near Syracuse, NY.  He also worked for many years at the Syracuse Real Food Coop, first as general staff, and then as manager for over five years. 

Shane is a native of Northern New York State where he operated a market garden and roadside farm stand with his father and brother for six years beginning when he was nine years old.  He spent 18 months living and working in Venezuela - initially as an exchange student – and he is fluent in Spanish.  He majored in Geography at Syracuse University.

Location:
Green Building Institute
7761 Waterloo Rd. (Route 175)
Jessup, MD 20794

Registration:

         $115 Dues paying Green Building Institute Member *

         $125  Non-member

    Students (High School or Undergrad)
   

    $80 Dues paying Green Building Institute Student Member*

   $90 Non-Member Student

      *To register at the member level, you must be a current Member of The Green Building Institute.

Class size: Min 14 participants, Max 25 participants

PLEASE NOTE, there is a minimum enrollment required for this class.  If there are insufficient registrations we will have to cancel the class.   

Questions?  Please call (443) 733-1234.

Mail: please complete the registration form and mail it with payment to The Green Building Institute.

Online: Register online.

 Please note: All participants receive a confirmation E-mail following registration. If you do not receive a confirmation, we have not received your registration.