Community Crops Education & Classes

Come learn with us! Classes and workshops are offered throughout the year on gardening and farming topics, cooking, and sustainable living.

Urban Grower Classes

This class series, running 2023 through 2025 will focus on teaching sustainable growing skills for gardeners and farmers. Class formats may vary between field days, lectures, online classes, and other alternative formats. Registration is required, but classes are free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accommodations for translation can be made by request with advance notice of 2 weeks, and there is a question in the registration regarding translation needs. Please contact us with any questions.

Registration forms close approximately 2-3 days prior to class or in some cases earlier due to the number of students signed up.

Upcoming Classes

March 30th, 11am – 12:30pm, at the Community Crops Office: Gardening in Nebraska 

Participants will learn about growing food in Southeast Nebraska. We will cover climate, season length, pest & weed pressures, as well as provide an overview of soil types found in southeast Nebraska and how to best manage them. This class will be focused for growers who are new to this region. This class will be taught by Community Crops staff.

Registration is closed for this course. Please email agerdes@familyservicelincoln.org for late registration requests.

Register for Gardening in Nebraska

April 13th, 11am – 12:30pm, at Lake St. MicroFarm: Using Low Tunnels for Early Season Extension

This skill share will cover how to use low tunnels for early season extension and pest management. Materials needed to build low tunnels, as well as construction and management will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to build a low tunnel during class. This class will be taught by Amy Gerdes, owner and operator of Lake St. MicroFarm.

Register for Using Low Tunnels for Early Season Extension

April 18th, 6-8pm, at Southern Heights Food Forest: Water Conservation Strategies for Gardeners

This class will approach water conservation from an ecological perspective. We will learn about understanding the hydrology of our gardens and farms, how to utilize different water catchment and planting methods to use water wisely, as well as planning for drought and changing climate. This class will be taught by Molly Phemister, Executive Director of Southern Heights Food Forest.

Register for Water Conservation Strategies for Gardeners

June 1st, 10am – 11:30am, at Lake St. MicroFarm: Drip Irrigation and Mulching Strategies for Gardeners Skill Share

This skill share style class will provide an overview of drip irrigation as a strategy for water conservation, including how to design and set up your own system, as well as explore different mulching strategies that can be implemented in your garden in order to reduce water consumption. Participants will have the opportunity to help set up a drip irrigation system, practice calculating flow rate, and work with a variety of mulches. This class will be taught by Amy Gerdes, owner and operator of Lake St. MicroFarm.

Register for Drip Irrigation and Mulching Strategies for Gardeners Skill Share

 

Business and Marketing for Small Scale Farmers

This class series, running 2023 through 2024 will focus on teaching introductory business and marketing skills for small scale farmers. This series will be 12 parts and will start in September 2023. Registration is required but classes are free for participants. Classes will be delivered in English, with Arabic and/or Kurdish Kurmanji translation available.

Upcoming Classes

May 16th, 6-8pm, at Family Service Lincoln office: Farm Recordkeeping

This class explores why recordkeeping is important for small scale growers. We will cover good recordkeeping methods and practices, what farm records are necessary and why, and how records can be used to make financial and other business related decisions. This class will be taught by Gary Fehr, owner and operator of Green School Farm.

Register for Farm Recordkeeping

June 27th, 6-8pm, at Salt Creek Cooperative Farm: Cooperative Ownership Models

“Cooperative Ownership” provides an introduction to cooperative ownership models for farmers. We will discuss how cooperatives work, benefits of cooperative ownership, and how to become a co-op. Students will have the opportunity to tour the Salt Creek Coop farm, who produces specialty crops and pasture raised eggs using sustainable methods. This class will be taught by Nash Leef of Salt Creek Coop.

Register for Cooperative Ownership Models

 

Contact

If you want more information about our current classes, or have questions about your registration, contact aGerdes@familyservicelincoln.org.