Backyards, Lots, and Small Plots

Friday

Workshop Session I: 8:45-10 a.m.

Enlivening Soil: In Place and Rotational Composting Practices for a Community and Market Garden 

Peter Huttinger, Turner Farm 

Learn about Turner Farm’s approach to transforming an urban in-fill site by using cost effective practices and moderate labor. This session will illustrate how in-place and rotational composting practices combined with cover crops developed the half-acre Price Hill Community Garden. You’ll learn about their unique approach to using long beds of compost windrows parallel with cover crops, and walk away with an idea of how you can apply these techniques to your own garden. 

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Workshop Session II: 10:45 a.m.-Noon

Market Gardening with Livestock Integration: Key Farming Successes, Failures, and Future Directions 

Ian Zeglin, Greenacres Foundation 

Is it possible to build enough fertility for a market garden exclusively using cover crops and animal impact? This session explores six years of work looking into the success and challenges of integrating livestock into a vegetable production system without any added fertility. Join us to explore what worked, what didn’t, and how they’re moving forward in this project. 

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Workshop Session III: 1-2:15 p.m. 

Chicken Breed Selection: Choosing the Best Chickens for Your Space 

Denise Natoli Brooks, CSU Extension 

Building a small-scale poultry flock is exciting because there are so many possibilities. This session will consider bird size, egg production, egg color and meat quality, cold hardiness, coop needs, and behavior to best fit your goals. 

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Workshop Session IV: 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Companion Planting: A Fresh Look 

Barbara Utendorf, BackyardNourishment.com 

Correct companion planting can truly make a difference to the vitality of a crop and the health of an ecosystem. Join to learn about the years of research, trial, and attunement that provided the foundation for an updated look at companion planting. 

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Saturday

Workshop Session V: 8:45-10 a.m.

Turn Your Lawn into Prairie 

Tisa Watts, Columbus Garden School 

The traditional lawn is a biodiversity wasteland. Learn the tools and step-by-step techniques used to transform turfgrass into a thriving prairie and meadow using native grasses and perennial wildflowers. Topics include weed removal, soil prep, plant selection, first-year versus long-term maintenance, project scaling, and managing expectations. The benefits are enormous: wildlife habitat restoration, soil building and retention, deep water percolation, herbal resources, and great beauty just outside your door. 

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Workshop Session VI: 10:45 a.m.-Noon

Biological Control for Waxworms and Hive Beetles in Honeybee Hives 

Nadia Ruffin, Quiwi Produce 

This session will demonstrate how Bt bacteria can be used as a biological control for waxworms and hive beetles inside honeybee hives. The overall goal is to improve honeybee colony health and prevent colonies from absconding or being killed by infestation caused by these insects. 

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Workshop Session VII: 1-2:15 p.m.

Animal Exclusion for the Home Gardener 

Nick Leone 

This session will examine the animal exclusion system successfully used for the past 20 years in multiple locations,  all with heavy pressure from deer, groundhogs, and rabbits. The Leone family system was pieced together from components of various other techniques–some of which were learned at previous OEFFA conferences—and is effective and adaptable. 

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