Kate, owner of Daisy Hill Farm, was a high school biology teacher working in public schools for 15 years prior to becoming a farmer and garden educator in 2016. She holds a Masters in Education from Harvard University and although she very much misses formal classroom teaching, she has found a way to combine her love of teaching and farming through community gardening education classes!
Kate’s classes are designed to be informative, interesting, and fun- all while also incorporating sustainability, ecology, organic practices, and DIY techniques. She has always loved with connecting with people through education and has a welcoming and energetic way of teaching and communicating.
Interested in a workshop or seminar for your garden club? Please contact Kate for more information at katedespres@gmail.com
Classes:
Design and plan your vegetable garden - grow more food in the space you have.
Have you ever planted little seedlings in the spring a few inches apart only to find that mid-summer your garden is a crowded jungle? Do you know how many square feet each tomato/bean/cucumber/basil plant needs to thrive? Did you know that leafy greens can be planted in the shade of vertically grown squash? Believe it or not, sometimes planting less will help produce more- and figuring out where to grow your veggies, flowers and herbs before digging can be super rewarding, especially after a long winter inside.
Utilize these tips and more to design and plan your garden by creating your own planting map to fit the needs of you and your family in the space that you have. You will learn to make a crop map by using a few steps. After making a ranked list of what you want to grow, you will plan out when and where to plant your top priority crops using a map of your own growing space. You will leave the class with a packet of references and tips to help you continue mapping in the future.
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Seed Starting Indoors:
Grow your own healthy vegetable, flower, and herb plants from seed! Starting your own seeds allows you to choose your own specific plant varieties, plus it is a great way to bypass those late-winter blues! We have a variety of tips and tricks as well to share after almost 20 years of seed starting. In this class you will learn about seed sourcing, grow area set-up, timing of starting seedlings, what soil to use, how often to water, and how to safely harden off seedlings for their move outside. Plus you will get an inside look at how we do things at Daisy Hill Farm!
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Backyard Composting at Daisy Hill Farm:
Join us at Daisy Hill Farm in Acton, MA to see a backyard garden compost system in action! We'll demonstrate how to build and turn the pile, sift "finished" compost, and apply it to your garden and yard. Learn to identify different stages of compost, handle challenges, and understand what should and should not be composted. Discover how to manage food scraps in the kitchen and compost through the winter.
Not only will you learn how to turn your food scraps, fall leaves, and yard waste into “black gold,” but you will also gain insights into the science behind decomposition and the ecological impact of making and using your own compost. Discover how “black gold” can improve both plant and soil health. We'll discuss various compost bin options, including DIY and commercial systems, and how to choose the best one for you. You'll leave with an informational composting packet and excitement to start your composting journey!
Be warned: Kate has an infectious love for composting.
Location: Daisy Hill Farm, Acton MA
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Container Gardening:
Do you want to grow a garden but have limited space, or don’t know where to start? Container gardening might be the answer! You can grow flowers, herbs, and veggie plants without ever digging in the ground, and your garden can be small or as large as you want it to be. Join us at Daisy Hill Farm in Acton where we will view and discuss actual mature container gardens in traditional pots, fabric planters, deck railing planters, DIY containers, and planters at waist height as examples for both best practices and pitfalls to avoid.
You will learn the best varieties of your favorite vegetables, herbs and flowers that grow well in containers. We will discuss where to put your containers, how large they should be for specific plants, the best soil to use, and how often to water and fertilize. You will leave the class with an informational packet, some seeds for your garden, and hopefully some inspiration!
Location: Daisy Hill Farm, Acton MA
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Putting your Garden to Bed: Fall Garden Care and Planting Garlic
Did you know that the best gardens begin in the fall? Join us for a hands-on workshop at Daisy Hill Farm to learn about preparing garden beds for a successful spring garden using the no-till method and hand tools. The workshop will be broken down into 3 main parts.
- Cleaning Out Garden Beds: Learn which plant debris to remove and which to leave for winter. Gain hands-on experience trying a variety of hand tools to effectively clear garden beds.
- Amending Garden Beds: After clearing, discover how to read a soil report and interpret its recommendations. In addition to adding compost to the cleared bed, use the recommendations in the report to increase soil health and prepare for spring planting.
- Planting Garlic: Participants will learn the best practices for growing a successful crop of garlic, starting with clove selection, planting depth, spacing, fertilization, and mulching. They'll also discuss caring for garlic in the spring and harvesting it in the summer.
Location: Daisy Hill Farm, Acton MA
Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening for Beginners
Have you been wanting to grow your own food, but don’t know where to start? Already dabbled in gardening and would like to learn more? Nothing tastes better than your own fresh picked herbs and veggies!
This class is intended for beginner gardeners with little to no experience and provides a general overview of the following topics: garden placement, choosing what type of garden is best for you (raised bed, in ground, or container), how to build and maintain high quality soil, plant spacing, tool recommendations, best watering methods, weeding, planting, mulch, and favorite vegetable varieties. You will leave the class with an illustrated guide to organic gardening, and a bunch of ideas about what you will plant this year!
Next Class: TBA
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Seed Starting:
Grow your own healthy vegetable, flower, and herb plants from seed! Starting your own seeds allows you to choose your own specific plant varieties, plus it is a great way to bypass those late-winter blues! We have a variety of tips and tricks as well to share after almost 20 years of seed starting. In this class you will learn about seed sourcing, grow area set-up, timing of starting seedlings, what soil to use, how often to water, and how to safely harden off seedlings for their move outside.
IN PERSON at Daisy Hill Farm
Next Class: TBA
Tomato Time
A class dedicated to tomatoes! Tomato growing is probably the number one reason many people have their own garden. Nothing tastes better than your own garden tomato. We have grown over 50 varieties here at Daisy Hill Farm and want to share all of our tomato knowledge with you! Join us to learn about heirloom, hybrids, indeterminate vs. determinate, selecting the right tomato types for your family and garden, seed starting, how to nurture a strong tomato seedling and transition it to the outside, planting, pruning, harvesting, common tomato issues, tomatoes in the kitchen, and ways to save your harvest through the winter!
Next Class: TBA
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Design and plan your vegetable garden - grow more food in the space you have.
Have you ever planted little seedlings in the spring a few inches apart only to find that mid-summer your garden is a crowded jungle? Do you know how many square feet each tomato/bean/cucumber/basil plant needs to thrive? Did you know that leafy greens can be planted in the shade of vertically grown squash? Believe it or not, sometimes planting less will help produce more- and figuring out where to grow your veggies, flowers and herbs before digging can be super rewarding, especially after a long winter inside.
Utilize these tips and more to design and plan your garden by creating your own planting map to fit the needs of you and your family in the space that you have. You will learn to make a crop map by using a few steps. After making a ranked list of what you want to grow, you will plan out when and where to plant your top priority crops using a map of your own growing space. You will leave the class with a packet of references and tips to help you continue mapping in the future.
Next Class: TBA
