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You are here: Home / Articles / Collaborative Agriculture: Farming in a Forest

March 10, 2020 By Thom Foote Leave a Comment

Collaborative Agriculture: Farming in a Forest

Collaborative Agriculture: Farming with nature using

Permaculture and Agroforestry Techniques and principles.

 

Footehills Farm is happy and proud to announce, and launch, our first season of farm classes and workshops. This year’s sessions, in April, June and September, feature hands on, interactive, practical and useful instruction and demonstration of techniques, tools and tips that can make your efforts sustainable and profitable. Each session’s topics will reflect the jobs and needs of a farm during  that part of the growing season it is offered in and demonstrate ways to get ready for the next part of the season.

Torie and Thom Foote started Footehills Farm in 2012 while Thom was getting his Permaculture Design Certification from Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski, a well-known master permaculture teacher.  The farm has since grown to 1 acre of culinary and medicinal (they are the same) herbs and produces over 10 temperate climate spices and spice combinations. Along the way we have put our efforts into building and maintaining health soil. Because of this, we have gained a reputation for growing the best herbs and spices from some of the healthiest soil in the county. We have been featured in the Inlander and have hosted instructional tours from the WSU Extension and from Spokane Community College. This good stewardship is not only good for the earth but yields healthier plants. This in turn is a benefit to our neighbors and our community.

We started out with the goal of not only learning how to farm in a forest but teaching others how to do that same. In that vein, we welcome you sign up for the sessions and learn new, and traditional, farming techniques and ideas.

Thom and Torie Foote

Footehills Farm

[email protected]

www.footehillsfarm.net

509-808-3876

 

 

Summer Class Descriptions

  1. 3 sessions

Spring – April 18

Summer – June 27

Fall – September 12

12 people per session

$25 per person per session

$65 for all three sessions

2 scholarships – 30% discount

Bring your own lunch – drinks provided

  1. Spring Session

Saturday, April 18

10am – 3pm

TOPICS:

Introduction and tour (Design considerations)

Questions

Introduction to Permaculture and Agroforestry

Garden Preparation

  1. Paths
  2. Low tunnel building (season extenders)
  3. Priorities

Bed preparation

  1. Soil testing (types of soil)
  2. Fertilizers and amendments
  3. Cultivation (broadfork, 5 tine, double digging)
  4. Cool weather crops
  5. Warming the soil
  6. Planting seeds

Soil amendments

  1. Biochar
  2. Coffee grounds
  3. Compost
  4. Fertilizers
  5. ph

Irrigation

  1. Types
  2. Planning
  3. Installation
  4. Frequency

Planting Planning

  1. Companion planting
  2. Succession planting
  3. Biological control of pests
  4. Disease prevention
  5. Transplanting starts into pots

Compost production and use

Rooting woody plants

Summer Session

Saturday, June 20

10am – 3pm

TOPICS:

Introduction and tour

Questions

Soil and Plant Care

  1. Mulch (Purpose, Types, Application)
  2. Compost
  3. Compost tea
  4. Amendments
  5. Cultivation
  6. Low tunnels and shade cloth

Fertilization

  1. Types of fertilizers (NPK, micronutrients)
  2. Types of application (sidedressing, foliar application)
  3. Frequency
  4. Sources
  5. Compost tea

Succession Planting

  1. Purpose
  2. Companion Planting
  3. Soil Preparation (recovery, rehabilitation)
  4. Seed preparation
  5. Timing

Irrigation

  1. Types
  2. Frequency

Harvesting

  1. Timing
  2. How to harvest (cutting vs breaking, tools)
  3. What to do with the harvest
  4. Preserving

Fall Session

Saturday, September  12

10am – 3pm

TOPICS:

Introduction and Tour

Questions

Building next year’s new soil

  1. Lasagna method
  2. No till
  3. Sheet mulching
  4. Ruth Stout
  5. Sources of materials
  6. Amendments

Season Extenders

  1. How to bend hoops
  2. EMT vs PVC

Storing Your Harvest

  1. Root cellar storage
  2. Canning- Hot bath vs Pressure
  3. Refrigerator jams and jellies
  4. Freezing

Preparing Beds for Winter

  1. Cleaning
  2. Mulching

Seed saving

  1. Drying
  2. Storage
  3. Trading

Planting Garlic

  1. Timing
  2. Varieties

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About Footehills Farm

Thom and Torie Foote founded Footehills Farm because they wanted to eat better, live better, and find new dimensions of flavor within permaculture practice. Footehills Farm is a “sell and sustain” operation; Thom and Torie only sell plants they're willing to eat themselves, and they are pretty picky! Read More…

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