North Shore Backyard Gardening Workshop Series
4th Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 am at the Pioneer office in Waialua (Off Farrington Road behind Waialua Intermediate and High School).
Jan 28: Building Healthy Garden Soil and Container Gardening
Feb 25: Organic Pest Control, Aquaponics, and Worms
Mar 24: Chickens
Apr 28: Difficult Vegetables and Herbs
May 26: Plant Pest Diagnostics and Easy Vegetables
Giveaways and take-home information are included with each workshop.
A $4 donation is requested per attendee for each workshop, which will be given to a North Shore community organization of the attendee's choice.
Soils Workshop Useful Links and Information*
Web Soil Survey to find out about the soil in our area: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
CTAHR has a soil chemical analysis service. Visit the Urban Garden Center's website for instructions on how to take a soil sample. You can then drop it off at the urban Garden Center for analysis.
Brian and Imelda Cyr, Certified Master Gardeners, handout that will help you identify the health of your own soil and one that details the steps of building healthy garden soil.
We learned about Container Gardening from Gilbert Araki, who owns Pacific Agricultural Sales and Services in Kapolei. Gilbert talked about the many things a gardener needs to keep in mind when container gardening, including the needs of different plants, selection of soil mix or planting media, and the different containers available.
Organic Pest Control, Aquaponics, and Worms Workshop Links and Info*
PEST CONTROL (and general gardening) links: University of Hawaii CTAHR Oahu Master Gardeners Website: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/UHMG/Oahu/index.asp
Master Gardener email: OahuMg@ctahr.hawaii.edu or Help Line (M-F 9am to Noon): (808) 453-6055. Call or email any gardening question and a Certified Master Gardener will answer it. Or, take your question in person to the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City, which also offers a variety of gardening classes.
Brian and Mhel Cyr's handout on the top ten garden pests with tips on controlling them organically.
AQUAPONICS links: pacificAQUA has instructions on their website for building a small modular aquaponics system or the larger pacific islands system. CTAHR has instructions on how to build an automatic siphon for your aquaponics system. Pre-made systems are also available from Aquapono, Mari's Gardens, and Primavera Aquaponics.
WORMS links: Worms and worm bins can be purchased from Waikiki Worm Company or Olomana Gardens. Both websites also have basic care instructions for worms.
Backyard Chickens Workshop Links and Info*
Mark Stoutemyer of Pioneer Hi-Bred put together some great information on having your own backyard chickens, including city ordinances, choosing breeds, buying and caring for chicks, caring for egg-layers, and tips for chicken shelters. You can find the handout here. It also has many links to other useful resources.
Luann Casey of Tin Roof Ranch also shared her experiences with and tips for raising chickens on an organic farm. She can be contacted at luann@tinroofranch.org or (808)788-9065. She's also at the Hale'iwa Farmer's Market with her eggs every Sunday. If you're interested in organic feed for your chickens, ask her about her co-op.
A big mahalo to Pioneer and Asagi Hatchery for providing attendees with coupons for chicks and to Luann for sharing her eggs!
Herbs and Difficult Vegetables*
We learned a whole lot about growing vegetables, especially some of the more difficult-to-grow varieties, from Al Medrano of Twin Bridge Farms. He shared his expertise growing asparagus and tomatoes and answered numerous questions attendees had about growing other vegetables. He also brought asparagus seeds to share. Al has over 20 years of experience growing vegetables on the island and welcomes your vegetable-growing questions. He can be contacted at 808-864-6478.
Ann Bryant taught about growing herbs in Hawaii and which herbs are particularly suited to our climate. Her quick facts handout can be accessed here.
*All companies mentioned are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement by Oahu RC&D