The Winter Garden
Winter is a time to grow and learn
I woke up to snow this morning. Here in southern Oregon, it is unlikely to stick or accumulate much this time of year, but I am glad to see the cold. We have not had a good hard frost yet this year and the cabbage worms are still wreaking havoc out in the garden.
There is a lot of food in our little plot: Cabbage, kale, leeks, broccoli, carrots, beets, parsnips, arugula, and a few brave heads of lettuce that better get harvested today. And here is food for thought: There are some great learning opportunities coming up for everyone who wants to know more about biochar! Keep reading for links and info.
First up is my presentation at Matt Power’s R-Soil Conference. This is a slate of online presentations from a few dozen different soil experts that takes place starting tomorrow, Tuesday November 19. You can watch these presentations all week for free, or purchase a pass to access them in the future. Mine is scheduled for the first day, so sign up now if you want to catch it this week.
The next opportunity is Practical Biochar, a 9-week course I am teaching through Regenerative Living Online, starting in January. Here is course description:
Practical Biochar for Farms, Homesteads and Properties
Understand and unlock the full potential of biochar as a regenerative technology in this comprehensive online course.
Guided by one of the pioneers from the biochar movement, the course will equip you with both theory and practice, wherever you may be in your biochar journey.
We will cover the basics of biochar and its environmental benefits, advanced production techniques, biochar's role in land and animal management, as well as innovative applications in agriculture and beyond.
Early Bird registration is now open until December 26, so if you think you might be interested in taking the course, please check it out. We will be using The Biochar Handbook as the textbook, and I will provide other supplemental materials as well. This will be a deep dive into not only the practicalities of making and using biochar in small farms and gardens, but also a grounding in the science to increase your understanding. When you have good understanding of what biochar does in soil and other biological systems, it can really help you to adapt biochar to your set of growing conditions and resources.
We will have plenty of time to answer questions and help each other understand more about biochar. I always learn a lot from people who join my workshops and presentations, so I am very much looking forward to the course and I hope to see you there.
Early Bird Registration thru Dec 26 for Kelpie's Practical Biochar Course
The Biochar Handbook by Kelpie Wilson now available
Order your Ring of Fire Biochar Kiln: RingofFire.earth
Check out my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@KelpieWilson
Brassica family is so hard to work with compared to others! So well liked by pests!