Organic and sustainable landscaping is more than just purchasing amendments and avoiding herbicides. If you are (or your client) is concerned about W**d pressure, soil erosion, drought, or the use of herbicides, starting with the health of the soil will help to solve those issues. In this workshop, we’ll cover the fundamental components that will make your landscaping efforts go further, whether you’re a professional landscaper or a home gardener. Our facilitators will offer some of the tools and techniques you’ll need to assess soil and to landscape smarter.
Throughout the day we will:
Learn what to look for when making soil assessments and the fundamentals of healthy soil
Discover innovative ways to integrate these practices into your work
Use a variety of tools to look at soil microbes and compaction
Discuss the benefits and challenges of transitioning to more eco-friendly practices, including cost analysis
Sliding Scale Cost: $30 – $50 – $70
Schedule/Agenda:
1:00 pm – Introductions
1:15 pm – Soil Health 101
2:15 pm – Applying principles to your practice
3:15 pm – Assessment tool demonstrations
4:00 pm – Q&A
About the Instructors:
Trevor Smith is Design and Education Director at Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts as well as at the ReEarth Studio of Social Impact Collective in Boston. He holds several landscape certifications and is a past President and a current Board member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. He is an award-winning regenerative landscape designer, specializing in green infrastructure, native plant design, habitat creation, and implementation of ecological design principles. As host of the Peace Love and Pollinators podcast, Trevor and his guests discuss the many principles of creating climate-resilient landscapes. He is passionate about the natural world, which inspires his commitment to sustainable landscaping practices in an era of climate change.
Rubén Parrilla, Soil Technical Coordinator, NOFA/Mass
Rubén is a Certified Lab Tech with 15 years of experience working at different capacities in the environmental laboratory industry. He trained in microscopic soil microbial identification through the Soil Food Web School and studied Environmental Design at the University of Puerto Rico. He leads and performs all components of NOFA/Mass soil technical services and has extensive experience farming and working with growers, including beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Rubén performs soil health-related outreach and education for NOFA/Mass through monthly farmer learning calls, hands-on workshops and instructional events, and networking with farmers and individuals in the agricultural industry. Finalmente, Rubén es bilingüe y quiere saber de usted.
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