Raspberry Hill Garden May Workshops
Combo Workshop: Mowing with Scythes and Edible Forest Gardening with Sy Schotz and Sal Peabody
Sunday, May 17th
7am to noon
Raspberry Hill Community Garden in Plainfield.
Mowing with Scythes: Bring your own scythe if you have one. We’ll practice mowing and honing until the sun evaporates the dew, and then we’ll work
on blade repair and peening. The goal is to inspire more folks to reclaim field management from soil-compacting, gas-guzzling, stem shredding machines,
and to make hay on a small scale with inexpensive equipment. The quality of the hay we can make this way is much leafier (more nourishing) than anything
that can be found in a bale. Your inspirational leader will be a young farmer who has been mowing since 2011. He mows most mornings during the growing
season. Recommended reading on the website scytheconnection.com: an informational website maintained by
Sy’s scything mentors, the Vido family.
Edible Forest Gardening: Come and be part of year two of a multi-year project developing an edible forest garden at the community garden. See the
twelve principles of permaculture in action. Last year we built terraces and earthworks to slow the water as it travels over the landscape and planted
native plants that offer food for people and wildlife. This year we will go further with what we started last year.
Pre-register by contacting Jane at jkingcrosby@gmail.com
Come learn how to mix cement and other natural materials to hand build and mold planters or stepping stones for your garden. This material is durable, fun, and lends itself to amazing outdoor sculptural creations. Each participant will have enough material to make one planter or stepping stone. Please bring a board or strong box (approx 2’x2′) to carry your project home. Projects will be wet and muddy and take a week to cure.
Workshop fee is $25, pre-registration required.
413-634-5665 or at carolyn@hawthorne.org