No More Talking About It. Plant Something. Start Small at UBC Farm

Warmer weather is creeping in. Shoots are starting to push through the ground. If you’ve been saying “this is the year I finally plant a garden,” this is your moment. Do it properly. Get some guidance. No green thumb in your contact list? Go straight to the source at UBC Farm.

The Farm has a run of workshops scheduled from April through June, focused on practical skills: growing food, understanding plants, cooking, and working with the land. But the sessions happening next week, with a few spots still open, set the groundwork for everything that follows.

Here is the basic info:

April 11 | Growing in Small Spaces
If you’ve got a balcony, a tight yard, or a shared plot, this session breaks down how to get more out of it. Plant selection, layout, and layering all come into play, with a focus on making small spaces productive without overcomplicating things. [Part of a two-day short course with April 12, but each day can be booked separately.]

April 12 | Growing Plants
This one gets into choosing plants with intent. Food, medicine, habitat, and how each choice affects the broader system around it. Useful if you’ve ever planted something and hoped for the best without really knowing why it should work. [Also part of the two-day short course; open to single-day registration.]

Taken together, the two sessions form a short course led by Sarah Orlowski, a Master Herbalist with a background in permaculture and years of teaching experience. If you’ve been circling the idea of growing your own food but haven’t made the move, this is a clean entry point. Expect a mix of theory and time outside on the farm, plus a few practical touches like herbal tea built into the day.

BONUS: There’s also a discounted rate if you commit to both days! REGISTER HERE.

WHY WE CARE

Understanding where your food comes from and having the capacity to grow even a small portion of it yourself builds real capacity, not just for individuals but for communities. Places like UBC Farm keep that knowledge in circulation and make it accessible. They close the gap between people and the systems that feed them. Soil, season, effort, outcome. It all connects.