'Raising Veggies in a MN Winter' Workshops
Jan. 10 at Hamline

CONTACT:  Amy Bacigalupo, LSP, Montevideo, 320-269-2105

12/22/08 
SAINT PAUL, Minn.— Two workshops on raising vegetables in a Minnesota winter will be held Saturday, Jan. 10, at Hamline University in Saint Paul. The first workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon, and the second from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each workshop will cover the same topics; a multiple language translation will be provided during the second session. From noon to 1 p.m., a lunch featuring locally produced foods will be provided. The fee is $15 per person; it’s free for members of the Land Stewardship Project and the Minnesota Food Association. To reserve a spot in either the morning or afternoon workshop, contact Amy Bacigalupo in Land Stewardship Project’s western Minnesota office at 320-269-2105 or amyb@landstewardshipproject.org.

These workshops are being presented by the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program and will feature Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel, graduates of the program. They operate Garden Goddess, a Community Supported Agriculture produce operation in western Minnesota. Ford and Waibel raise greens and herbs during the winter months in a custom-designed passive solar greenhouse that uses low-tech active solar components. The resulting energy efficient structure enables them to keep the soil temperature above 50 degrees and the air temperature above 40 degrees throughout the winter. This allows them to deliver a combination of fresh vegetables and storage crops weekly to their clients from October through March.

The Jan. 10 workshops will cover topics like successful passive solar design features used in the Garden Goddess greenhouse, the best vegetable varieties to grow in the cool winter, and the expenses and potential income of winter greenhouse vegetable production.

These workshops are co-sponsored by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency and in partnership with the USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

Farm Beginnings provides training to beginning farmers who are seeking innovative and profitable ways to make a living on the land. In 2009, classes will be held in Spicer, Minn., and River Falls, Wis.  Classes start in mid-October and run through March. 

For information on enrolling in Farm Beginnings or serving as a mentor, contact Nick Olson in LSP’s western Minnesota office at 320-269-2105 or nicko@landstewardshipproject.org). In southeast Minnesota, contact Karen Benson at 507-523-3366 or lspse@landstewardshipproject.org. More information and application materials are available at www.farmbeginnings.org. 

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