Want to grow-your-own food? Looking for low-maintenance? Want it to be beautiful too?
This online workshop will explore the exciting world of perennial vegetables and edible ornamental plants, focusing on low-maintenance perennial plants that need only be planted once, yet provide an abundant harvest for years to come, including a feast for the senses that goes beyond just taste.
Growing vegetables CAN be easy, and it doesn’t need to be high-maintenance, delicate annual veggies that need to be re-planted year-after-year. And just because you’ve decided to grow food, doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice beauty! In fact, you might be surprised at the food that is already growing in your own yard, even if it looks purely ornamental.
For many, the hardest part of growing food is the tedious task of starting seeds, and taking care of vulnerable young plants, especially if busy schedules or travel is part of the equation.
Others have nosy neighbours, skeptical spouses, or stringent strata boards, who don’t want to sacrifice curb appeal for home-grown food.
What if all needs could be met?!
Once this workshop is complete, you will be empowered to transform your landscape into a flourishing foodscape, and plant a plethora of edible perennial plants that produce food like a farm, but look like an ornamental oasis!
Benefits of Perennial Vegetables:
Reduced work & maintenance
Less water & fertilizer
Extended growing season
Increased pest resistance
Tolerance to extreme weather
Enhanced soil health & structure
Ecosystem health & habitat
Benefits of Edible Ornamentals
Widely available (likely growing close to home)
Provide multiple yields (bounty, beauty, pollination, etc)
Blending in with “ornamentally oriented” neighbours
Decorative & delicious cooking ingredients
The joy of growing something that “looks good enough to eat”… and then actually eating it!
This workshop might be for you if:
You WANT to grow your own vegetables, but are AFRAID to get started because you are worried about biting off more than you can chew.
You have TRIED growing vegetables, but are OVERWHELMED with the work, and are looking for an easier way.
You want more PRODUCTIVITY from your lawn or landscape (more than just good looks).
You are CURIOUS about growing food, but aesthetic matters, and you don’t want to sacrifice form for function.
You want to DIVERSIFY your diet and garden with unique species of plants.
You want to cultivate a landscape that SERVES (the senses, the soil, and future generations).
In this workshop, we will explore:
Perennial vegetables for nearly every micro-climate
Edible ornamental plants, including edible flowers & more
Edible perennials for pots & planters
Companion planting & guilds (plant communities)
Where to plant & why (if you’re starting fresh or if you have an existing garden)
Mouth-watering recipes for rare & uncommonly consumed edible plants
About The Instructors @ Edible Landscapes Design Ltd:
We are a team of passionate professionals serving home-owners, businesses, farms, and diy-ers to design, install and maintain edible landscapes that nourish the body, feed the soul, and regenerate the land.
Based in Victoria, BC, our team leverages 25+ years of combined experience and education in design, organic horticulture, tree care, market gardening, farming, restoration ecology, water management, and urban development.
Our lead instructor, Joshua Clae Wagler, is a passionate and sought-after instructor, having offered his educational services to over 1100 students since co-founding Edible Landscapes Design in 2013. He is an instructor at Pacific Rim College’s Permaculture & Resilient Ecosystems Program, helped developed the Food Forestry curriculum for the Growing Young Farmers Society, and has been invited to speak at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific, for the Victoria Hardy Plants Group, Victoria Seedy Saturday Speaker Series (2018, 2019, 2020), The Haven on Gabriola Island, and the Victoria Master Gardeners Association.
Your Mission (should you choose to accept it):
To think outside the produce aisle! Explore more alternative and healthy food options for your garden, and to ultimately transform your life and landscape into an edible ecosystem bursting with superfoods!
Workshop Summary:
1.5 Hour Live Online Workshop including Q&A
Focused & Applicable Content
Experienced Professional Instruction
Holistic Approach with Attention to Detail
EARLY-BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE (REGISTER NOW TO SAVE YOUR SPOT):
EARLY-BIRD: $30 + tax (Before March 6)
REGULAR ADMISSION: $45 + tax (Before March 20)
Feedback from Past Workshops:
“The passion and authenticity of your content is outstanding. It was a pleasure to be in your company thus far and to learn from you.”
Deborah Wickins, Professor at University of Victoria
“We definitely received the information we were looking for and more. It was very relevant to what we hoped to create on our property. We are very excited about working with you to develop our own forest farm.”
Beverly Dullaert, design client & workshop participant
“The kindness shown and offering so much knowledge was so inspiring. All of the information provided and the humour used in the presentation. It was really well presented and the time went by fast! I liked the passion for creating a forest garden. It was contagious ;)”
Deb, “Grow-Your-Own Food Forest Online Workshop”
“Learning how to make a small piece of land as productive as it can be is very appealing. I gained a lot of knowledge regarding planning out a food forest, and high yielding edible plants. [...] I just wish the course went longer, there was so much I wanted to learn!”
Jennifer Lee, ‘Grow-Your-Own Food Forest Online Workshop’
“Your company goals and the way you present information is very inspiring. It is clear in the way you talk that there is a lot of passion and positivity behind what you do and it’s really valuable to me to be a part of it. [...] I left with a lot of information that will be incredibly valuable moving forward.
Stephanie Jacobs, ‘2019 Design to Harvest workshop series’
“Excellent visuals and all the material was easy to follow. [...] They were passionate and presented an excellent workshop that was an inspiration for my future gardening practices.”
Bonnie Milbury, retired social worker
“I appreciated the "aha" moments and the awareness that others also believe and practice that this is truly so much more than gardening in a physical sense.”
Tania Stearns-Smith, Program Director and Co-Founder of Blossoming at the Farm Society
“I received more than what I was expecting. Exploring the "inner landscape" was a new concept for me, as were the zones. So inspiring.”
Dale Jarvis, retired Elementary School Principal
“Very informative and thorough. Much grateful for all you shared. [...] Your slides were very well designed and the information was well organized. Great job!”
Maribet Balestena, Architect and Landscape Architect
“I love the energy from the two of you: calm, inclusive, holistic. It's a lovely learning environment that you have created.”
Deborah Wickins, Professor at University of Victoria
EARLY-BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE (REGISTER NOW TO SAVE YOUR SPOT):
EARLY-BIRD: $30 + tax (Before March 6)
REGULAR ADMISSION: $45 + tax (Before March 20)