Join us for the series of 4 Korean Natural Farming Workshops hosted by The Colorado Farm & Food Alliance - taught by Miles Fillippeli of local fermentation and soil supplement company Weed Should Taste Good.
fermentedplantextracts.com
weedshouldtastegood.com
He will be teaching us the basics of creating your own teas and ferments for plant and soil health, utilizing local and inexpensive ingredients. The series will run for four consecutive Saturdays from 11-1pm at our timberframe classroom at the Incubator Plot 1221 Second Street Paonia, CO.
Class Descriptions:
August 13: Organic Basics
In this class students will establish a strong understanding of organic cultivation practices and theory. Traditional composting techniques, basic soil microbiology and converting to organics from conventional cultivation techniques will be covered. Participants will receive handouts, laminated garden cheat sheets and a small sample of finished compost.
Topics covered: ◆ soil structure & type; sand, loam, clay (touch on cation exchange) ◆ microbiology basics: soil food web, bacteria/fungi dominance & ratios, aerobes vs anaerobes and facultative bacteria ◆ Compost building: carbon to nitrogen ratio, do's and don'ts, proper diversity, aeration & moisture, ◆ Composting methods: sheet composting, deep mulching, Johnson-Su stagnant piles, thermophilic compost ◆ translating conventional practices to organic: how to read product labels, understanding NPK & micronutrients, sources and amendments
August 20:Lacto Magic
Discover the amazing capabilities of the Lactic Acid Bacteria family otherwise known as LABs. This class covers methods of attaining and culturing this powerful inoculant as well as instructions for several preparations using LABS including Bokashi and Fermented Plant Extracts. Participants will receive course material handouts and a sample of finished preparation (either Bokashi or Fermented Plant Extract).
Topics Covered: ◆ How to make LABs including alternative methods ◆ Using LABs for compost acceleration ◆ How to make and use Bokashi in a bucket composting method as well as using Bokashi to accelerate compost piles and enrich soils ◆ How to make fermented plant extracts using LABs and how to ferment soil amendments for increased bioavailability ◆ How to treat animal bedding with LABs to reduce smell and risk of pathogens
August 27 Intro to Modern American Natural Farming using Pre- and Pro- Biotics
Probiotic Farming takes organic & natural cultivation to the next level by incorporating traditional (Korean and other cultures) natural farming, biodynamics and living soil systems. Emphasis of this course is on producing concentrated additives that increase benefits of microbiology within the soil. Participants will receive course materials and a sample of finished preparation
Topics Covered: ◆ Sprouted Seed Teas; how to make and use at different stages of plant growth ◆ Kombucha for plants – how to make and use, benefits ◆ Augmenting compost with LABS & Bokashi using facultative bacteria in the soil food web ◆ intro to Femented Plant extracts ◆ American Natural Farming – translating traditional methods into Modern American Natural Farming
September 3: Introduction to Korean Natural Farming and JADAM
Korean Natural Farming (KNF) is a continuation of traditional practices, JADAM is the simplified modern interpretation of this lineage. Korean Natural Farming produces preparations that are useful in both the garden/farm and in the kitchn, JADAM produces agricultural inputs only; both are relatively simple and very cost effective. Overview of theory and application of KNF and JADAM preparations and uses responsible sourcing of inputs - tapping into the waste-stream flexible implementation of KNF and JADAM
Contact Elizabeth Agee at Elizabeth@colofarmfood.org for more information!