HOME ARTS Spring 2008 The Medicinal and Edible Herb Garden (KTD) Home Composting Made Easy EC (Art & Garden) Gardening for Butterflies EC (Art & Garden) Marin's Eco-Friendly Garden Tour (Field) The Medicinal and Edible Herb Garden Learn to grow plants that are not only beautiful but can be used to make nutritious foods and to stock your home medicine cabinet. You can easily grow herbs in your own back yard that can help alleviate many common ailments and be used in making delicious meals, sauces, deserts, condiments and more. Learn how to prepare a wide variety of herbal medicines and foods that are easily incorporated into your busy schedule. Kami McBride has taught herbal medicine and women's health since 1988. She has studied medicinal plants for almost 20 years and has taught Herbology at the University of California School of Nursing and Stanford Hospital. Thursday, 6:40-9pm May 1 Kentfield Campus, Harlan Center 169 Fee $40 Course #8221 Return to top Home Composting Made Easy This hands-on workshop takes place at the MAGC composting demonstration site where you can see several types of composting systems in use. We will look at tools that make the process easier, and actually build a compost pile! We will discuss the basic science behind composting and the soil food web; but the emphasis will be on the practical application and getting you started with a system suitable for your particular home and garden needs. You will learn about passive or active composting, composting with worms, and pit or sheet composting to prepare new garden sites. You'll also learn how to use the finished product in your containers or garden and how to utilize the compost you make for various "soil soup" preparations. Hand-outs provided. Charlotte Torgovitsky is the Garden Education Manager at the Marin Art and Garden Center (MAGC). Saturday, 10am-1pm Apr. 12 Marin Art & Garden Center SF Drake Blvd. at Lagunitas Blvd. Ross Fee $30 Course #8222 EC Return to top Gardening for Butterflies Lots of butterflies are indicators of a healthy environment, and if you are gardening organically, it is easy to entice these beautiful creatures into your own backyard. We'll take a "slide show tour" through a year of butterflies; learning how to identify different species and discussing some interesting facts about each one. You will also learn about basic Lepidopteran biology, their amazing life cycle and the important associations these insects have developed with certain plants. We will utilize a tour of the Marin Art and Garden Center's habitat gardens as a tool to learn about the simple elements necessary to create a successful Butterfly Garden. Each participant will take home a Milkweed plant for the Monarchs; other butterfly plants will be available for purchase from the MAGC nursery. Hand-outs will be provided. Charlotte Torgovitsky is the Garden Education Manager at the Marin Art and Garden Center (MAGC). Saturday, 10am-3pm May 24 Marin Art & Garden Center SF Drake Blvd. at Lagunitas Blvd. Ross Fee $45 Course #8223 EC Return to top Marin's Eco-Friendly Garden Tour Join this self-guided tour of Marin gardens which feature "eco-friendly" gardening methods in action. Expect to see: gardens with colorful native plants that attract birds and butterflies; fire resistant plants that improve the odds of your home surviving a fire; medicinal and edible plants; home composting systems; how mulch can be used to suppress weeds; permeable driveways/pathways that absorb water and reduce runoff; management practices that conserve water and save money; deer-resistant plants; plants for creekside settings; owl boxes used to keep rodents under control; a variety of plants that attract beneficial insects (good at controlling pests naturally!); and lawns and gardens being maintained without the use of pesticides. Signs will identify native plants and eco-friendly features, and docents will be available to answer questions. You may sign up for one or two days: Day One (Saturday, May 17) will feature mature gardens by professional landscapers; Day Two (Sunday, May 18) will highlight gardens created by homeowners (including Master Gardeners). All registered participants receive a Garden Guide that describes highlights and offers driving directions. The Guide also includes your "garden admission pass!" You may visit as many sites as you wish on the day(s) you select-but must complete your visits by 2 p.m. All aspects of transportation are the responsibility of the participant, and the College requires signing of a waiver that will be included with your Garden Guide. Please note: Depending on the number of gardens on display, you may not make it to ALL gardens! Each garden will have different educational information available for you to take home, and each participant will receive their choice of a Bay Friendly Gardening Guide or a laminated bug chart after returning a completed evaluation! On Sunday, May 18, the Marin Art and Garden Center will host an exclusive native plant sale from 2 to 4 p.m. for those registered for either day. Pre-registration is required! If you register on or before May 2, you will automatically receive your Garden Guide in the mail during the week of May 11. If you register after May 2, please call Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program at 415.499.3202 for assistance. This two-day tour is being offered through the Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program and the Marin Art and Garden Center. Saturday 10am-2pm May 17 Marin County Gardens May 17 only Fee $15 Course #8224 Return to top Another course of interest . . . Bay Friendly Landscape Maintenance Training and Qualification Program is listed under Business. Online Home Arts courses are available! Click here for more information... Return to top

Course Listings	Intensive English	Computer Courses	Emeritus College	Registration Info	Campus Maps	Return Home