Community Education Calendar

Composting offers numerous benefits for both the environment and your garden. DUG’s composting series focuses on how composting improves soil structure, enhances nutrient availability, and supports healthy plant growth. By recycling organic waste, you reduce landfill contributions, cut down on methane emissions, and create rich, fertile soil that retains moisture and supports diverse plant life. Come learn how to build sustainable, nutrient-dense soil right at home through methods like backyard composting, vermicomposting with worms, and using compost tea.

DUG’s Growing Mushroom series introduces gardeners to the basics of cultivating edible mushrooms both indoors and outdoors. Learn about the materials needed, successful strategies, and common troubleshooting tips for growing mushrooms in your own home. Focused on growing nutrient-rich and protein-packed mushrooms year-round, this class is perfect for gardeners looking to add an additional sustainable food source to their gardens and homes.

DUG’s family-friendly programming is designed to bring people of all ages together through hands-on, nature-based learning experiences. Focused on intergenerational activities, the program encourages families to connect with each other and with the natural world. With a focus on making nature accessible and engaging for children and adults alike, these workshops foster collaboration, curiosity, creativity and environmental stewardship for families.

Preserve the bounty of your garden and savor its flavors all year long! DUG’s preservation classes guide you through the essential techniques of canning, fermenting, and pickling, helping you safely extend the life of your harvest as you the proper methods for preserving produce, ensuring you can enjoy your homegrown fruits and vegetables long after the growing season ends. Whether you’re new to preserving or looking to refine your skills, these workshops provide the knowledge and confidence to keep the taste of summer on your table year-round.

There are so many ways to take meaningful climate action while living in an urban environment. Learn ways to engage and interact with nature while both conserving and utilizing natural resources, growing food and preserving your harvest, and improving your practical DIY skills.

DUG’s Therapeutic Gardening series explores the powerful connection between nature, gardening, and mental wellness. Our sensory-focused classes will dive into the research on how spending time in the garden can reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of purpose and belonging while providing practical tools, ideas, and design strategies for adding sensory and medicinal plants into your environment.

Learn to identify the medicinal plants growing in your neighborhood and explore their therapeutic uses in everyday life. From crafting tinctures and teas to creating natural remedies for common ailments, you’ll gain practical knowledge on how to harvest and use plants safely, unlocking the potential of nature to support your health and well-being. Whether you’re new to herbal medicine or looking to deepen your knowledge, our urban herbalism series provides a hands-on way to explore plant-based healing in the urban environment.