UBC Farm: Sowing Seeds for the Future, Application Deadline 12/1/2009

From the Friends of the UBC Farm blog:

The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm is delighted to offer: Sowing Seeds for the Future, a hands-on, season-long practicum in sustainable agriculture. We are now accepting applications for our 2010 program!

Established in 2008, this part-time (600 hour), eight month practicum offers instruction and daily work experience in small-scale sustainable farming. In a balanced, hands-on learning approach, students work alongside staff in the greenhouse, gardens, fields, and orchard. Students attend complementary lectures, demonstrations, and farm visits, and participate in a variety of practical and reflective educational activities. Direct marketing activities are also a key part of the experience. The practicum has been designed as a beginning point for aspiring growers, educators and agricultural professionals.

Students come from all backgrounds and are expected to be passionate about pursuing a career in sustainable agriculture. A certificate of completion will be issued to students who fulfill the practicum requirements. Further, we support our graduates to make connections within the BC agricultural community, and to seek out mentors to learn with following Sowing Seeds. Please note, Sowing Seeds 2010 is a non-credit course and therefore participants are not eligible for student loans. However, in 2010 we are offering a fee discount for UBC students who register, and successfully earn credits, for a directed studies based on their Sowing Seeds Practicum.

(More Info Here)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 1, 2009

Course Dates:
March 13 to Nov 6, 2010

Course Hours:
Vary throughout the growing season from 7 to 21 hours per week.

Course Fee:
$3,000

**(UBC Students who register, and successfully earn credits, for a directed studies course based upon their Sowing Seeds Practicum are eligible for a $400 refund)**

Capacity : 10 students
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For more information, please:

* Visit our Website and download our Program Overview
* View photos from the 2008 practicum
* Watch a short video about the practicum in 2008 (scroll down: “A Unique Urban Agriculture Course at UBC Farm”)

Contact information:

If you can’t find the info you need on our website, please contact Elaine Spearing at: ubcfarm.seeds@gmail.com

A Year-Round Harvest

It's looking to be another warm, gorgeous day in Vancouver. With gardens absolutely lush with warm-weather crops such as pole beans, summer squash, and cucumbers, thoughts of winter don't enter many people's minds. For a year-round harvest, however, the savvy gardener needs to plan well - this means thinking about planting in August for fall and winter harvests.

This disconnect between winter gardening and gardeners was perhaps apparent at the UBC Farm market when EYA was there, sprouting broccoli and brussel sprouts on display. Unfortunately, by market's end, many of the winter seedlings remained untouched, but it was a good experience nonetheless.




Oh, but how convenient...! EYA and VCAN want to invite you to their:

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Year-Round Harvest Workshop
Tuesday, August 4th, from 7 - 8:30 pm
Eco-Pavilion at Strathcona Community Gardens
This workshop is FREE and open to the public
Starter plants and seeds will be included at no charge

To reserve a spot, please email hartley@eya.ca

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EYA at the UBC Farm Market this Saturday!

That's right, EYA will be selling winter gardening seedlings at the UBC Farm Market on Saturday, July 18th! Stop by to say "hi," buy a seedling or two, and check out all the great produce and other items on offer. For directions to the last working farm in Vancouver, please visit the UBC Farm contact or visit us page.

EYA members, if you'd like to volunteer at this event, please contact Rhianna!