2026 CLASSES:

FOUR "LEARN TO GROW" CLASSES WITH JEREMY HOUSTON, FIELD MANAGER AT FIRST LIGHT FARM

1. March 28, 10-1 pm - Learn to Grow your own Healthy Plants: Seeding 101
Learn to start your own seeds with this 3 hour class with Jeremy Houston, First Light Farm's Field Manager. This is a hands on class. You'll go home with knowledge of the best kind of propagating soil mix, seeding techniques, and more. Become a confident grower of your own plants.  March 28, 10-1 at the Experience Farm Project (Carnation).  Limited to 12 participants.  First Light Farm's mini farmers can attend for free but must let us know you're planning on attending.  $30.00. Register online.

2. May 9th, 10-1 pm.- Learn to put up a High Tunnel
Almost all gardeners who grow vegetables in the Pacific Northwest should know how to put up a high tunnel to increase heat for their tomatoes, peppers, even beans  and beets. In this workshop, you'll learn the basic process of putting up a caterpillar tunnel -- measuring the space, putting the rebar in the ground, putting up the plastic hoops and plastic, and finishing with putting the twine over the plastic. Participants will go home with knowing all of the steps to creating their own high tunnel for their own garden. Register online.  $30.00.  Q&A session at the end of the class.  First Light Farm's mini farmers can attend for free but must let us know you're planning on attending.  

3.  June 6th, 10-1 pm - Learn to Grow Healthy Tomatoes: from seeding to eating
First Light Farm is know for its delicious tomatoes. Learn how you too can grow healthy tomatoes with this class. Learn the basics of tomato growing healthy tomatoes with Jeremy Houston, First Light Farm's field manager. Come with your questions! 10-1 pm on June 6th at First Light Farm. Register online.  $30.00.  Q&A session at the end of the class.
First Light Farm's mini farmers can attend for free but must let us know you're planning on attending. 

4. September 9, 10-1 pm - Learn to grow Garlic
In this workshop, you'll cover the difference between hard and soft neck garlic, soil preparation, planting tips, mulching, curing, bulb saving and planting times. $45 and go home with 1 lb of garlic ready to plant! September 12, 10-1 pm at First Light Farm. Register online. Q&A session at the end of the class. First Light Farm's mini farmers can attend for free but must let us know you're planning on attending. 

5. Saturday, April 11th, 10:30-2 pm at First Light Farm
"The Foods and Medicines of Spring" with Ethnobotanist Renee Fredrickson
Spend a few hours in early spring exploring some of the local plants that offer nutritional benefits as food, and healing benefits as medicines. As our indigenous neighbors say…..Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.

We will walk the farm to see what is popping up and we will forage for plants that can be used in a variety of foods, drinks, and medicines. How to accurately identify these plants, which parts to use, times for collecting, and the principles of ethical harvesting will be a part of our exploration. We will then have the opportunity to try some foods made using these plants, some that we can make on site and some that will
be prepared ahead of time.  Participants will leave with recipe cards for preparing foods from foraged plants as well as information on the nutrition that these plants provide to us, which plants can be used to maintain and promote the health of different areas of the human body.

Potential plants available in early spring include dandelion, nettle, mustard, maple blossom, conifer needle, then as the season progresses moving into elder flower, borage, rose flower, and so many more as summer comes. Possible preparations include teas, tinctures, fritters, salads, pesto, and whatever our culinary imaginations can dream up. The hope is that everyone who comes will feel empowered to use plants that are are always always around you, often in the most unlikely places, often the plants that others called useless "weeds". Limited to 12 participants. Register online.