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"Soil is not dirt! Soil is our life support system. It is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, living organisms and water that are vital for healthy plant growth, human nutrition, and regulation of the Earth’s climates. As one of the most significant components of the earth’s ecosystem, human life without soil would be very difficult. Productive and healthy soil is a key to environmental sustainability and helps in the creation of a healthier world." (Source: https://theimportantsite.com/reasons-why-soil-is-important/)

This overview will help you better understand about the various components that make soil and how important it is in providing a healthy environment so for plants and vegetables can grow and handle pests. Learn about the soil in Northwest Michigan and the ways to improve it. Also tour the TC Community Garden located next to the Botanic Garden 

John Caravetta received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Soil and Crop Science from Purdue University in Indiana.  After graduation, John joined the Indiana Cooperative Extension Service as an Agricultural Extension Agent in northeast

Indiana. John's experience beyond his time in Extension includes technical and management positions with a global agricultural chemical manufacturer, and, before retiring to the Traverse City area in late 2020, John served 22 years as Associate Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. John is currently a Consulting Agronomist volunteering with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and other local organizations. 

This event is held at the TC Community Garden. The garden is fenced, so please close the gates after you enter. We will meet at the large shed.

Via Zoom

Via Zoom

We will be discussing the basic steps for conservation planning on your property, no matter what the size of it is. Whether you have a large piece of property or a small piece of property, some of that planning is similar to landscape planning, instead of just planning for beauty, for our own enjoyment, we’ll be incorporating things that will be attractive to native species and how we can prevent the spread of Invasives.

Winter Sowing is a gardening technique where we plant seeds outdoors during the winter using recycled plastic jugs.  Join Shelly Stusick for a MGANM members-only Winter Sowing Workshop. Did you know that most native plant seeds need a period of cold and moist conditions to trigger germination. You can satisfy your urge to garden in winter by sowing native seeds in containers.

Attendees will learn about the importance of native plants, experiment with the process of cold-stratifying native wildflower seeds in containers, and create two containers to take home and overwinter until Spring. This method mimics nature and helps seeds along, especially seeds that need cold stratification to germinate. This is a hands on class and takes place at the Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Ave. Traverse City. 

Please bring with you:

• 1 gallon milk jug

• garden gloves

• a pen/pencil to take notes

• your own seeds -  if you want. We will also be providing seeds

MGANM will provide:

• seeds

• soil

• duct tape

• scissors

• UV pen