We Love Gardening!

Event Details

Join us for a full afternoon of gardening presentations by local experts in celebration of Spring’s arrival. Choose from 12 unique garden workshops covering a wide variety of topics.

• Healing Power of Food: Why Are Plants Medicinal? with Joseph Forest, Holistic Chef & Author
  Food is humanity’s original medicine. The plant kingdom is an invaluable source of healing power by nature. This talk explores the world of phytonutrients and why they are so potent for human health.
  
  
• Kitchen Farmacy: Top Ten Herbs and Spices with Chef Joseph Forest, Holistic Chef & Author
  Herbs and spices are used all over the world to season and add flavour to food. This talk explores the healing side of these culinary gems and which ones can be easily grown at home.
  
  
• Successful Indoor Seed Starting Step-by-Step Guide with Aida Mustapic, Organic Master Gardener

  This presentation covers every step of the process, including timing, seed selection, creating your own soil mix, and managing light, moisture, and temperature to ensure healthy growth. You’ll also learn about the crucial "hardening off" process to prepare plants for outdoor success. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your skills, this talk will provide the essential knowledge for successful seed starting.

• Regenerative Practices in Pest Management with Aida Mustapic, Organic Master Gardener
  Discover how regenerative agriculture, with integrated pest management as a core principle, provides a sustainable solution for pest control while enhancing ecosystem health. This approach emphasizes ecological balance and holistic strategies, including soil health, biodiversity, cover cropping, companion planting, and crop rotation. Learn how adopting these practices can foster resilient, pest-resistant systems. Real-world examples and actionable solutions will equip attendees with practical tools to implement regenerative pest management techniques in their own gardens.

• Feeding Your Garden with Verne Williams, Master Gardener

  "To Feed or Not to Feed?" This is a common question many gardeners wrestle with that often leads to over-fertilization (hey if a little is good then more is better, right?). This certainly can harm plants instead of helping them thrive. For instance, excessive nitrogen can hinder pod set and delay plant maturity. Join Master Gardener Verne Williams in this insightful session as we explore the art and science of fertilization. Learn how to balance your plants’ nutritional needs, avoid common pitfalls, and enrich your soil naturally with strategic plantings and cover crops. Perfect for gardeners of all levels, this presentation will empower you to cultivate healthier plants and more productive gardens.

• Maximizing Minimum Gardening Space with Verne Williams, Master Gardener
  

  Join Master Gardener Verne Williams for an inspiring and practical session on "Maximizing Minimum Gardening Space." Whether you’re working with a small balcony, patio, or tiny plot of land, Verne will share expert tips on designing a productive and beautiful garden in even the most limited spaces. Learn how to grow vibrant flowers, delicious vegetables, and herbs in containers, while still leaving plenty of room for relaxation. Discover space-saving techniques, container ideas, and gardening strategies that will help you transform your outdoor space into a thriving garden oasis. Don’t miss this opportunity to maximize your gardening potential and enjoy the fruits (and flowers) of your labor!

• Why to Start a Compost Pile with Mark Stumpf-Allen, Compost Doctor
  Soil is full of tiny living things and each one provides a service to our garden. Learn what microbes do for you, and how to get more of them by composting and mulching. Better yet, learn the simple 4-step guideline on how to make great compost!
  
  
• Mow Like the Bison with Mark Stumpf-Allen, Soil Builder & Urban Carbon Farmer
  

  Lawns evolved with ruminant managers and together they created deep, drought-tolerant root systems and rich loamy soil. Modern practice has turned our lawns into compacted, weedy dirt. Learn how you can adjust your lawn care to start building deep soil and have a thicker lawn this year.

• Creating a Pollinator Garden with Melissa Penny, Habitat YEG
  Learn which plants are most important for pollinators and what elements are commonly missed when creating a pollinator garden. You will be able to create a biodiverse thriving habitat in your yard this spring to enjoy for years to come.
  
  
• Water for Wildlife with Melissa Penny, Habitat YEG
  

  Incorporating water into your yard is easy and has a big wildlife impact. From shopping for the perfect bird path, to adding a real pond in your yard. Learn the do’s and don’ts of providing bird baths and ponds to increase your wildlife biodiversity.

• You Germinated Seeds… Now What? A Guide from Seedling to Harvest with Antun Mustapic
  

  This presentation will guide you through the process of growing tomatoes from delicate seedlings to productive, thriving plants—an approach that can be applied to other vegetables and flowers as well. Learn the key nutritional needs at each stage, from building strong roots and sturdy stems to encouraging flowering and fruit development. Discover how to manage temperature, light, and the gradual transition to outdoor planting. You’ll also explore effective pruning techniques to boost your harvest by directing the plant’s energy toward fruit production.

• Discover Deep-Mulch Gardening with Clint Porritt, Star Garden Coordinator
  Develop a healthy, living-soil garden with less watering, weeding, and fussing. This workshop will touch on the history, science, and benefits deep-mulch gardening, and walk participants through the basics of creating their own healthy soil from the top down.
  

MEET OUR PRESENTERS

Mark Stump-Allen, Environmental Education and former “Compost Doctor” with City of Edmonton

Mark has gardened in this region for five decades and hope to build soil that will grow tasty, nutrient-dense food like he enjoyed growing up. Since retiring as the City of Edmonton’s Compost Doctor (2008-2020) he’s been heading up the Master Gardener Program in Stony Plain.

Melissa Penney, Habitat YEG

After spending years walking, hiking and driving to photograph birds, Melissa tried something new in 2019. She decided to instead make the birds come to her! In the last five years she has had 106 species of birds visit her urban Edmonton backyard, and has 84 species visit in 2024 alone!

Melissa’s interests have expanded to gardening, native plants, insects and how it all works together. Besides her yard being a Canadian Wildlife Federation certified wildlife friendly habitat, she loves having a space for her amazing family to play, relax and visit with friends. When she isn’t working on her own habitat she is a freelance photographer, a mom to three amazing and busy kids, and wife to a fantastic guy who understands her need to live outside more than inside.

Aida Mustapic is an urban gardener in St. Albert with a passion for growing nutritious, organic food using regenerative practices. She focuses on enriching soil, supporting pollinators, and producing wholesome vegetables right at home. Aida believes that anyone, regardless of space, can cultivate a thriving urban garden. Her goal is to inspire and motivate others to embrace gardening in any setting.

As a certified organic master gardener, Aida has a strong interest in ecological landscape design to promote and protect environmental health. She is also the founder and administrator of the St. Albert Backyard Gardening Group.

Chef Joseph Forest is a professional holistic chef, best-selling cookbook author, and consultant with over 40 years of culinary experience. Chef Joseph’s understanding of food as medicine and traditional diets are the foundation of his current and expanding work. His passion for cooking expresses itself in the preparation, presentation and teaching of whole food as a path to healing and well-being. His appearances on television, radio, and cooking stages have been a source of learning and inspiration for audiences in Canada and the USA. Chef Joseph has developed and led farm-to-table culinary programs in BC with Innisfree Farm & Botanical Garden and A Rocha BC Centre.

Antun Mustapic, a mechanical engineer by profession, but a gardener at heart, Antun has been immersed in gardening since childhood, practicing regenerative and organic gardening methods throughout his life.

Sustainability, reuse, and recycling are the core principles of his organic urban backyard garden, where he grows nutritious, wholesome food with a deep commitment to eco-friendly practices.

Clint Porritt enjoys "making soil" as part of his work with Star Cooperative Garden: a food security project developed around the ecologically sustainable practices of organic, deep-mulch, no-till gardening. He has served in a planning and development role with both the Carmel Community Garden and the Sinkunia Community Garden in northeast Edmonton and is currently working on his Organic Master Gardener certification. Clint has 25+ years of faith formation experience through teaching, spiritual direction, and program development. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Taylor Seminary and is passionate about the connections between ecology and spirituality. 

REGISTRATION

Seniors (65+) & Youth (K-12)     $20
Early Registration                       $25
After March 15                            $30

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