Edible Perennial Plants for Home Gardens

Join us for an overview of the best PERENNIAL vegetables, herbs, bushes, and trees that provide food year after year. Many of these plants easily live for 5-10 years, while some may outlive you! In times of uncertainty, it's nice to know we can depend on our plants. Most food gardening classes focus on the Annual All-Stars: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and so on. This workshop is for beginning to intermediate gardeners who want to go a step further. Instead of starting everything from bare soil every year, how about devoting a portion of your growing space to plants that just grow and get better over time? Plants we'll discuss include fruit and nut trees; berry bushes, vines, and groundcovers; old favorites like rhubarb and asparagus; and even some native plants that happily grow in Central Ohio. Weather permitting, our IN-PERSON class will visit (and hopefully, sample) many of those same plants growing right here at the Columbus Garden School. Topics covered include: > Location • Location • Location >Ohio/Zone 6 climate and soil conditions > Site preparation for plants in long-term situations > Understanding perennial plant care such as fertilizing and pruning > Creating a yearly care and maintenance calendar for perennial plants > How to avoid costly "rookie" mistakes > Recommended trees/shrubs/perennials for the edible garden > List of resources You'll leave with a list of possibilities -- and the knowledge to create the garden you want! Class limited to 10 students. Attendees take home several handouts and receive additional information via email after class. INSTRUCTOR: Tisa Watts, a garden educator and public speaker with 20+ years of experience, has a degree in Horticulture and Landscape Design. She is the founder of the Columbus Garden School, which offers year-round workshops on gardening, homesteading, home maintenance, sustainability, and crafting topics. Tisa teaches specialty topics including pruning, growing cane berries, and hypertufa garden art.