First Saturdays of the month April, May, June, August, September, October (No Walk in July)
The walk is a partnership between GrassRoots Garden, an important source of fresh fruit and vegetables for Food for Lane County operations that feed hungry people in Lane County since 1991 and the Oregon State University Extension - Lane County Master Gardener Program which provides science based educational programs and information to the public.
Herbs and Edible Flowers Walks
10a - 11:15a
Participants will be on their feet for the walk and should wear shoes suitable for working in a garden. A few chairs will be available for people who need to sit or bring your own folding chair. You are welcome to photograph the herbs and will receive a list of herbs and a resource list to help you get started and learn more about herb gardening.
Participants are welcome to stay after the talk to ask questions or to join the Weed Walk at 11:30 AM to learn how to identify common weeds.
Weed Identification Walks
11:30a - 12:30p
These walks have been taking place at GrassRoots Garden over ten years. These hands-on walks cover anywhere from 10-20 common weeds, characteristics for identification, seasonal changes (life cycles), growth habit, wildlife habitat, nutrients (soil/edibility) and toxic and edible weeds.
Cameras and notebooks are encouraged to help retain some of the information that is learned. Active participation is also encouraged from the audience - as this is how learning works. It isn’t easy to ID plants on your own. Flipping through books or researching on the internet can bring on hours of frustration when trying to properly identify a plant, let alone a common garden weed. This walk is created with the home gardener in mind. By participating in the class, people learn about common weeds, similar to the ones growing in their own yards. Through the experience of the hands-on walk and a confident instructor to ID and teach about the weeds, the class empowers people to learn and understand what they have growing in their own yards.
Free Lunch with GrassRoots Garden
1:00p
Participants are welcome to eat a free vegan lunch in the garden after the weed walk at 1:00 PM. The vegan lunch is prepared by the garden chef provides an opportunity to taste the herbs used in preparing the meal.