Growing Organic Edibles Can Be Rewarding in Marin County: A Backyard Farm Update by Scott Sherman with AvidGreen Landscaping

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Rafael, California, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) March 29, 2011 -- “Wow … this series of classes was very informative and provided a great introduction to best practices in organic gardening and farming”, said Scott Sherman of AvidGreen Landscaping after attending a 3-class course in backyard gardening and farms.

Based on his unique background in agriculture, viticulture, and construction, Sherman commented that he wanted to update his knowledge and get smarter about backyard farms in Marin County. He intends to deliver this updated expertise to his clients as he helps them grow their own food organically and sustainably.

The classes were presented over several weekends by Helge Hellberg and Wendy Johnson, two of the most respected organic farming experts in Marin County. In addition, Johnson is a long time Zen practitioner, organic gardener, and is the author of Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate. The classes were held at the Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden at Indian Valley College in Novato and were sponsored by the UC Marin Master Gardeners, Marin Organic and Conservation Corps North Bay.

The key takeaway was that there is nothing more satisfying or healthier than eating right out of the garden.

The whole series of classes were hands-on and the first class covered soil health; the second class covered what to plant; and the final class covered garden and backyard farm health with respect to irrigation, pests, and diseases.

Sherman commented that his passion is to inspire others to be better stewards of the land. Scott said, “I have been using 100% organic compost and fertilizers with my clients and this education helps keep me at the leading edge of healthy food and healthy environments.”

In addition, I advise my clients and work with them to shift their mindset from synthetic fertilizers to certified organic compost and fertilizers in order to better utilize the soils, get better results, and grow healthier food from their home gardens and backyard farms in Marin County.

Finally, Warren Weber was guest instructor on the last day of classes. Weber, as owner of Star Route Farms, which is one of the oldest continually certified organic farms in California, is affectionately called the Father of Organic Farming in Marin County. He highlighted that with supply chains stretching to far corners of the globe, we have had the privilege of eating apples, bananas, strawberries, and oranges in the middle of winter. However, with oil prices continuing skyward, and exceeding $100 barrel, it will soon be too expensive to eat anything but locally grown produce and vegetables. Accordingly, Weber discussed the Marin Organic label and the Marin County certification process. He emphasized this is why it is important to not only have locally grown food but that the certification process also has a positive impact on the local community values as well.

Highlights of this series of classes, and other landscaping design, vineyards, and backyard farm projects of Scott, can be found by reading updates that will be posted at the AvidGreen website and blog over the next few weeks.

Sherman, a graduate of UC Davis with a Masters degree in Horticulture and Viticulture with experience as a manager of instructional design for Citicorp & IBM … is on a mission to empower guerrilla living by starting urban farms to be sustainable in the city and surrounding area of the Asia Pacific region.

In addition, Sherman invites you to:

Meet him at: http://www.AvidGreen.com

Contact him at scott@avidgreen.com

Connect with him at: http://www.facebook.com/avidgreen and

Follow him at: http://www.Twitter.com/avidgreen .

When not teaching sustainable gardening and plant science to his sons’ Boy Scout Troop, Sherman designs, installs, and maintains fine residential landscaping, vineyards, and backyard farms.

Backyard Vineyards Farms     Helge Hellberg     Indian Valley Campus     landscape design     Marin County     Organic Farm Garden     Warren Weber     Wendy Johnson