Dig In! 2026: Six-Part Edible Gardening Series

Dig In! -- GFE's Six-Part Edible Gardening Series

Saturdays from 10am - 12pm on April 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, and May 2nd and 9th. One registration enrolls you in all six sessions!

Do you want to get your hands dirty? Learn how to garden this spring!

This six-part workshop series is designed to teach you everything you need to start growing food in your backyard in a supportive, hands-on environment.

San Francisco provides a perfect climate for growing food year-round! Even a small backyard space can be enough to grow healthy vegetables. In this workshop series, you will learn about the types of beds and containers in which to grow your plants and how to build healthy soil, build a simple irrigation system, plant and care for veggies, and harvest your crops.

All materials and tools will be provided for the workshops at GFE. Please bring gardening gloves if you own them.

Please note that all refund requests need to be made at least three days before the first session on April 4th.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Part I: Site Assessment-- April 4th. Instructor: TBA

Learn about the reasons you may want to grow your own food and choose how and where you want to plant. We'll walk you through a site assessment exercise and cover different ways to grow crops, from in-ground to raised beds and containers, helping you choose what is appropriate for your space.

Part II: Growing Healthy Soil -- April 11th. Instructor: Emillie Winfield

Learn about soil types and how to create and maintain healthy soil for vegetable growing, and then add and amend soil in a GFE raised vegetable bed.

Part III: DIY Drip Irrigation -- April 18th. Instructor: Ellyn Shea

Learn about basic home drip irrigation systems, how to put drip irrigation parts together with hands-on practice, and see an assortment of irrigation configurations in use at GFE.

Part IV: Planting Calendars & Crop Rotation -- April 25th. Instructor: TBA

Learn about what vegetables you can grow at each time of year and how to alternate crops to prevent disease and keep your soil healthy, then make a planting plan for a GFE vegetable bed.

Part V: Planting Your Edible Garden -- May 2nd. Instructor: TBA

Learn tips and techniques for planting seeds and seedlings and then practice by planting out some GFE veggie beds.

Part VI: Care & Harvest of Your Backyard Garden --May 9th . Instructor: Carey Craddock

Learn how to maintain your veggie plants as they grow, keep them healthy and free of pests, and when and how to harvest different types of vegetables. We will celebrate the end of the course by harvesting from the GFE veggie beds so you can test San Francisco-grown produce!

Instructor biographies: More coming soon!

is an agroecologist whose work focuses on agricultural sustainability, soil health, and impactful collaboration. She currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for the North Coast Soil Hub, a network of farmers and ranchers, educators, researchers, and technical assistance providers who share the goal of stewarding agricultural lands for diversity and resilience. Previously Emilie managed diversified vegetable farms for restaurant partnerships, including Love Apple Farm and Fresh Run Farm. She has an M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management and a B.S. in Plant Sciences. Emilie joined GFE as an instructor in 2016 and loves connecting with the local community around gardening and sustainable food systems.

wears a number of hats as a gardener, garden coach, Certified Arborist, consultant and educator in San Francisco. Her checkered professional background includes landscaping, bookkeeping, teaching abroad and community urban forestry with Friends of the Urban Forest. Visit her at www.garden-guidance.com

Carey Craddock is a garden coach, consultant, and horticultural enthusiast. She has been teaching at Garden for the Environment since 1998, first as a Get Up! intern, and then as a staff member until 2003. She trained in both CCSF and Merritt College’s landscape horticulture programs, and loves to combine her passion for art and horticulture into creative projects. She runs Carey Craddock Gardens where she specializes in ecological garden design and growing food.

No walk-up registration permitted for this course.

Full garden workshop schedule

What to bring to the workshop

Directions to the garden

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue, San Francisco, United States

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