11-1: bees. Mason bees are solitary bees, meaning they don't form colonies and aren't susceptible to the hive collapses that threaten the global food supply. They are more active in cool, moist mornings than honeybees, and their remarkable lifecycle means they gather a year's supply of food -and do all their pollinating -in the spring when fruit trees are flowering. Learn how to tend them and increase your flock and buy some farmgrown bees at a discount (if you wish).
2-4: trees. Fruit trees - especially apples and pears, and to a lesser extent, plums - thrive with yearly pruning to encourage fruit production and minimize bough breakage and disease. Late winter is the perfect time to prune for structure and fruiting; we'll discuss and demonstrate examples of how to train and prune young trees, repair years of neglect in mature trees, and how to maintain a balance of fruiting wood and young growth. Bring your own sharp loppers or secateurs if you want to practice!
$25 - Standard fee | $ 25.00 |
$35 - I make about this much an hour | $ 35.00 |
$50 - In a position to help others | $ 50.00 |
$15 - I am low-income | $ 15.00 |