Fruit and vegetable production workshop planned

A series of workshops designed for anyone growing fruits and vegetables for sale or for the serious home gardener will be held in several locations in the Kansas City area, starting March 16.

One of the workshops, “Plant Propagation and Production Planning,” will be held March 16 in Kansas City, Kan. It will be from 4 to 7 p.m. March 16 at Masters Community Church, 2548 S. 42nd St., Kansas City, Kan.

Topics ranging from plant propagation, managing healthy soils, small farm equipment maintenance, drip irrigation, tree fruit production, introduction to cut flowers, farm business management, pest and disease control, and many other topics will be covered in this year’s workshop series. More information and registration is available at www.growinggrowers.org.

“The workshops are open to the public and are appropriate for anyone interested in growing,” said Kansas State University horticulturist, Cary Rivard. “We offer a range of workshops covering ‘Market Farming 101’ topics, plus several advanced topics. Participants typically include Growing Growers apprentices, new or experienced growers, and others who are interested in the particular topic or who are considering trying to farm.”

The workshops’ host is Growing Growers – Kansas City, a collaborative effort of K-State Research and Extension, University of Missouri Extension, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, the Kansas Rural Center, the Kansas City Food Circle and Cultivate Kansas City.

Cost of the workshops is $15 or $30, depending on whether it is a half- or full-day program. All workshops include farm tours of nearby commercial farms that are using techniques relevant to the workshop topic.