Seed Starting Class

Want to save money while gaining access to varieties you can’t purchase at any of our fine local nurseries or garden centers? Then starting your own seeds is the answer! Join Convivium’s Farm Manager, AJ, for an introduction to seed starting. This class covers everything you’ll need to know to go from seed to transplant including selecting seed, breaking dormancy, soil mixes, light and temperature needs, up potting and hardening off. Sign up and get access to a whole new world of available varieties of your favorite vegetables!

Instructor and Farm Manager, AJ Shultz, tends our neighborhood gardens. From building healthy soil to harvesting over 5,000 pounds of produce each season, AJ’s enthusiasm for growing and enjoying fresh food is the backbone of our operation. When not in the field, AJ also teaches gardening and composting classes and serves as our garden tour guide.

Trust us – you don’t want to miss an opportunity to experience our gardens with him. AJ has been involved in edible and sustainable landscaping and urban gardening most of his adult life. His training and professional background includes working with organic farms and edible landscape organizations in Santa Cruz, California; Huelo, Hawaii; and Margaret River, Australia.

Convivium is a nonprofit committed to helping increase accessibility to the tools and knowledge of how to grow and prepare your own food. As part of this commitment, and in pursuit of a more wholesome and secure food experience for all, Convivium is now offering most of our classes on a sliding scale.

The sliding scale system allows for classes to be obtained at multiple price points, based on the circumstances of the participant. It allows folks who may otherwise be priced out of something to have the chance to take part in it.

When completing your registration, please self-select from the following three payment levels:

• Contributor: The contributor level is a pay-what-you-can option that allows you to do just that – pay what you are able to for the class, at this time. Please note there is a $5 minimum per the Eventbrite platform. If this minimum, or paying with a credit card, is a barrier, please call us at 563.557.2900.
• Supporter: The supporter level is the normal ticket price of this class. It covers all the supplies and materials needed, as well as the instructor fee.
• Sustainer: The sustainer level is a buy-one, give-one model that covers the complete cost of your class plus a small donation that helps supplement the cost of a Contributor level participant. By choosing this level, you are ensuring we can continue to offer this class in a way that is accessible and affordable to all – thank you for your generosity.

Convivium Urban Farmstead has a no refund policy for all classes and workshops. If you are unable to participant in the class after you registered, your fee will be donated to our pay-what-you-can sliding scale level, which helps to ensure our classes are accessible and affordable to all. However, if Convivium cancels or reschedules a class for any reason (weather, instructor illness, etc.), participants will be notified as early as possible by email and their registration will automatically be transferred to the date of the rescheduled class. In the case that the participant cannot make the rescheduled class date, Convivium will issue a gift card in the full amount of the class that can be used toward any future class. This gift card can be mailed to the participant or picked up at Convivium (2811 Jackson St. Dubuque, IA 52001). We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation.

We will refer to the State Police website and road condition designations: https://511ia.org/. If the majority of the roads in Dubuque are designated “Travel not advised” (purple) or worse, we will cancel class.

The cut off time for cancellation will be one hour before the start of each class. We will email and post cancellation notices on Facebook.

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