September 2008 Open House and

Garden, Orchard and Poultry Workshop

with Bill Land and George Blackman

Sunday September 7, 2008
10:00 Overview of CSC and community of Stelle
11:15 Tour of community (Solar & wind applications etc…)
12:15 Lunch (Made with garden produce and herbs – vegetarian option)
1:30 Seminar - Garden, Orchard, and Poultry Workshop

George Blackman Will Raffle One of His Pieces of Handmade Raku Pottery at This Event
Tickets are $5 Each

Afternoon Garden, Orchard, and Poultry Workshop 1:30-4:30pm

Two-tiered plantings - climbing beans and lettuce.

Bill Land, Property Manager for the Center for Sustainable Community, and market gardener George Blackman will lead this workshop. Bill will offer a 2 hour session that will feature a hands on approach valuable for individuals interested in organic gardening, orchard production and chicken management. George will follow with a one hour tour of his market garden that utilizes vermiculture based soil-building techniques.

The workshop will be taught outdoors featuring first the demonstration gardens developed by Bill with assistance from Stelle community residents. Bill will cover the following garden topics:

The use of hard winter rye as a cover crop
Compost utilization
A plot using living mulch
Cardboard and mulch plots
The 3 sisters garden
Vertical gardening
Maintaining healthy perennials
Shade cropping
Companion planting
Permaculture glades

The Stelle Orchard

The orchard area tour will include information useful to individuals developing fruit orchards and bramble fruit. Topics to be covered with the assistance of Argena Marie include:

Proper seasonal pruning of young and mature trees
Use of Azomite in the orchard
Planting and care of Austrees
Organic pest control for an organic orchard
Transplanting and care of bramble fruit
Weed and grass control in the orchard

Stelle's Chicken 'Alamo'

The poultry project will include a tour of the renovated 'Alamo' building, and showing off the Chicken Co-op’s flock of Buff Orpingtons. Poultry topics include:

Use of brooders to expand the flock
Poultry pen within a pen complex
Woodland thicket for free range
Use of kitchen organic refuse as a food supplement
Use of chicken tractors for raising young birds
Rain water catchment

The final hour of this workshop will be spent at George Blackman's garden which contains 47 beds 5ft x 60ft designed for maximum production. George will discuss the theory and share his experince on the following topics

Double-digging using various methods
Using intensive vermiculture in the garden beds and compost
Using Sonic Bloom to simulate plant growth
Using various rock dust's to stimulate plant growth
Using paramagnetic energy to stimulate plant growth.

George's focus is to create a completly sustainable growing system that is not reliant on outside inputs to continue and thrive. George has offered to answer attendee questions for as long as attendees wish to stay, so all their gardening questions can be answered.

Bill Land

Our Presenters:

Bill Land

As a homesteader Bill Land and his family planted an edible landscape as part of living a more self sufficient lifestyle. As a consultant in site design, permaculture and Chinese Feng Shui Bill’s interest has evolved into enhancing the natural energy of the land.

A resident of the Stelle community, Bill has assumed the role of CSC Project Manager including the management and stewardship of over 120 fruit apple, peach and pear trees as well as the CSC's community gardens.

George Blackman

George Blackman

A long-time participant of the Stelle community, George Blackman is passionate about creating the best soil possible. George has raised composting worms for over two decades and integrated these red wigglers into his his extensive organic gardens. A student of ancient and esoteric gardening methods, George has experimented for over three decades with time tested methods for soil building in his organic garden. George is an accomplished potter with over three decades of experience and owns Blackman Raku Pottery. He markets his high-quality raku pottery across the U.S.

Stelle overview and tour - free
Cost of afternoon workshop - $25
Lunch: $10

Location: CSC Gardens, Stelle, Illinois followed by a trip to
George Blackman's garden 1 mile south of Stelle

Please email us or call 815-256-2204 if you plan on attending
so we can make adequate arrangements for food and space.
You can register online for lunch and/or the afternoon presentation.
-- Thank You --
Click here for directions to Stelle and the CSC office.

Overnight lodging is available at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast, in the homes of Stelle residents, or in area hotels. Camping space is also available. Click here for further details on lodging.