Build confidence in your garden from the ground up as you learn to read your soil, plan your crops, and prepare for a season of beauty and abundance. 

Healthy soil and thoughtful planning are the foundation for a garden you can truly revel in—one filled with lush growth, healthy harvests, and peaceful moments outdoors. When you understand what’s happening beneath the surface and how to organize your planting season, growing becomes simpler, more intentional, and far more rewarding. 

Led by Oxbow Native Plant Nursery Manager Lea Dyga, you’ll learn how to identify, grow, harvest, and use over 10 native plants with nourishing and healing properties. You’ll gain practical skills to incorporate these plants into your daily life and garden, sample a variety of edible herbs, and craft a custom tea blend. At the end of the class, you’ll take home your own planted container filled with edible and medicinal native species from Oxbow’s nursery.

You’ll Discover:

• Soil Testing Techniques: Grow a deeper understanding of your soil by learning how to properly collect samples, interpret soil lab reports, and explore soil texture through a hands-on flowchart that reveals how structure, nutrients, and pH influence plant growth. 

• Garden and crop planning tools: Practice simple planning strategies used by Oxbow growers to map planting areas, rotate crops, and organize a productive growing season. 

• Local resources for gardeners: Discover free and accessible programs, including King Conservation District soil testing services, that can support your growth. 

About Your Facilitator:

Jacob Tracy (he/him) grew up in the forests and vineyards of Napa Valley. Attending farm camps as a child turned environmental education into a lifelong passion. During his studies at Quest University Canada, he hosted garden parties and fell in love with wild foods. He went on to manage the kitchen garden for the Culinary Institute of America, where he now holds a graduate degree in sustainable food systems. He has built and installed a free seed library, led countless edible school tours, and founded the grassroots Napa Farmers Guild. He moved to Seattle to serve with AmeriCorps as the community agriculture specialist for King Conservation District, where he supported food security programs with public, tribal, and refugee agencies, and designed the online community agriculture map.

Jacob is thrilled to find new roots at Oxbow, helping the next generation explore what it means to be in relation with land and each other.

Grant-supported Pricing

All participants must register in advance—spaces are limited!