Looking to the Internet and books to learn hands-on skills can be overwhelming! In-person workshops can be a very effective way to share information and techniques, and they are a great way to meet new people and build community. 

Each year I teach workshops on pruning & fruit tree care, soil health, grafting, and more - below is what's coming up next:

Scion Exchange & Grafting Workshop

When: Saturday August 16, 1-4 pm.

Where: The Urban Orchardist nursery & orchard. 5420 Hwy 6 N., Guelph, on the grounds of Ignatius Farm and the Ignatius Jesuit Centre.

How to sign up? Via the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.

Want to be part of a network of fruit tree growers in our region, focused on sharing genetics and skill-building? Interested in improving your ability to grow healthy fruit trees, add perennial crops to your farm, or share your favourite heirloom fruit genetics with others? Join me for a hands-on Scion Exchange & Grafting Workshop.

This event will introduce the Participatory Fruit Tree Breeding Project of the Eastern Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands — a new network of orchardists, growers, and tree stewards working together to share, explore, and improve upon fruit tree genetics available to growers in our bioregion. Through this initiative, we aim to deepen connections between growers, document important fruit traits, and inspire the next generation of orchard keepers. For more information, please read here.

This workshop is ideal for home orchardists, ecological farmers, and anyone passionate about fruit trees and resilient regional food cultures. You’ll learn the basics of clonal fruit tree propagation—including scion collection and bud grafting—and take part in a scion exchange, where participants are invited to bring and share scions from their favourite trees.

You’ll also get a guided tour of my organic orchard and nursery at Ignatius Farm, where I grow fruit and nut trees selected for flavour, disease resistance, and cultural significance. From espaliered apples to seedling pawpaws and nut tree hedgerows, you’ll see how nursery stock can be regionally adapted and ecologically integrated.