Caring for the Summer Garden - August 1, 2026

August 1, 2026

10am-4pm
This full day class is open to home gardeners & small scale farmers alike, with any or no experience. Once the garden is planted, how do you best care for it? There is low-maintenance, but never no-maintenance, and with our guidance we’ll help you figure out exactly what your garden needs to thrive. Mid-summer maintenance can keep your plants healthy with bountiful harvests until fall frosts. 

We’ll work in the garden together and, using the examples in front of us, you can expect to learn about soil health, weed management, good harvesting practices, selecting plant varieties and planning your garden. You can also bring any questions to them about your own garden for insightful answers. Kristi has an extensive tool collection that she is excited to teach you about. 

The best part is that you’ll get to taste things that are ready in the garden!

Topics included:

• Trellising tomatoes, cucumbers & other unruly plants and why

• Harvesting to preserve plant health

• Weed identification, management & uses

• Identifying & controlling pests & diseases

• Beneficial insects vs pests

• Types & benefits of mulching

• Best tools & techniques to ease wear on your body

• Watering- how much, how often and how do you know

Please be prepared to work outside in the garden. Suggested things to bring include:

• Clothes that can get dirty

• Work gloves 

• Hat for sun 

• Sunscreen

• Bug spray 

• Water bottle

• Favorite garden tools (tools will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish)

Tuition: $90

Materials: $5

Since this is an all day course, lunch is included.

This course is for students 14+

Your Instructor

KRISTI KOZIOLEK

(she/her)
A lifelong student of art and nature, I live by the seasons. Spring brings new growth & energy to the gardens, summer buzzes & I’m busy tending to an variety of residential & restaurant gardens. Autumn brings calm and winter is a time for creating. In summer’s rush of garden compositions, I excitedly dream about fall & winter’s artistic explorations. For 20 years, I’ve been lucky enough to work as a professional gardener, with 10 years running my own business and working at the some of the Twin Cities’ most beautiful properties. I work with each client to create & maintain living compositions that reflect their personal style & purpose. A passionate foodie and all around plant nerd, I incorporate edibles into as many gardens as possible, have a Permaculture Design Certificate and am a Master Naturalist. Each winter is a dive into myself and memories of the other seasons through oil painting, needle felting & The Wish Tree. There is nothing that satisfies me as creating art does, aside from balance achieved by tending to beautiful outdoor spaces and sharing it all with my community.

When I’m not in the gardens or studio, I spend my time reading, looking at clouds, wandering through woods, cooking, fermenting, hugging my dog, contemplating my existence, teaching needle felting, organizing events, seeing live music, looking at art and going on adventures.

GREG REYNOLDS

(he/him)

Greg Reynolds owns and operates Riverbend Farm located just west of Delano. First certified organic in 1994, Riverbend produced vegetables and veggie starter plants for sale to local food coops, independent restaurants and individuals for 30 years. Sustainable and regenerative practices have always been the foundation of production at Riverbend. After COVID production has shifted to seeds and small scale custom growing.

Course sold out? Sign up for the waitlist here!