NEW CLASS MONTHLY SCHEDULE's for Growing Food, Bees, Food Resourceful and Survival classes

Hello and Happy Summer,

Super excited to get back to a schedule of when we get to bring you an awareness of what Nature has already set forth for us to live by.  

As most of has you may or may not know, I, Melanie Blankenship, have created a monthly class that takes place every 2nd Tuesday of Every month starting 5:30pm to 7:30 pm, is Growing Food with Nature.  This class takes place during this time of the month in sequence with the moon phases of the month.  Not only, do we as humans have the ability to think, feel and survive, Nature already has a calendar of events to help with making sense of all of these abilities.  We start the class with the calendar check in and continue to help guide the path of discovery of the best path to growing the best wholesome food with little to no waste of natural resources. This class takes you from starting with the seed all the way your first harvest and back to the start of the seed.

This gardening class is tailored to the needs of growers in San Luis Obispo county with biodynamic practices.

You will learn: - The effects of current weather on your garden and how important weather is when gardening -

How to identify your soil type, what amendments your garden needs, and when to apply such amendments -

Learn all about plants that thrive in our county, including culinary & medicinal uses. -

How to grow and harvest your garden in an ecologically responsible and healthy manner, with less effort and more bountiful harvests with less problems from disease and pests without using synthetic pesticides or herbicides. -

Celebrate a truly sustainable "farm-to-table" harvest by enjoying the delicious food you grow! -

Enjoy fresh seasonal produce samples provided by Nature's Touch Nursery & Harvest during the class.

This class is $75 for each class.  Sign up for a 3 month series $200.  Sign up for 6 month series $400. ( Must notify me if you will not be able to attend a class to save it).

The 3rd Tuesday of every month is all about BEES..  Starting, July 20th, will be our first introductory class.  This class is all about the beginning stages of understanding a Apiary. 

How everyday of the calendar has a direct affect on the hive and the production of honey. 

Yes, weather has a direct affect but the calendar explains, the what, when, how and the whys of the life of the hive and its production.  We teach lots of flora and fauna.  Learning the importance of protecting your food source by learning to raise your own apiary.   You will learn the season of building brood, how important it is to your honey production. the importance of the location of our bee hive.

Understand, how and when nectar flows and pollen blows.

Why is honey a different color? What is raw honey? What is local honey? Does honey go bad? All these questions will be answered in the introductory to bee keeping class.   Define all the different microclimates of our county and beyond.

This Class is mandatory to be able to join our 6 month bee series called, The Hive and The Honey.  This series is a 6 month hands on course, that starts in January and continues until June.  

This class is also a check in for our previous class mates who are working their bee yards. 

This class is $85 for each class.  Continuing Students $25.

The Hive & The Honey 6 month course: 

Sign up for the beekeeping series with hands on learning!

Following the introductory classes, Nature’s Touch Nursery and Harvest is hosting a series on the Art of Keeping Bees, which is incredibly important component to a healthy ecosystem. Nature's Touch has brought in a beekeeping expert who will conduct a 4 month series explaining how to set up, maintain and harvest your own Apiary. (Bee Yard) This series will provide you with all the information to be able to farm your own honey. As well as provide you with appreciation of living amongst Apiarist.

You will learn about:

Flora & Fauna

Descriptions of bee behaviors

Growing and managing bee loving plants

Nature approved recipes for managing bees and their foraging areas.

Installation of boxes

Bee colony structure and health

Manage overcrowding

Managing bees for honey production

Stacking & Sorting Supers

Harvesting honey Understanding current California regulations.

2021 Bee Keeping Series: The Hive & The Honey:

If you choose to sign and participate you will need to start the series:

Must Have to attend the class:

*Email address (Be apart of our Google group, where all information and notifications are shared.)

*Hat Veil Pull over, gloves, jeans and closed toed shoes..

If you want to build your hive with us: (This is Optional)

Must have to build a hive:

• Bottom Board
• 2 deep brood boxes with frames and plasticell foundation
• medium dept. super w/frame and plasticell foundation
• inner cover and top cover
• plastic queen excluder
• Boardman entrance feeder
• reversible entrance reducer
• hive tool
• 4x7 smoker
• smoker fuel
• bee brush

Approx. cost is $600

We will provide for additional cost: pollen patties, smoker fuel,  extractor services, Honey Buckets with pour spouts, jars, site visits.

Please follow us on Instagram & Facebook : The Hive and The Honey.

New this year,  we are taking sign ups for the January class Starting August 1st.

There is a early sign up discount.  Sign up in August, cost of 6 month course is $375.

Sign up in September, cost of 6 month course is $450.

Sign up in October to December 15th, cost of 6 month course is $550.

Sign up December 15th to January 5th, cost of 6 month course is $600.

Next is,

Nature's Food - Growing, preparing, preserving, fermenting, recycling and composting and understanding mushrooms. 

This Class will take place every 4th Tuesday of Every month.  Starting at 5:30pm to 6:30pm.  This class will take the current harvest and make it into food and health.  This is a growing/cooking and survivalist class.  What does it really mean to fill my pantry?  Storage food created from your own soil or of the soil from your neighbors.  We will also show the importance of recycling and composting and how this all ties into how we can all create healthy soils, by what we buy and consume.  Healthy Soil gives us Healthy life. 

Class Cost is $75  

Sign up for 3 month series $200

Sign up for 6 months series $ 450

Please join us and learn all you can to live in balance with Nature and become familiar with all that our soil naturally already provides for us to thrive and live a health life.

Melanie Blankenship