WELCOME TO THE WORKSHOP

Here you’ll find workshops drawn from years spent in the garden and in the field - practical knowledge, carefully considered and shared. From growing flowers to saving seed, each one is an invitation to look a little closer, try something new, and find your own way of working with plants.

Take your time. There is always something more to learn.

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Introduction to Sweet Pea Growing - Oct 17, 10am - 12pm

Sweet peas are remarkably easy to grow once you understand what they need. In this live, two-hour workshop, we’ll take you from seed to flower and cover the essential decisions that make the difference between struggling plants and a long, abundant season of blooms.

Together, we’ll walk through choosing varieties, when and how to sow, germination, planting, preparing your growing space, providing support, feeding, tying, harvesting, and everything in between. We’ll also talk about the common advice surrounding sweet peas: what actually matters, what doesn’t, and where gardeners often make things more complicated than they need to be.

This is a practical, comprehensive introduction designed for anyone at the beginning of their journey growing sweet peas, whether you’re working with a garden bed, a small plot, or a few plants tucked into an existing garden.

The workshop is live, so there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and get advice specific to your own garden.

We’ll cover:

  • Choosing sweet pea varieties

  • Where to grow them

  • When to sow

  • Sowing methods

  • Germination

  • Preparing the planting area

  • Planting

  • Supports and trellising

  • Sustainable growing practices

  • Feeding

  • Pest management

  • Harvesting for the vase

  • Saving your own seed

  • Questions and discussion

Two hours, live online, with Colleen Raney, Founder of Songbird Seed Co.

Attendees will receive a zoom link in their email the week of the workshop.

$130.00
Sold Out
Advanced Sweet Pea Growing - Oct 24, 10am - 12pm

Once you know how to grow sweet peas, there is an entirely different level of growing to explore.

This live, two-hour workshop is for gardeners who already have experience with sweet peas and want to grow better plants, harvest more flowers, extend the season, and develop a more thoughtful approach to their garden.

We’ll look closely at the details that become important as your skills grow: variety selection, timing, plant development, nutrition, spacing, support systems, harvesting, seed saving, and the decisions that influence both the quality and quantity of your flowers. We’ll also examine how experienced growers can refine their methods from season to season: observing their plants, responding to conditions, and making adjustments rather than simply following a fixed set of instructions.

This is an opportunity to go beyond the basics, ask more nuanced questions, and learn the reasoning behind successful sweet pea cultivation.

The workshop is live and conversational, with time at the end for questions and discussion.

We’ll explore:

  • Selecting varieties for specific purposes

  • Refining sowing and planting schedules

  • Managing plant growth and development

  • Sustainable growing practices

  • Soil preparation and fertility

  • Feeding for sustained flower production

  • Spacing and plant density

  • Building and managing effective supports

  • Tying and corralling large plantings

  • Maximizing stem length and flower production

  • Harvesting for continued production

  • Extending the flowering season

  • Saving and selecting seed

  • Troubleshooting common growing problems

  • Questions and discussion

Two hours, live online, with Colleen Raney, Founder of Songbird Seed Co.

Attendees will receive a zoom link in their email the week of the workshop.

$130.00
Sold Out

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Colleen is the consummate sweet pea expert and an incredible teacher. She has a gift for taking something that can feel complicated or intimidating and making it feel completely approachable. Her sweet pea knowledge is vast, but she never overwhelms you with it; instead, she brings clarity to what really matters and gives you the confidence to grow successfully.

Everything I know about growing sweet peas I’ve learned from Colleen, and her guidance has transformed the way I grow them. She provides the kind of foundation that makes you feel empowered and encouraged, and the dividends are extraordinary: beautiful, incredibly fragrant flowers and the deep satisfaction of knowing you grew them yourself. I can’t imagine learning from anyone more knowledgeable, generous, or gifted at teaching than Colleen. Her workshop is one I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who wants to fall in love with growing these amazing flowers.

Sally
2021 Workshop Alumna

I took the Sweet Pea Growing for Beginners workshop from Colleen in 2022 and had immediate success that very season. As a novice grower, I was thrilled because sweet peas are often presented as high maintenance and intimidating to grow. Every year, I go back to my notes from Colleen’s class (and usually check in with any new content she shares) because she is a consummate sweet pea expert. In a world of information (and disinformation) overload, Colleen’s experience and teaching approach is specialized, dependable, and very helpful!

Tory
2022 Workshop Alumna