Sustainable Foods, Farm & Gardens   

Bats! What are these majestic and misunderstood creatures of the night? Join us on this evening walk to learn more about Michigan's native and migratory bat species and their critical role in a functioning ecosystem. Participants will observe bats in real-time using a portable bat detector, making it possible to hear, identify, and record nearby bats.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: TBD (will be communicated with participants via email)

This fun and informative class will focus on how beneficial insects in the yard and garden help protect your plants from damaging pests.  We will take an up close and personal look at lacewings, lady beetles, “true bugs' ', mantids, and others. These insects serve as predators of aphids, thrips, and caterpillars, just to name a few.  The course will be a combination of hands-on and classroom learning and at the end of the day, you will take home a packet of seeds for plants that will help you attract predators to your garden. Attracting guardians to your garden could be part of your Integrated Pest Management program – and - it’s fun to see them in their ecological habitats. Come Join Us

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

ValleyHUB is a farm, food hub, and education center based at the Food Innovation Center at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The Urban Farm at ValleyHUB showcases a range of sustainable agricultural practices. The five-acre site includes an indoor grow room, a heated greenhouse, outdoor raised beds, and two passive solar hoophouses. The Food Hub is a licensed food processing facility equipped to produce fresh-cut fruits and vegetables at a range of production scales. Join us on this *FREE* tour to explore our beautiful site, and learn about our programs and practices.

Bats! What are these majestic and misunderstood creatures of the night? Join us on this evening walk to learn more about Michigan's native and migratory bat species and their critical role in a functioning ecosystem. Participants will observe bats in real-time using a portable bat detector, making it possible to hear, identify, and record nearby bats.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: TBD (will be communicated with participants via email)

The cooler season is the perfect time for growing crops such as greens and root vegetables. It is a great way to maximize the garden space after pulling some summer plants at the end of their life cycle, such as beans, cucumbers and more. In this class, farmer Devon Wilson will cover strategies for growing food in the late summer and fall, for harvest throughout the cold months, and often into the spring. He will also cover topics such as garden care for winter and ways to support soil health.  

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Bats! What are these majestic and misunderstood creatures of the night? Join us on this evening walk to learn more about Michigan's native and migratory bat species and their critical role in a functioning ecosystem. Participants will observe bats in real-time using a portable bat detector, making it possible to hear, identify, and record nearby bats.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: TBD (will be communicated with participants via email)

Bats! What are these majestic and misunderstood creatures of the night? Join us on this evening walk to learn more about Michigan's native and migratory bat species and their critical role in a functioning ecosystem. Participants will observe bats in real-time using a portable bat detector, making it possible to hear, identify, and record nearby bats.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: TBD (will be communicated with participants via email)

Grow your seed-saving skills through this class at the Food Innovation Center seed garden, where you 'll learn hands-on techniques for saving seeds from wet-seeded crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons. We'll cover how to select for seeds that are especially well-adapted to your growing conditions, isolation strategies and hand-pollination techniques for cross-pollinating plants, and cleaning and storing wet-fruited seeds for maximum viability and vigor.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Bats! What are these majestic and misunderstood creatures of the night? Join us on this evening walk to learn more about Michigan's native and migratory bat species and their critical role in a functioning ecosystem. Participants will observe bats in real-time using a portable bat detector, making it possible to hear, identify, and record nearby bats.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: TBD (will be communicated with participants via email)

Enjoy a Saturday morning, creating a culinary wreath with a wide assortment of herbs and botanicals grown at Kalamazoo Valley’s Food Innovation Center. Twisting natural materials into ring-shaped form has been one of humankind's earliest expressions. Enjoy the aroma of dried culinary herbs, from fresh thyme and fragrant sage. This 9-inch wreath can be displayed in the kitchen and used for your favorite dishes. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

This fun and informative class will focus on how beneficial insects in the yard and garden help protect your plants from damaging pests.  We will take an up close and personal look at lacewings, lady beetles, “true bugs' ', mantids, and others. These insects serve as predators of aphids, thrips, and caterpillars, just to name a few.  The course will be a combination of hands-on and classroom learning and at the end of the day, you will take home a packet of seeds for plants that will help you attract predators to your garden. Attracting guardians to your garden could be part of your Integrated Pest Management program – and - it’s fun to see them in their ecological habitats. Come Join Us

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Fall is about replanting, redesign, getting your design ready for the upcoming growing season. In this beginner-level class, we will discuss smart garden tips, plant care and advice, and landscape design ideas. One class evening will be at a local nursery, where participants will have the opportunity to view plants for the right design, right place, color and texture, and discuss what may fit best in their specific landscapes.   

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Join us in revealing many of the ways to make more food with less from home! In an era of climate change and energy decline, we will benefit from being more involved in producing our own food to ensure access to the most nutritious and life supporting meals. The secret is that it can be fun and easier than you think to care for your family, friends and city’s ecology. Come join us in learning to make simple gardens (indoor and outdoor), planting perennial food crops, foraging wild edibles, preservation and fermentation of crops, raising urban livestock, cheese making, composting and mushroom cultivation. A class for all ages and all scales of land access.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

This fun and informative class will focus on how beneficial insects in the yard and garden help protect your plants from damaging pests.  We will take an up close and personal look at lacewings, lady beetles, “true bugs' ', mantids, and others. These insects serve as predators of aphids, thrips, and caterpillars, just to name a few.  The course will be a combination of hands-on and classroom learning and at the end of the day, you will take home a packet of seeds for plants that will help you attract predators to your garden. Attracting guardians to your garden could be part of your Integrated Pest Management program – and - it’s fun to see them in their ecological habitats. Come Join Us

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Interested in building a beautiful garden that also serves a purpose? Try Rain Gardening. Rain gardens assist in the absorption of runoff, protecting our rivers and creeks from pollution, while providing food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and butterflies. Through natural pollution filtration, environmental public health mitigation, and monetary gains, a garden will also brighten that grassy spot in your yard that you currently mow. Join us for a tutorial in all things rain garden, as well as installation of one.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

In this course participants will learn about the necessary role native plants play in creating local ecosystems and how to garden for wildlife in a space of any size. Participants will be introduced to common native trees, grasses, and flowers, and discuss how to incorporate these plants into their gardening practices. Participants will learn different germination methods for seed starting and make their own kit to take home. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

About six years ago, Larissa and Ondrej embarked on a journey to build an off-grid straw-bale house with the help of their community. Their dream was to live closer to the land and more gentle on the Earth. This tour will include learning about the process of building their house, outdoor kitchen and solar-powered farm, as well as the technical aspects of living off-grid, only 15 minutes from downtown Kalamazoo. Enjoy a morning, visiting this beautiful space and meeting this energetic couple.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Fairy Gardens have been cultivated in Ireland, the British Isles, Germany, France, and Scandinavia since druidic times, and are still very popular today in the Celtic regions of Europe. Especially popular in Ireland, fairy gardens serve as passageways that enable fairies to join the human world; they’re also an excellent way to add a bit of whimsy and mystery to your garden. This course teaches you how to design and create your own traditional fairy garden using natural items like cones, acorns, and twigs. You will learn which plants work best in your garden. You will be provided with a pot, soil, gravel, plants, and items to make your garden come to life. Come join us and let your imagination create, using the bountiful colors and products of fall!   

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

ValleyHUB is a farm, food hub, and education center based at the Food Innovation Center at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The Urban Farm at ValleyHUB showcases a range of sustainable agricultural practices. The five-acre site includes an indoor grow room, a heated greenhouse, outdoor raised beds, and two passive solar hoophouses. The Food Hub is a licensed food processing facility equipped to produce fresh-cut fruits and vegetables at a range of production scales. Join us on this *FREE* tour to explore our beautiful site, and learn about our programs and practices.

Do you want to lower your carbon footprint and make your own organic fertilizer in one simple process? Learn to compost! Composting is the process for recycling wastes like kitchen

scraps and grass clippings into an organic soil amendment that will help your garden retain moisture and support beneficial microorganisms. It’s a great alternative to putting food and yard wastes in landfills, where they generate methane. This workshop will include a demonstration of assembling a quick compost pile, and discussion of various composting setups based on space available. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Do you have a favorite shirt or pair of jeans with a hole in them, stains, or weak spot? Do you hate the idea of sending them to the landfill? Here’s your solution: transform your holey clothing into a work of slow fashion art! If you can thread a needle and sew on a button, you’ve got the skills you need. The fiber industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world- behind only the oil and gas industry. Repairing and refurbishing your clothing keeps your clothing out of the waste stream, saves you money, gives you a creative outlet, and will make you the envy of your friends. Join us in this 6 week exploration into the world of mending. We will be learning mending of socks, jeans and other pants, shirts and more types of clothing using techniques of weaving, embroidery, knitting, and more. Minimal sewing skills are required- we’ll teach you what you need to know although some familiarity is useful.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Herbs are a traditional source of nutrition and healing. Students will explore the impact of ancestral plants, sources of materia medica, ethical and sustainable foraging techniques, as well as recipes for building a home apothecary. We will engage in on-campus plant walks to discuss bioregional, cultivated and seasonal plants. Includes hands-on workshops.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

In this course participants will learn about the necessary role native plants play in creating local ecosystems and how to garden for wildlife in a space of any size. Participants will be introduced to common native trees, grasses, and flowers, and discuss how to incorporate these plants into their gardening practices. Participants will learn different germination methods for seed starting and make their own kit to take home. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Dark Spaces. Soft blossoms. Secrets. Enchantment. These are words and phrases that conjure the romantic and mysterious images of the newest garden craze: Gothic Gardens. In landscape design, gothic gardens are trending as spaces that enable visitors to feel like they’re in a different time and place. Come join us for a fun-filled class that explores how to use dark, mysterious plants, stone statuary, and your own ideas to create a mysterious haven of your own. Each attendee will receive a winter hardy perennial goth plant.  

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Come join us in learning about growing your own gourmet mushrooms from locally available materials! We will grow oysters, shiitake, winecaps, and more. Students will learn how to procure substrates and create good environments for mushroom growth. We will also discuss how to use coffee grounds and other composted material as substrates for mushroom growth.  Some mushroom identification is practiced during this course as well. Come ready to learn about the savory mysteries of fungal farming. Students take home different inoculated mushroom media at the end of each session. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Many species of wildlife need seed heads, ground cover, food, and homes in the winter. By selectively leaving some items in your garden all winter, you can provide habitat and winter beauty for you and the wildlife to enjoy. We will have a classroom discussion and work in the gardens at the Food Innovation Center to show you methods of preparing your garden for winter.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Hydroponics, or the process of growing plants in nutrient-rich water without the use of soil, has been around for hundreds of years. Although typically run as large-scale commercial operations, hydroponics provides a variety of benefits to the home gardener as well. This class will teach the very basics of home hydroponics including light needs, water, pH, growing mediums, and building and operating your own small-scale setup. Participants will leave with resources for purchasing table-top gardens, plans for DIY setups, and starter plants or seeds.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: Neighborhood location TDB

Microgreens and sprouts are so easy to grow and require very little light, so they are perfect to grow in a window.  They also grow quickly so you can have some tasty and interesting greens in just 1-2 weeks. We will be seeding microgreens and sprouts to take home in this class. We will discuss how to care for them as well as the harvesting process.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Microgreens and sprouts are so easy to grow and require very little light, so they are perfect to grow in a window.  They also grow quickly so you can have some tasty and interesting greens in just 1-2 weeks. We will be seeding microgreens and sprouts to take home in this class. We will discuss how to care for them as well as the harvesting process.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Hydroponics, or the process of growing plants in nutrient-rich water without the use of soil, has been around for hundreds of years. Although typically run as large-scale commercial operations, hydroponics provides a variety of benefits to the home gardener as well. This class will teach the very basics of home hydroponics including light needs, water, pH, growing mediums, and building and operating your own small-scale setup. Participants will leave with resources for purchasing table-top gardens, plans for DIY setups, and starter plants or seeds.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods. 

Location: Neighborhood location TDB

This last section of the three-part series in beekeeping will look at the life of a honeybee colony as it continues to get ready for winter. Overwintering practices, preparation and options will be discussed, along with fall and winter duties of the beekeeper. We will continue our examination of bee biology, and discuss other products of the hive. 

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email fic@kvcc.edu or call 269-548-3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods.