Sustainable Foods, Farm & Gardens   

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.

This course is the second in the three-part Beekeeping series. Weather permitting, hands-on learning in the Food Innovation Center’s apiary is planned for each week, where students will evaluate hive strength, health, and how to support growing colonies. Classroom review will cover swarming, splits, integrated pest management, and a further focus on biology through the season and keeping bees in Southwest Michigan.

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.

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.