Free UH workshops to grow your own food, seed giveaways

Jumpstart your home gardens with a pair of free public events featuring crop seed giveaways and hands-on training to grow your own fruits and vegetables offered by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR).

Bok Choy Open House

The Bok Choy Open House will be on Wednesday, October 22, 9–11 a.m., at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. This nutritious, leafy green is part of many local dishes, and people will get advice on how to grow the vegetable, including:

• Explore varieties of bok choy that grow well in Hawaiʻi.
• Learn methods for controlling pests and diseases.
• Understand effective fertilization techniques.
• Discover “no soil needed” cultivation through hydroponics.

Register here: https://go.hawaii.edu/qFm

Better Crops and Seed Sharing Workshop

The Better Crops and Seed Sharing Workshop on Friday, October 24, also at the Urban Garden Center, will offer training in harvesting, saving and sharing seeds to help families start a food garden. Attendees will work with seed crops developed by UH researchers or local farmers, including:

• Komohana grape tomato
• Mānoa sweet pea and lettuce
• Hirayama Kai Choi
• UH sweet basil
• Poamoho Pole bean

Register here: https://go.hawaii.edu/mFB

More details:

Both events will be at the Urban Garden Center, 955 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, 96782 (behind the Public Storage building). While limited parking is available, ridesharing is encouraged.

Wear shoes, bring water and be prepared for rain or shine. Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult supervisor. All participants must sign a UH liability waiver. 

For information in an alternative format, contact CTAHR at ADA-contact@ctahr.hawaii.edu.

Our neighbors living with disabilities who would like accommodations can contact the Urban Garden Center at (808) 453-6050 or email jav8@hawaii.edu.