LIVINGSTON — Imagine growing everything you need to cook an Italian feast — all in your own backyard.
A new series of workshops at Snug Harbor will teach people how to grow traditional Italian gardens — including tips for planting key ingredients like peppers, tomatoes, cardoons and basil common to the Naples region of Southern Italy. Visitors will also be given seeds to get started on their garden, organizers said.
The "Four Seasons Program" of hands-on seminars aims to teach people how to pick the best spot for their garden, design it and maintain it during the warmer months.
It "will provide a unique learning experience for anyone interested in discovering the many aspects of Italian culture, gardening and good nutrition,” said Lynn Kelly, CEO for Snug Harbor.
“The first two-day course will lay a solid foundation to be built upon with the follow-up sessions later this spring and summer.”
The series kicks off on Feb. 15 with a two-day workshop about crop selection, choosing the right spot for the garden and tips for growing Italian vegetables taught by Jonathan Wilson, a farmer at Snug Harbor's Heritage Farm, and Carol Hooper, a soil expert from the NYC Compost Project.
The first day will focus on planting, while the second day will talk about how to develop soil to grow the exotic veggies and traditional composting methods to keep them healthy, Kelly said.
Later events in the series will explain common features for Northern Italian horticulture gardens — which focuses on symmetrical plantings and formal water elements — and give tours through Snug Harbor's own Richmond County Savings Foundation Tuscan Garden, Kelly said.
Other events planned in the series include a wine sampling and painting in the garden.
The Seeding for Spring Workshop will be on Feb. 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. in Building P at Snug Harbor. Admission is $10 for both days, $5 for one. Tickets can be bought online, at the door, or by calling 718-425-3525.
