Looking for advice on making the most out of a small urban garden? Or how to build a career in farming food in the city? Find experts, resources and hands-on workshops at the South King County Urban Agriculture Food Summit on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3 at Highline College.

In its second year, the free summit is open to all who want to learn about growing food in the city. The two-day event will feature activities and resource tables, with experts available to discuss ideas.

One goal of the summit is to increase awareness and opportunities to develop urban agriculture in a region of King County that is recognized as a food desert.

The event is made possible through the college’s partnerships with organizations such as the King Conservation District.

The summit is on the college’s main campus in Des Moines, located midway between Seattle and Tacoma at South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South (Highway 99).

All activities are free and open to the public.

SCHEDULE

Friday, March 2

All Friday events are in Building 2.

12-1:15 p.m.: Create a fruit tree and learn how to graft. People will have the opportunity to create, and take home, an apple tree by grafting.

1:30-2:30 p.m.: Hear about career paths in urban agriculture. In a panel discussion, people currently working in the field will share how they combined their interests, personality, work history and passion to create a job for themselves in urban agriculture. A time for questions will follow the talk.

Saturday, March 3

All Saturday are in Building 8.

9:30 a.m.: Check in starts.

10-10:50 a.m.: Learn about soil in a class taught by King Conservation District (KCD).

11-11:50 a.m.: Learn about Mason bee pollination in part 1 of a two-part workshop.

12-1 p.m.: Learn about water canning. This simple and low-cost method of food preservation is the best way to approach the world of canning.

1-1:50 p.m.: Learn about Mason bee pollination in part 2 of a two-part workshop.

2-3 p.m.: Hear about career paths in urban agriculture. In a panel discussion, people currently working in the field will share how they combined their interests, personality, work history and passion to create a job for themselves in urban agriculture. A time for questions will follow the talk.

3:15-3:45 p.m.: Join in the World Café closing discussion for a facilitated reflection of the day’s activities and steps to move forward.