beekeeping 101

Beekeeping 101  Class dates and times: February 20, 2016   10am-1pm  Cost for each class is $45
Beginning Beekeeping classes at Village Green Nursery. 12 max, 5 min
A three hour class to get you ready for bees in your garden in 2016.
This class will introduce you to the life cycle of the honey bee and the basic tools and equipment needed to set up a hive or two in your yard.

The instructor, Christine Ranegger, has been a hobby beekeeper (managing about 25 hives) in Seattle for 8 years and is an Apprentice Level beekeeper as part of the Master Beekeeper Certification Program with the Washington State Beekeepers Association.

Some supplies to get you started will be available for purchase.

Pottery studio time

 

 $25 drop in fee, we will work on projects like Salad tossers, spoons, fish wall hangings, crazy faces,  miniatures for tiny gardens, doll parts for marionette dolls or whatever your imagination can come up with. 

Bags of clay for sale $15. We work with white clay only. Wheel work is for experienced throwers only or schedule a private lesson for throwing.  

*Firing included... though you Must return and pay for second class to finish pieces for firing.
I offer studio time for 4 weeks at $125, includes all glazes. Open studio time is on Saturdays/Sundays 10-4, Wednesday evenings 5-9pm. Other times by appointment.
If you have interest in a kids/parent workshop, and can get 2 other families together, I’m happy to put together a class.

 

Blacksmith workshop

Basic introduction to blacksmithing. 3 workshops to choose from. Skill level, beginner to intermediate. 
8 and up is best, adults are welcome to sign up with kids!
I can only take 2 people at a time in the shop.
Learn how to taper, draw out and scroll hot steel to form shapes for functional items, such as a fire poker, a towel rack or camp cook set.  A lesson in Physics!       I am not a knife maker. knives require special heat treating and annealing, however we can make the shapes if return student would like to try it.
S1,  10-2  Saturday/Sunday Dec 26/27  (2 day workshop) $210 10-2 pm (includes materials)
S2  10-2   Saturday/Sunday January 2/3  or Jan 30/31 (2 day workshop) $210 10-2 pm  (includes materials)
S3  10-1pm  begins Wednesday's in January Drop in workshop $95 person, plus $25 materials fee. Just try out the smithy.  (must confirm with Vera beforehand)


Must sing a waiver. Village Green/Vera Johnson is not responsible for any injuries

 
We'll hammer iron, learn proper posture and holding techniques, shop safety and more
I'll demo then you can try your 'arm and hammer'
Must wear canvas or denim pants, fitted cotton long sleeve shirt, wear layers. Flannel shirt, denim shirt, leather shoes. No synthetic materials. They can melt and burn skin.
Hair must be tied back. NO Fleece, no baggy clothes.
I would be willing to discuss the hourly rental of the studio with interested adults.
I have been a practicing blacksmith for over 15 years, taking classes from Scott Shattuck at the Duwamish trade center through SSCC, Continuing my education through weekend workshops with David Lisch, master damascus knife maker (I do not make knives, we practiced other skills) and apprenticed for Shannon Buckner of 'Bent productions'

camp cook set

Vera 206-819-8544

10223 26th Ave SW Seattle Wa 98146 

Street parking. Shop is onsite at Village Green

Blacksmith workshops

Basic introduction to blacksmithing. 3 workshops to choose from. Skill level, beginner to intermediate. 
8 and up is best, adults are welcome to sign up with kids!
I can only take 2 people at a time in the shop.
Learn how to taper, draw out and scroll hot steel to form shapes for functional items, such as a fire poker, a towel rack or scrolled trivet.  A lesson in Physics!       I am not a knife maker. knives require special heat treating and annealing, however we can make the shapes if return student would like to try it.
S1,  10-2  Saturday/Sunday September 26/27 (2 day workshop) $210 10-2 pm (includes materials)FULL
S2  10-2   Saturday/Sunday beginning October 17/18 (2 day workshop) $210 10-2 pm  (includes materials)
S3  10-1pm  begins Wednesday's in October Drop in workshop $95 plus  $25 materials fee. Just try out the smithy.  (must confirm with Vera)
    
Must sing a waiver. Village Green/Vera Johnson is not responsible for any injuries
 
We'll hammer iron, learn proper posture and holding techniques, shop safety and more
I'll demo then you can try your 'arm and hammer'
Must wear canvas or denim pants, fitted cotton long sleeve shirt, wear layers. Flannel shirt, denim shirt, leather shoes. No synthetic materials. They can melt and burn skin.
Hair must be tied back. NO Fleece, no baggy clothes.
I would be willing to discuss the hourly rental of the studio with interested adults.
I have been a practicing blacksmith for over 15 years, taking classes from Scott Shattuck at the Duwamish trade center through SSCC, Continuing my education through weekend workshops with David Lisch, master damascus knife maker (I do not make knives, we practiced other skills) and apprenticed for Shannon Buckner of 'Bent productions'

camp cook set

Vera 206-819-8544

10223 26th Ave SW Seattle Wa 98146 

Street parking. Shop is onsite at Village Green

Organic versus GMO...yawn... another try...

You don't understand and want to know why it's so expensive to buy organic, and it's not readily available to people with low income or food stamps?  READ between the lines
*People need to demand answers from the government about why it's so expensive to buy organic.
 

*Why is cheap genetically modified and processed food so inexpensive and readily available?
 
Well... Just to obtain certification for organic labeling by a farmer the costs are so outrageously expensive putting financial pressure on the farmers who already can't afford it,  we're talking many thousands of dollars annually...which is why so many take subsidies and GMO seeds just to stay in production.
  
 Have you noticed you can go to any hardware store or convenience store and buy chemically infused foods and obtain gallons of environmental chemical warfare to put in your body and on your plants and garden for super cheap?

    And all that crap doesn't have to be labeled with a warning label telling us that it's Bad for our health and CAUSES cancer? Guess who sets the standards? We do when we don't demand truth equality and a right to know.
   And there's a QUESTION as to why things should be labeled GMO???  I smell a profits over people game, we're the pawns,we are the real losers. Yeah, your babies, children and your pets are playing on lawns, soccer fields, parks and in gardens saturated in chemicals, the bouquets you buy at the groceries are sprayed with a Molotov cocktail of roundup and who knows what. Dow chemical company (or another one) is in your carpets, cleaning products, paper plates, linens, even foods, detergents, plastic cups, car wash soaps, furniture, garden plants and miracle grow!! and many many more things you wouldn't even guess. 

Chemicals and fake foods. Think about that for a bit.            Or, go back to sleep.    It's easier.

Indelible

What is it that you can't see?
The marks that cannot be removed, no matter how much you try

Hardy perennials, organically grown.

Welcome to the world of the plant enthusiast.
I'm a plant wisperer for certain...I have honed in on some of my favorites to offer up for sale...


We carry a large selection of Hosta's, shade plants and many hard to find plants like

 carnivorous plants, Beesia,
 Impatiens omeana, hardy begonias, petasites japonicus, Rosa complicata, Rosa apothecary, York and Lancaster, Sissinghurst castle and more.
Also Japanese Maples, Dogwood shrubs with gold leaves and green and white variegated.
Northwest Natives include groundcover strawberry, Salal, sword ferns,
Trillium ovatum, fringecup, Crabapple, coltsfoot, monkeyflower and more.
I make my own soils, compost onsite, use only organic fertilizers and zero pesticides. All plants are openly grown outdoors year round. No forcing of growth or flowers.

These are very hardy reliable plants. You can be certain.
I'm a beekeeper, so I'm a very strict organic natural grower.
Visit our permaculture farm and see the many ornamental and native plants growing here in the
A piece of history.
June is Rose month. Our antique roses are fragrant, culinary and delightful. the Fragrance is heavenly here right now.
We also carry the largest collection of daylilies in the area.

gardens. We are a local business that's been here for 40 years.
Come check us out. See what is happening here in our back yard.

Where...can I see it?

I'm a country girl at heart. I no longer care much for this city life.

 But I found this piece of land to work and I've turned it into something really incredible. I can't imagine leaving, and sometimes.... I can't imagine staying.

19 years in West Seattle, 25 in Seattle on and off, with time spent living in Santa Cruz, D.C. and southern Maryland.

 I grew up visiting salvage yards with my dad. He always needed a faucet or a match for some hardwood flooring...we combed through used materials in big old barns down long county drives.

  I spent summer days running through orchards and eating fresh fruits. I drove a truck at 14. We had horses, sheep for a time, and I had a pony named Blackie.

We picked morel mushrooms in the woods in May and wild elderberries in August.
We had giant farm gatherings with family  sometimes topping out at 150 people. We fished in the ponds on hot summer days. I miss that life. I wanna go back.

       This space and this land, I've cultivated something pretty special here, yet, I crave solitude.
Inside I cry. Give me space. Silence the noise. Let me think, create, love.

  Don't judge me. Attempt to understand me.

Wildlife Friendly Gardening for Natural Pest Control

Saturday, April 11^th from 11 am to 1 pm 
Village Green Perennial Nursery
10223 26^th Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98146
 Join the Garden Hotline and Village Green Perennial Nursery for a workshop on Wildlife Friendly Gardening for Natural Pest Control!  $20 person
The beauty of songbirds, butterflies, and beneficial insects is ample reason to create a wildlife-friendly garden, but there’s so much more to the picture!  When you provide good habitat for birds and beneficial insects, they will in turn provide you with natural pest and weed control, increasing your garden’s health while decreasing your maintenance time. This workshop will teach you about the plants and design techniques that attract these delightful creatures to visit and live in your garden. We will also cover problematic wildlife and how to manage them in the garden. A Village Green Perennial Nursery garden tour and a chance to pick up some great wildlife friendly plants to take home for your own garden is included. Informational brochures will be available.

The Garden Hotline is managed by Seattle Tilth and sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities, the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, the Saving Water Partnership and Cascade Water Alliance and the RainWise program of Seattle and King County.

Beekeeping 101

Beekeeping 101  Class dates and times are and March 21 and 28  10am-1pm (Choose 1 or both) Cost for each class is $45 for 1 or $75  for both classes. (this would be repeat information, but offered if you wanted to sign up a friend who can’t come same day as you)
Beginning Beekeeping classes at Village Green Nursery. 12 max, 5 min
A three hour class to get you ready for bees in your garden in 2015.
This class will introduce you to the life cycle of the honey bee and the basic tools and equipment needed to set up a hive or two in your yard.

The instructor, Christine Ranegger, has been a hobby beekeeper in Seattle for 6 years and is an Apprentice Level beekeeper as part of the Master Beekeeper Certification Program with the Washington State Beekeepers Association.

Some supplies to get you started will be available for purchase.

Early dismissal clay genius

March 25th, early dismissal clay genius workshop   2:30-5 pm.  $40.
5 kids max, ages 9 and up
  
clay/handbuilding workshop for 9yrs and up
need a safe place for your kids for the early dismissal? Does your child love to play with clay and art materials?
We will explore hand building by creating interesting shapes that can later be used in mixed media projects.
Each class comes with unlimited potential, unbridled creative abilities and certainly some laughter and fun. Oh, we’ll work with clay, too. Fearless exploration. No specific agenda.
Pack a snack, bring water. Wear older clothes that can get dirty
Parent release form required for each child. Please be certain this is a class your child will enjoy.

Park out front and walk down the driveway to the rear of the house, the studio is under the deck through the purple door.
Vera  206-819-8544 call to confirm sign up