Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center

My husband and I have recently begun growing some container plants in our apartment patio. We are novices at gardening but were looking for ways to learn more about the area. So, I searched around online and found a listing for a free French Intensive Gardening class in May 2013. We immediately registered for it. It was a 3 hour class on a Saturday morning. So, the timing suited us well. The gardens were lovely and the instructors (Martha and Joni) were very knowledgeable and passionate about their work. There were about 15 – 20 of us in the class. We were divided into two groups. Some folks had been doing this for years while some like us were completely new. The instructors answered all our questions, even the dumb ones. We were even given handouts that had valuable information about the topic of our class: companion planting. We were first taken on a short tour of the gardens which was fascinating by itself. There were lovely flowers and also a whole lot of vegetables. The tour was followed by one round of companion planting with corn, beans and beetroot and then a second round of double digging to prepare the bed. After the class got over, we volunteered to stick around and help with some bed preparation. It was not only a fun learning experience but also a wonderful feeling to give back. If classes are not something that you are interested in, you can just visit the garden and take a tour. It’s a lovely place.

Not to be mistaken for a certain Italian restaurant chain…
Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, is an edible education garden and one of my favorite Non-​profits! As a pretty regular volunteer since January 2012 I can attest to the wonderful experience many families leave with. This review has been a long-​time draft, and that’s because I can’t seem to express the way this place lights people up, most especially the children when they learn about something new from the garden.
This place is great for all ages. I’ve even taken my grandparents on their own little field-​trip so they could get out of their little apartment. This place could also be great for out of town guest.

Have a «No Thank You bite» and check out the place at least once!
**Click on the link to the web and check out the calender of events. There are a few weekends a month that are Free for families.
** Take a free public tour on Tuesdays at 10am. From there, you can find out more on the services offered through this hidden gem of National City.