Welcome to the Southern California Horticultural Society,
where passionate gardeners meet to share ideas
and learn from each other

On the second Thursday of each month, we invite speakers to present a talk or program about their area of expertise. We offer in-person meetings as well as live-streaming on Zoom (with registration).

Meetings may also include Plant Sales, a Raffle and expert discussion of plants brought in to the Plant Forum. Do you have an interesting plant to share? If you can't bring one in person, send in a photo and requested information on our Plant Forum Page.

For more information about the Society, please see our About SCHS page.

UPCOMING EVENT:

Thursday,  May 9th, 2024

Experiments with Different Growing Methods for Fruits and Veggies 

Featuring Mike Wood

of Huarache Farms

All photos courtesy of the speaker      

On May 9, the Southern California Horticultural Society will meet in-person to enjoy a program presented by Mike Wood, urban farmer and founder of Huarache Farms, whose mission is to create community through gardening, cooking, and running for mental health.  He will describe the different growing techniques he uses to grow leafy vegetables in small spaces and to produce usable soil substrates that can save money, store carbon, and grow healthy produce.

 

Wood grew up in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley and attended Citrus College to study forestry and plant identification, and it was there that he gained inspiration to start gardening from his chemistry professor David Ryba. He later studied plant science at Cal Poly Pomona where he was introduced to the urban farming movement and to growing food on a small scale.

 

After several years of developing gardening experience and cultivating an interest in water gardening, Wood started spending Sundays at the Atwater Village Farmer’s Market as a vegetable vendor, where he has held a farm stand for the last 10 years. Being a vendor at a farmers market, and after years of trial and error, he was motivated to figure out ways to successfully grow vegetables quickly.

Huarache Farms is managed by Wood and his wife Mandy on a half acre backyard plot at her childhood home in Sierra Madre. His talk will cover the methods they currently use to grow veggies including:  outdoor hydroponics, vertical stacking pots, shade houses, wicking beds, outdoor sprouting, mist irrigation, spent mushroom block fruiting/composting, and vermiculture.

 

Wood likes to encourage friends and family to eat more salads and run for mental health.  His locally grown produce can be found at the Atwater Village Farmer’s Market every Sunday from 9 a.m. -2 p.m.  You can learn more about Huarache Farms by visiting their website at www.huarachefarms.com , and by coming to Wood’s presentation at Friendship Auditorium in May.  We hope to see you there for this fascinating  program on urban farming.

 MEETING:   IN PERSON AT FRIENDSHIP AUDITORIUM     

DATE & TIME:    THURSDAY, MAY 9TH, 2024, 7:30 P.M. Doors open at 7:00 P.M.

LOCATION:   FRIENDSHIP AUDITORIUM

COST:   FREE for SCHS Members / $5. for Non-Members

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Upcoming Events:.

Thursday, May 9, 2024
Live at Friendship Auditorium
Mike Wood of Huarache Farms on "Experiments with Different Growing Methods for Fruits and Veggies"

Thursday, June 13, 2024
Zoom Webinar featuring Michael Boland, Chief Park Officer at Presidio Trust. He will speak about the Presidio Tunnel Tops, the 14-acre San Francisco landscaping project completed on 2022.

Visit our Past Meetings page to re-watch previously recorded in-person meetings and webinars, download each meeting write-up, and reference any materials provided by our speakers.

• Our Hort Happenings page lists events at local horticultural institutions. 
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Tag @socalhort in your photos to be featured on our page!
• Want to re-watch a previous meeting, plant forum, or event? Visit our YouTube Channel for all available recordings!
• Join our mailing list to be updated with important news about SCHS via email. Your email address will not be shared with anyone, and you may unsubscribe at any time.