NOFA/Mass will host two “Organic Lawns & Landscapes Refresher” workshops, on Friday, August 12 from 8am to Noon at UMass Amherst, Campus Center Room 904-908, with Chip Osborne, in conjunction with the NOFA Summer Conference; and again Friday, August 19 from 9am to 1pm at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, with Javier Gil. Practical skills and problem solving will be the focus of these four-hour intensive workshops. Beginning with an overview of the systems approach to organic landscaping; soil testing; soil amendments; managing nutrition; grass types; and compost tea, Osborne and Gil will then delve into practical solutions for real-life landscape problems. Case study examples will be explored in depth within small groups, with the goal of boosting students’ hands-on knowledge of organic lawns and landscaping and how to transition to organic management with success, cost-efficiency and grace.

Cost: $100 for the general public; $75 for NOFA members and NOFA AOLCPs. Register online at www.nofamass.org. More info: Kathy Litchfield at (413) 773-3830 or Kathy@nofamass.org.