Learn how to grow a thriving garden
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Master the key steps to plan, plant, nurture and harvest your garden with support, enjoyment and know-how.
Let's get growing
Read. | Watch. | Learn. | Improve.
Take a hand-crafted learning adventure under the guidance of experienced cold climate gardeners
Grow your knowledge, skills, ability & confidence to grow a thriving garden.
Grow your knowledge, skills, ability & confidence to grow a thriving garden.
Gain unlimited access to gardening
resources at your fingertips
90+ Video & eBooks
Easy to access, online resources including videos, course workbook, activities and more.
10 modules
Handcrafted, easy to access
content fthat leads you throughout the gardening season.
24/7 Access
Learn on your own schedule. It's a gardening workshop in the comfort of your own home.
10 hand-crafted modules with ESSENTIAL
growing knowledge to help your garden thrive
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Educating gardeners for over a decade
Keeping Food Real has been educating gardeners since 2008, as a project of the Wildsight Elk Valley Branch. Working to help more people grow more food, the Keeping Food Real program has educated hundreds of adult learners to create thriving cold climate gardens. Wildsight works locally, regionally and globally to protect biodiversity and encourage sustainable communities in Canada's Columbia and Rocky Mountain regions. Learn more at wildsight.ca/elkvalley
Informative videos
Watch relevant videos that help expand your gardening skills. It's like a gardening book that has come to life and demonstrates how you can help your garden thrive.
Relevant how-to videos help you learn!
Relevant how-to videos help you learn!
Interactive eBooks
Navigate easily through our live note books, take notes and highlight important text. Plus, print out our downloadable garden workbook to continue your learning offline.
Read actively, take notes, participate!
Read actively, take notes, participate!
Easy to Access
Learn wherever you are by accessing your course on your computer, laptop or smart phone. Easy to access. Easy to use. Easy for you to start learning.
Garden learning on your schedule!
Garden learning on your schedule!
Quizzes & Activities
Test your knowledge with end of chapter quizzes. Complete related activities to expand your learning. Plus we've got a private Facebook learning group to engage with.
Fun quizzes, assignments and questions!
Fun quizzes, assignments and questions!
Begin your Cold Climate Gardening Learning Adventure today!
Take a hand-crafted learning adventure under the guidance of experienced cold climate gardeners and build your confidence in growing your own food
Meet our team
Your Course Creators
Dawn
Cold Climate Gardener
Environmental Educator
Dawn has 20 years of mountain gardening under her belt as the founder of the Fernie Community EcoGarden. She brings 2 decades of environmental education program development to the table. She has a habit of spending too much time in the garden, helped develop the Fernie Food Action Strategy, and started the Evergreens hydroponics farm in Fernie.
Gaetane
Professional Agrologist
Permaculture Educator
Gaëtane is living her passion for right livelihood operating Naturaleza Ag in Fernie BC. Her approach is informed by permaculture design, environmental science and regenerative agriculture and intersects themes of local food security, community resilience and scientific inquiry. She aspires "stick it to the man" one local carrot at a time.
Mary
Seed Saving Educator
Cold Climate Gardener
Mary has been gardening in British Columbia's short-season climates for over 45 years. Initially specializing in cultivating medicinal herbs, in recent decades she has been dedicating her gardens to growing out and preserving seed for herb and vegetable varieties naturalized to our marginal-agricultural areas and started the Cold Climate Seed Library.
The challenges of growing food in a shorter season need special skills, resources and knowledge.
Most conventional gardening resources don't support gardeners in cooler climates.
This course is designed to do just that.
Our students love us
This course has given me gardening tricks and a whole lot of knowledge that has helped me have a more effective yield from our garden.
Sinead - Fernie
What? Where? When? How? When starting my garden from scratch I needed all the answers. Now I have the info I need to make it happen
Audrey - Sparwood
Finally I have some insight on the differences when growing in my shorter season. Such great information! I can't wait to eat from my garden.
Megan - Elkford
Let's get growing
Frequently asked questions
Will this work for where I live? What is a short season or cold climate gardener?
Does your gardening season seem too short? Are your summer nights chilly? Do you have late spring or early fall frosts? The Keeping Food Real Cold Climate Gardening Online Course was developed in Fernie, British Columbia - a small Rocky Mountain town located at 1010 ft.
If you have a shorter growing season, or are growing in zones 4 and cooler - this course is designed for you. Click here to download a plant hardiness zone map.
Most conventional gardening resources don't support gardeners in cooler climates. The challenges of growing food in cooler climates needs special skills, resources and knowledge. This course is designed to do just that.
If you have a shorter growing season, or are growing in zones 4 and cooler - this course is designed for you. Click here to download a plant hardiness zone map.
Most conventional gardening resources don't support gardeners in cooler climates. The challenges of growing food in cooler climates needs special skills, resources and knowledge. This course is designed to do just that.
How long is the course?
The Cold Climate Gardening Course is 10 modules. We send you the 1st three chapters when you register for the course. Then, each week after we will send you two more course modules.
How long does it take to complete each chapter? Well, that depends on how much existing garden knowledge you currently have, and how deep you want to go.
How long does it take to complete each chapter? Well, that depends on how much existing garden knowledge you currently have, and how deep you want to go.
How can an online course help me with a hands-on activity like gardening?
eLearning simply makes it more convenient to learn. Now you can schedule your learning around YOUR day rather, instead of the other way around. The course materials are always available, so it makes it easier for you to balance your work commitments, family responsibilities and learning goals. Online learning means you choose where and when you want to learn. Our course is self-paced which means you can complete your learning targets on your schedule.
We took the Keeping Food Real from workshop to online course to make it easier for you to access the information when and where YOU need it. It's hard to set aside a whole day on the weekend to take a gardening class. Now you can expand your gardening knowledge in the comfort of your own home when it works for you..
We took the Keeping Food Real from workshop to online course to make it easier for you to access the information when and where YOU need it. It's hard to set aside a whole day on the weekend to take a gardening class. Now you can expand your gardening knowledge in the comfort of your own home when it works for you..
How long do I get access to the course materials?
Once you purchase the course, you will have lifetime access to all the resources. You will also have the option to download and/or print the many Keeping Food Real course worksheets and resources if you would prefer a hardcopy to reference.
I've been gardening for a while, will this course help me?
One of the amazing things about growing your own food is that you can continually learn and experiment to improve your skills. Do you feel like you could get a better harvest? Do you need a refresher? Do you question why your seeds or plants didn't grow to their fullest potential? Do you feel challenged by your short growing season? If so, this course is for you.
Still not sure? We suggest reading through the modules listings above and see if any of the course outlines peak your interest.
Still not sure? We suggest reading through the modules listings above and see if any of the course outlines peak your interest.
Will this help me with my fruit trees or flowers?
The Keeping Food Real course content is focused on growing vegetables. Although there are many fruit trees that grow well in cold climates, this course does not focus on this. Many of the concepts included in this course will increase your success when growing flowers, berries and fruit trees.
Special SALE - $80 off
Act Now - sign up & SAVE!
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