Friday, April 3, 2026  6:00pm - 8:00pm  Council Bluffs Campus - Looft Hall 
Join Tom O’Brien, owner of Gardens on Glen, for a creative and practical class on maximizing your garden’s productivity through container and vertical gardening techniques. Participants will learn how to grow a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs in limited spaces using stackable planters and compact, container-friendly plant varieties. Tom will demonstrate how to layer soil properly, arrange plants for optimal sunlight and airflow, and maintain consistent watering and nutrition. The class will also explore ways to extend the growing season indoors or on patios long after the first frost. Each participant will plant young starts in their own tiered container to take home and continue cultivating.

Class is Saturday, June 13, 2026  11:00am - 1:00pm   - Council Bluffs Campus 
Early-season gardening sets the tone for your entire growing year. In this class, you’ll learn which crops thrive in cooler temperatures and how to time your seed starting, transplanting, and direct sowing for optimal results. We’ll cover cold-hardy vegetables, early fruits, succession planting strategies, and how to extend your harvest window using simple techniques. You’ll also learn how to avoid common early-season mistakes that limit yield. Whether you’re planting your first garden or refining your approach, this class will give you a clear, actionable plan for maximizing your spring and early summer harvests.

Class is Saturday, July 11, 2026  8:30am - 10:30am - Council Bluffs Campus 
Urban farming isn’t just a hobby—it can be a profitable venture when approached strategically. In this class, you’ll learn how to identify high-value crops, maximize production in small spaces, and create multiple income streams from a single property. We’ll explore real-world examples of market gardening, plant sales, value-added products, and subscription models like crop shares. You’ll also gain insight into pricing, marketing, and building a loyal customer base. Whether you’re looking for side income or a full-scale operation, this class will help you see what’s possible and how to get started.

Class is Saturday, July 25, 2026 11:00am - 1:00pm - Council Bluffs Campus 
Fall gardening is one of the most overlooked opportunities for productive growing. In this class, you’ll learn how to transition your garden from summer into a highly productive fall system. We’ll cover which crops thrive in cooling temperatures—such as leafy greens, root vegetables, and brassicas—and how to time plantings for continuous harvests before and after the first frost. You’ll also learn techniques for season extension, including row covers, low tunnels, and strategic planting windows. Whether you’re looking to get a second harvest from your space or maximize production late into the year, this class will give you a clear and actionable plan.

This entire 4-class series is offered at a discounted rate. 
Series starts Saturday, June 13 and continues through August 8. All classes held at the Council Bluffs Campus.
From the first cool-weather crops of early summer to the peak of the main growing season, this series walks you through what to grow, when to harvest, and how to preserve it all before it goes to waste. Each class pairs seasonal growing knowledge with hands-on preservation skills, giving you a complete picture of how to get the most out of your garden all summer long. 

 Early-Season Fruits & Vegetables: What to Start, Plant, Harvest — 06/13/26, 11 AM–1 PM, Hands-on Preserving Early-Season Fruit & Vegetable Harvests NOW — 06/27/26, 11 AM–2 PM, Main-Season Fruits & Vegetables: What to Start, Plant, Harvest — 07/11/26, 11 AM–1 PM, Hands-on Preserving Main-Season Fruit & Vegetable Harvests NOW — 08/08/26, 8:30–11:30 AM

Class is Saturday, June 27, 2026  11:00am - 2:00pm - Council Bluffs Campus 
Don’t let your early harvest go to waste—learn how to preserve it at peak freshness. In this hands-on class, you’ll work directly with early-season produce to practice simple preservation techniques such as quick pickling, basic water bath canning, and refrigeration methods. We’ll focus on crops like greens, radishes, early cucumbers, and berries, showing you how to turn them into shelf-stable or ready-to-use products. You’ll leave with practical experience, preserved items to take home, and the confidence to continue preserving your harvest throughout the season.
**PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING AN APRON**
 

Class is Saturday, August 8, 2026  8:30am - 11:30am - Council Bluffs Campus 
When the garden is in full production, preservation becomes essential. This hands-on class focuses on managing and preserving larger volumes of produce at peak ripeness. You’ll learn and practice techniques such as water bath canning, basic sauce preparation, and batch preservation methods suited for tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peppers, and fruits. We’ll emphasize efficiency, safety, and flavor—helping you turn abundance into long-term food security. Participants will leave with preserved goods, tested recipes, and the confidence to handle even the heaviest harvest weeks.
**Participants should bring: 3–4 pint or quart jars with lids and rings, dish towel, apron**

Class is Saturday, July 11, 2026  11:00am - 1:00pm - Council Bluffs Campus 
The main growing season is where your garden reaches its full potential—but only with the right plan in place. This class covers what to plant for peak summer production, including warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, and more. You’ll learn how to time plantings for continuous harvests, manage plant spacing for maximum yield, and support heavy-producing crops. We’ll also discuss pest and disease prevention strategies during the hottest months and how to keep plants productive longer. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap for managing a thriving summer garden.

Friday, May 29, 2026  6:00pm - 9:00pm  Council Bluffs Campus - Looft Hall 
Join Tom O’Brien, owner of Gardens on Glen, for a hands-on workshop exploring the rewarding practice of cultivating mushrooms outdoors. Participants will learn how to prepare growing beds using wood chips and sawdust spawn, manage moisture and shade conditions, and integrate mushroom patches into existing garden spaces. Tom will explain how outdoor mushroom cultivation not only yields delicious, nutrient-rich, sometimes perennial-like harvests but also enhances soil health, boosts microbial activity, and supports companion plants. Attendees will gain step-by-step experience inoculating their own substrate and understanding the life cycle of fungi. Each participant will prepare a take-home mushroom starter setup, ready to establish a thriving outdoor mushroom bed.

Class is on Saturday, July 25, 2026  8:30am - 10:30am - Council Bluffs Campus 
Chickens are one of the most versatile and productive additions to any backyard. In this class, you’ll learn everything you need to get started—from selecting breeds and setting up coops to feeding, health care, and egg production. We’ll also go beyond the basics, exploring how chickens contribute to soil fertility, pest control, and overall system resilience. Whether you’re raising a few hens for eggs or looking to expand into meat birds and small-scale sales, this class will give you the knowledge and confidence to do it right.

Class is on Saturday, September 5, 2026  8:30am - 10:30am - Council Bluffs Campus 
The key to making the most of small acreage—or even a backyard—is stacking functions and income streams. This class dives into the concept of crop stacking: growing multiple crops in succession, combination, or shared space to maximize yield and efficiency. We’ll cover examples like pairing perennials with annuals, integrating mushrooms, using livestock for fertility, and creating overlapping harvest windows. You’ll learn how to design systems that produce continuously throughout the season while building soil health and reducing inputs. By the end, you’ll understand how to turn one growing space into multiple layers of productivity and income.

Class is Saturday, September 19, 2026  8:30am - 10:30am - Council Bluffs Campus 
Rabbits are one of the most efficient and overlooked livestock options for small-scale and backyard production. In this class, you’ll learn how rabbits can provide a reliable source of high-quality meat, valuable manure for gardening, and an additional income stream—all within a compact footprint. We’ll cover housing, feeding, breeding basics, and humane care practices, along with how to integrate rabbits into a broader garden or farm system. This is an ideal class for anyone looking to increase productivity and sustainability without needing more land.

This entire 5-class series is offered at a discounted rate. Series starts Saturday, June 27 and continues through September 19. All classes held at the Council Bluffs Campus, 8:30–10:30 AM. Ready to turn your backyard into a productive, resilient system? This series covers everything you need to design, grow, and profit from the space you already have. From laying out a smart backyard plan to raising chickens and rabbits, growing high-value crops, and building real income streams, each class stands on its own while building toward a complete picture of backyard self-sufficiency. 

Designing Your Own Self-Sufficient Backyard — 06/27/26, Earning an Income with Urban Farming — 07/11/26, Raising Chickens in the Backyard, The Basics & Beyond — 07/25/26, Sustainable Income & Crop Stacking Strategies — 09/05/26, The Benefits of Raising Rabbits — 09/19/26