Category: Outdoors

Welcome Our New Gardener, Jason Ebinger

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Gardener, Jason Ebinger! Jason has an extensive history managing farm and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Folk School. We look forward to seeing how the garden flourishes this year. Read more to learn about Jason and his goals in this position.

Read More

Into the Blue: Indigo Plant Dye Powder Extraction Study by Sally Blankenship

I find joy in the color blue… more specifically, I find joy in dyeing with indigo. Each time I pull a piece out of my dye vat, I am in awe of the magical transformation. Like many avocational dyers, I order my natural, processed powdered indigo for my dye vats from a supplier. Then I learned that indigo can be grown in this region, and that one type, Japanese indigo, grows especially well here. How wonderful to learn that Farmer Teddy, the Folk School gardener, was planning to grow indigo in the school’s new dye garden for upcoming classes.

Read More

Farmer Teddy Talks About Melons

Hang out with Farmer Teddy in the Folk School melon patch and learn about cantaloupes. Learn about harvesting and how to look for the indications of a ripe melon.

Read More

Sweet Corn Talk

It’s time to harvest sweet corn in the Folk School garden. Come along with Farmer Teddy as he shows the best way to pull corn.

Read More

A Look at Our Dye Garden

Welcome to the new Folk School Dye Garden. Natural dye comes from the leaves, flowers, or roots of plants. In this video, we will take a look at Nankeen cotton, indigo, coreopsis, yarrow, French marigolds, madder, chamomile, and purple gromwell.

Read More

Martha Owen on Natural Dyeing with Marigolds

Martha Owen stands in front of our new dye garden, one of the many projects Farmer Teddy is currently working on in the Folk School Garden. Come along as Martha describes the process of using marigold flowers from the Folk School garden for dyeing in the video below:

Read More

Late June Tour of the Folk School Garden

Enjoy a full tour of the late June Folk School Garden. The tour includes a look at butternut squash, cantaloupe, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, grain corn, sweetcorn, pumpkins, gourds, basil, strawberries, and our cut flower garden.

Read More

Succession Planting: Squash & Zucchini

Join us for a video about succession planting in the Folk School Garden. Farmer Teddy takes a look at our squash and zucchini beds and identifies how our plants inevitably develop wear and tear. Learn how to keep your crop coming with succession planting.

Read More

Colors from the Garden: An Interview with Catharine Ellis

Catharine Ellis is an internationally acclaimed textile artist who is well-known for developing the technique of woven shibori. Specializing in both weaving and dyeing, she has also done extensive research and experimentation with natural dyes. Enjoy our interview!

Read More

Farmer Teddy Discusses Companion Planting

Curious about companion gardening? Can you guess what the main purpose of a cover crop is? Watch Farmer’s Teddy’s latest garden video to find out! Take a look at a section of the Folk School Garden and hear about the benefits of interplanting and companion planting.

Read More

Tips for a Late Freeze in the Garden

A May Mother’s Day frost is late for our region. When temperatures get down to below freezing, learn what I do in the Folk School Garden to prevent damage and to protect the young plants. Also, stay tuned to the end of the video to see my tips for your home gardens.

Read More

Shearing Day at Martha’s Farm & A Prize for All

The days have pushed themselves along since the birth of our three brave lambs born to “Robin” on March 6th. When they arrived, I did not call them anything much. I just looked at them, noted their shape and health and desire to eat, and thought, Those three, they are the ones without names!

Read More

Late April Garden Tour

Enjoy a tour of the late April Folk School Garden. The tour includes a look at early cucumbers, melons, zuchinni, and summer squash. We are still harvesting salad greens and the beets are almost ready to pull up too. The tomatoes are planted and strawberries are just turning from pink to red. We are still using some hoops to cover some of the crops on chilly nights. The new cut flower section is looking good with early cosmos, zinnia, and snapdragon starts.

Read More
  • 1
  • 2

Our new website is live and this blog has moved to folkschool.org/stories

Please visit and bookmark the News & Stories page as all new content will appear over there and blog.folkschool.org will soon head to the archives. We’ll continue to bring you tales about the Folk School experience from the perspective of teachers and students, along with the latest news from our staff and Resident Artists. We’re in the process of transferring our blog archive over to the new website, but there are plenty of interviews and anecdotes to dive into today.

Current Catalog

Embrace your creative potential, and join us for a life-changing Folk School experience. Our new January–December 2022 Catalog is now available. View the eCatalog online. To receive a printed catalog in the mail, complete our Request a Catalog form on our website.

Online Craft Shop

Our online Craft Shop is now live! Support our vision, mission, and values by purchasing handcrafted items. Our online selection of items will continue to grow, so check back regularly for new items, interviews and more.

Class Subjects

Our new website is live and this blog has moved to folkschool.org/stories

Please visit and bookmark the News & Stories page as all new content will appear over there and blog.folkschool.org will soon head to the archives. We’ll continue to bring you tales about the Folk School experience from the perspective of teachers and students, along with the latest news from our staff and Resident Artists. We’re in the process of transferring our blog archive over to the new website, but there are plenty of interviews and anecdotes to dive into today.

Current Catalog

Embrace your creative potential, and join us for a life-changing Folk School experience. Our new January–December 2022 Catalog is now available. View the eCatalog online. To receive a printed catalog in the mail, complete our Request a Catalog form on our website.

Online Craft Shop

Our online Craft Shop is now live! Support our vision, mission, and values by purchasing handcrafted items. Our online selection of items will continue to grow, so check back regularly for new items, interviews and more.