CLASSES, Tours events

Questions? Call Gil Schieber 206-679-6576
Donations gracefully accepted.
VENMO to above or this link

Tours are best performed weekdays Monday to Wednesday.

Groups larger than 40 will require splitting and 2 sessions/group fees.

Cider press inclusion-add $40; bring mugs and jugs. For $1 we have virgin half gallon plastic bottles.

In addition bring your reused bags and baskets for taking produce home.

CLASSES, TOURS EVENTS

Questions? Call Gil Schieber 206-679-6576
Donations gracefully accepted.
VENMO to above or this link

Tours are best performed weekdays.

Groups larger than 40 will require splitting and 2 sessions/group fees.

Cider press inclusion-add $50, bring mugs and jugs to help reduce waste in addition to your reused bags and baskets for taking produce home.

Classes, Tours, Events:

Farm Tours

One hour or more. Organized and audience-specific for an unforgettable experience. Measured, engaging, inspirational. With motivational leaders-Gil Schieber, Horticulturist extraordinaire, aspires to see more food gardening and through this he’s become a maestro in gathering plants that influence and shape our village. Justin, a seasoned young farmer brings the “farm to the table” with enthusiasm and love for the next of kin, those up and coming young farmers. You may pay online with paypal, venmo, zelle or at the farm with cash, check

Rates:(Applied as ‘hourly’)

“Youth”  means 3 to 18 year old

Groups <12 persons: $75 minimum; $25 group fee+$7 per youth, $10 adults

Groups 13-24 persons:

$35 group fee   +$6 per youth, $9 adults

Groups >25 persons:

$45 group fee  +$5 per youth, $8 adults

Please call/text Gil first to confirm/ inquire 206-679-6576

or Venmo/Zelle

Cash or check at the farm or postage.

Cider making ($50 addon): bring (small) bottles for the children-and we have tasting cups; it takes ~12 pounds of apples to press a gallon of juice;  all Cider on the farm is pressed from ‘drops’ as ‘the ground is cleaner than your hands’; groups pick up apples in the tour and we wash and press the apples; cider is $0.15/Oz in own containers ($9.60/half gal)~$0.19/Oz in our containers ($12/half gal).

 We have baskets to pick into; for taking fruit home-bring containers (recycle!); parking can be a bit muddy-wear boots if it recently rained; depending on number of cars we will have you back in between a grape and apple row;

    Beautiful apples this year with good volume so no worries; Apple eating challenge!>>latest research on apple consumption is 2 apples per day over 2 weeks (10# to 12# per person), skin included, repairs gut biome; apples easily store 2 months+; ~49 apple varieties to taste; apple price is $4 with generous price breaks at 10#, 20#, 40# and 100#, $3.50, $3.00, $2.50, $2.00 respectively -pricing per transaction.

   Payment in cash is preferred- and by check, Venmo, Zelle, cashapp, paypal payment types in that order, no cards.

What is the name of your group?

Horticulture Classes

Garden Design- 4TH Saturdays 10-12PM ongoing  $65 pp

Edible Landscape Design– bring your (to-scale, or rough) plot plan, soil sample; learn about fruit – best varieties for NW climates, soils, drought tolerance and adaption to your site. This class is for the Food/garden enthusiast where growing your own, providing for yourself wants to come naturally.

Topics covered:

Developing your plan, drawing, layout, tools, techniques, soils, organics (fertility, pests), pruning, training, water systems, varieties.

Gil is a practicing subsistence gardener experimenting with hundreds of varieties of edibles for resilience. He has grown over 5000 ornamentals and edibles over 40 years. Our Western Washington region grows the most diverse species of plants more easily than anywhere in the country! Come learn what you can grow in your garden without failure.

CLASSES OUTSIDE!  

Edible/ornamental Plant Propagation:

April through October, 2nd Tuesday 10AM-Noon

$25pp. Learn to make cuttings and take home a “cutting box” with propagules included. Setting up your nursery like a “kitchen garden” is a keystone for launching a new planting site without spending your ‘nest egg’. I collect plant starts, cuttings/propagules and ‘nurse’ these in a close sheltered location outside or in a lighted, damp-proof room. East oriented walls or shaded west/south, a corner of the garden for ease of management and controlling environmental conditions like soil, light, moisture, pests. 

Planning and Planting Workshop

4th Tuesdays March-October 5 to 7 PM

Thinking about starting your own home orchard? Or even just thought about planting a tree or two? The Planning and Planting Workshop is a great way to begin. Learn about site selection, soil preparation and get the tools you need to start the planning process successfully. Gil Schieber, Master of Horticulture at Skipley Farm will present a comprehensive workshop on planning, managing and cultivating the home orchard. A tour of Skipley Farm Orchards will demonstrate environments and plants. call or text Gil @ 206-679-6576

Apple Grafting

Call/Text Gil to schedule: 206-679-6576

2nd Saturdays February-August

Add-on Collecting ‘scionwood’. JAN-March I will be out in the field collecting scionwood from 80 different varieties. You may join me and make your own collections and learn to look for quality and disease. $10 +$3/scion.

$125=class+10 trees, $200/couple=class+20 trees

4 hours. 10-2PM: Here we make 10+ trees; learn about NW fruits, also talking points on how to grow, train, espalier, basic organic methods, care and management; make more grafted trees for your home or farm @ $3 each. All class supplies provided; additional supplies available for purchase.

Dwarf apple trees can be planted 1-3 feet apart, in a row, or a circle, on a fence, along a wall or around your garden… think “fence”…around a fire pit, a semi-circle-edge of a patio or garden-surround.

Top scab-free Apples:

Williams Pride, Wynoochee Early, Pristine, Sansa, Alkmene, Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp, Fortune, Fiesta, Liberty,  Zabergau Reinette, Crimson Crisp, Crimson Topaz, Belle de Boskoop, Dayton, Hawaii, Freyburg,

Enterprise, Cosmic Crisp, Goldrush

#2 list >more flavor/more trouble or disease-prone (but still worth-it!) Jonagold, Zestar!, Ashmead’s Kernal, Melrose, Akane, Elstar, Sweet 16, Macoun, Karmijn de Sonneville, September Wonder, Zestar!, Mutsu, Holstein, Arkansas Black, Adams Pearmain, Blue Pearmain, Suncrisp, Spitzenburg, Tsugaru, Hatsuaki, Claygate Pearmain, Ohh, but so many more!