Natali Steinberg will teach gardening from seed in a 2-part class at PEEC. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

While it may seem early to start thinking about summer gardening, now is the perfect time to begin planting seeds indoors, which will extend the growing season.

In a two-part class at the Los Alamos Nature Center, Natali Steinberg will teach everything needed to start growing veggies and annuals from seed. The class meets 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 21 and March 13.

These classes will teach how to read a seed catalog and seed packet, equipment needed to start seeds indoors, how to transplant successfully into the garden, and how to start some veggies directly in the garden. There will be a lot of handouts and demonstrations, but no seed planting during class.

Steinberg has taught this class for 20 years at a nursery/greenhouse in Boulder. She had a large vegetable garden on her farm, and she sold produce at the Boulder Farmers Market. Steinberg also raised and sold bedding plants.

The cost is $40 for both sessions. Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) members can take the classes for a discounted rate of $32 for both. Advance registration is required. To register or learn more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email programs@peecnature.org or call 505.662.0460.

PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.