Events + Classes
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Each season we partner with local experts, chefs, and nonprofits to offer free gardening, cooking, art, and environmental science classes to the public. The classes are held in the garden and registration is usually required for each one. The links to register are made available a week or so before each class begins. You can join our mailing list to get a one-day head start on registration, since they often fill up very quickly. The classes are free, but donations are greatly appreciated!
Sponsor or Teach a Class
Our guest instructors are funded by grants and donations from the community. If you would like to sponsor a class or teach one, let us know! We are interested in topics around organic gardening, cooking, nature, art, and renewable energy.
Interested in teaching a class? Send us an email at info@sharkgarden.org.
Washington Bonsai Swap Meet
We are hosting the first annual Washington Bonsai Swap Meet in the garden! It is free to the public, though vendors will be encouraged to make a donation to the garden for hosting. It’ll be BUY, SELL, & TRADE at this event. If you are interesting in reserving a space to sell or trade, please contact Ben at benbseattle@yahool.com, space is limited. Join us to check out the bonsai hobby in this family friendly event.
West Seattle Garden Tour
West Seattle Garden Tour: They are helping fund our new Tropical Garden this year through last year’s ticket proceeds. Each year, the proceeds turn into grants for organizations like us. I’ll be stationed at one of the gardens this year to talk to folks about the Shark Garden. Join the tour and come by to say HI! Tickets and information here: https://www.westseattlegardentour.org/
Free Class: Spanish Cooking: Paella & Salad with Chef Joe Baley
Inspired by our new Mediterranean Foods Garden, Chef Joe Baley will come and teach us how to make paella and a Spanish salad from the garden in this cooking demonstration and tasting. The link to register will be here soon.
Free Class: Sun Printing with Cyano-type Paper
Learn how to make botanical sun prints with special cyano-type paper. Bring some items from home to print or print some plants and flowers from the garden. Our instructor Gabee will help guide the process in this family friendly class. If the sun isn’t out, we’ll have an art collage activity instead with seed catalogs. Link to register will be here soon.
Free Class: Garden Mocktails with Angel
Learn how to make your own garden mocktails with Angel from Eden Hill Restaurant. She’ll show us a few fun recipes and how to make your own flavored syrups and shrubs to design your own flavors. The link to register will appear here in July.
Free Class: Painted Rock Mandalas with Adam
Join us for a family friendly art class with Adam New-Waterson as we paint rocks with mandalas and other fun designs! Take your rock home or hide it in the Shark Garden! The link to register will appear here in July.
Free Class: Organic Weed Control with Marianne Binettiti
Weed Wars – Winning the Battle Without Chemical Warfare
During this entertaining class, you will learn that there are many ways to control unwanted plants in your garden without resorting to herbicide sprays. Mulches, ground covers, hand tools, and native plants are just some of the ideas that will be covered in a lighthearted and fun way of looking at volunteer plants. You’ll learn about plants that you shouldn’t plant, weeds you should learn to love, and weeds that are so noxious they need to be removed immediately. The goal is to arm the gardener with different ideas, tools, and attitudes about those unwanted weeds in your outdoor space. The link to register will appear here in July.
Free Class: DIY Herbal Skin Care with Adam
Curious about how to make your own herbal skin care products? Our instructor Adam New-Waterson will show us how to make herb infused oils that can be turned into salves and balms etc. Take a salve home that we make in class. Link to register will be here in July.
Free Class: Make Pine Cone Bird Feeders
In this kids’ art class, our instructor Gabee will show us how to make bird feeders out of pine cones! It could be messy, but the birds don’t mind! The link to register will appear here in July.
Free Class: Foraging for Native Plants with Jo
Interested in foraging in the PNW? Join us for this intro to foraging class with Jo from Nobody Nursery (rare native plants) in Des Moines. Jo will walk us through the Native Plant Garden in the Shark Garden and discuss some of the edible plants in our collection. Our collection has over 50 species, so we’ll just cover some of the more common ones. The link to register will appear here in late July.
Free Class: African American Recipes from the Garden with Chef Jalissa
Chef Jalissa Horton returns to teach us more African American recipes with veggie forward ingredients from the garden. Recipes still TBD, but they will be tasty in this cooking demonstration and tasting class. The link to register will appear here in late July.
Free Class: Knife Skills 101 with Chef David Glass
Chef David Glass (chef for the Seattle Sounders) returns to teach us all about knife skills from which knives are used for which tasks to how to cut up a wide variety of produce. This class is really fun and helpful for home cooks! The link to register will appear here in early August.
Free Class: Botanical Shadow Painting
In this family friendly art class, our instructor Gabee will show us how to trace the shadows of plants and then paint them in. If the sun isn’t out, we’ll have an art collage activity instead with seed catalogs. The link to register will appear here in early August.
Free Class: Intro to Asian Vegetables with Dao & Alex
Curious about all those interesting Asian vegetables that you see at the store or in your favorite dishes? Learn about a bunch of them and how they are used in various Asian cultures with our instructors Dao and Alex. Get to taste some of the veggies too! The link to register will appear here in early August.
Free Class: Filipino Cooking with Chef Joe Baley
Learn about Filipino cooking with Chef Joe Baley. He’ll pick out a few veggie forward recipes to celebrate garden ingredients in the cooking demo and tasting. The link to register will appear here in early August.
Free Class: Leaf Printing with Gabee
In this kid-friendly art class, we’ll be making art by printing leaves on paper with paint. Our instructor Gabee will lead the way and you can take home a piece of your botanical artwork. The link to register will appear here in August.
Free Class: Fermentation 101 with Chef David Glass
Curious about fermentation? Chef David Glass returns to teach us the basics as he shows us how to make a basic sauerkraut, a fermented salsa, and fermented veggies. We’ll have a kim chi too, if time allows and lots of things to taste. The link to register will appear here in September.
Free Class: DIY Herbal Medicinal Teas
Learn how to make your own medicinal teas from the garden with expert Nicole Telkes from the Bastyr University herbal medicine program. Nicole runs the gardens at Bastyr and she’ll be showing us some recipes for herbal teas to keep us healthy this fall. The link to register will appear here in September.
Free Class: Easy Peasy Edibles: Growing a Food Forest with Jessi Bloom
Easy Peasy Edibles: Growing a Food Forest
Do you want to grow your own food but find it is too much work and takes too much time? Learn basic permaculture concepts that employ design strategies from nature, so you can grow easy peasy edibles which are low maintenance, resilient and sustainable. Plant and enjoy the harvest from your edible landscape for years to come! Our instructor, Jessi Bloom, is a local author and landscape designer expert in sustainable gardens. The link to register will appear here in late September.
Bug Bio-Blast!
This is our new Bug Bio-Blast event! During this event, we will be trying to document as many insect species (and birds etc.) as possible in the garden. We will start with a little talk and training to explain how to photograph and upload photos to the iNaturalist app for our location. Experts will be on hand to also help identify cool bugs we find. We are partnering with the Washington Native Bee Association and other local bug enthusiasts for this family friendly event. No registration required. Just bring a smart phone along, so you can install the iNaturalist app. Please come for the intro training session at the beginning to get started. Join us for some citizen science! Questions? info@sharkgarden.org
Free Class: Beekeeiping 101
Curious if beekeeping is right for you? What all is involved? Come and find out with the Shark Garden beekeepers Gabby and Devon of Above & Below Bee & Garden Services. They’ll go over all the considerations, costs, gear, and time requirements to get started. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-intro-to-beekeeping-tickets-1382697408169?aff=oddtdtcreator
Stick around after this class for our Bug BioBlitz event (1-4 PM) when we’ll be learning about and photographing native pollinators as well!
Free Class: DIY Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
Learn how to make Vietnamese fresh rolls with home cook, Tam Nguyen. Make fresh, healthy rolls with garden fresh ingredients. This is a cooking demonstration with tasting and hopefully time for you to try your hand and making some too. Tam will go over ingredients and where to find them too. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-make-your-own-vietnamese-fresh-rolls-tickets-1382713606619?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Native Plants, Combining Beauty with Water Conservation
Native Plants: Combining Beauty with Water Conservation
Enjoy beauty sustainably with Northwest natives. Naturally suited to our wet winter/dry summer climate, discover these low-maintenance, water-saving wonders. Peggy Campbell shares sun-loving and shad-preferring favorites, how to match them to your garden spots, and tips for fuss-free gardening. We’ll be seeing examples of the plants in the Shark Garden Native Plant Garden along the way. This class is made possible by the Saving Water Partnership and Water District 20. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-native-plants-combining-beauty-with-water-conservation-tickets-1382683265869?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Drip Irrigation for Home Gardeners
Drip Irrigation for Home Gardeners
Learn how easy it is to water your garden with water-efficient drip irrigation! Even though our Pacific Northwest maritime climate is known for its rain, our summers are not. We still need to water our crops, thirsty ornamentals, and container gardens. Be smart with your resources and learn how to maximize the water you use in your landscape. Instructor Chris Hoffer from Seattle Tilth Alliance will take us through how to get started. This class is made possible by the Saving Water Partnership and Water District 20. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-drip-irrigation-made-easy-tickets-1382680337109?aff=oddtdtcreator
Burien Garden Tour
This year, we will be a stop on the new Burien Garden Tour! If you have tickets to the tour, we will be one of the stops on the tour. If you just want to come by to visit us this day, we will also have our summer plant sale going on and other interesting booths to visit. Our summer plant sale will include summer crop veggie starts like: beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, gourds, herbs, kale, okra, peppers, perennial vegetables, squash, squash, and tomatoes. Nobody Nursery will also be there selling interesting native plants. The Master Gardeners and the Garden Hotline will also be on site to answer your gardening questions. For tickets to the tour click here: https://www.discoverburien.org/events-calendar/2025/5/31/burien-garden-tour or scan the QR code in this event’s listing here, the tour is $20 for advanced tickets and $25 the week before. Proceeds go towards botanical beautification projects in downtown Burien. If you just want to visit us, swing by, do some plant shopping, and join the fun. If you’d like to volunteer with us, you can get a free garden tour ticket, so contact Taryn at info@sharkgarden.org to sign up for that.
Free Workshop: Thinning & Netting Fruit Trees
Did you know that netting your fruit trees can prevent your fruit from getting worms and pest damage? Thinning your fruit before you net them can also improve the quality of your harvest! Join us for a free workshop to learn about doing this with our friends from City Fruit. We'll be thinning fruit in the Shark Garden orchard and then adding nets to the apple & pear trees. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-workshop-thinning-netting-fruit-trees-tickets-1348861845089?aff=oddtdtcreator
Notes:
The ground in the orchard is uneven, so those with accessibility concerns may have difficulty participating in this class.
Our p-patch gardeners can count this class towards their volunteer hours.
Free Class: Painting Bumble Bees, Art in the Garden
(Family Friendly) Paint in the garden while learning the fundamentals of painting, color theory, basic bumble bee biology! Our beekeeper, Gabee, will be showing us how to paint bumblebees while she teaches us about their biology and importance to gardens. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-painting-bumblebees-tickets-1357842506489?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Grow Your Own First Aid Garden
Did you know that you can grow your own herbal medicines? Nicole Telkes runs the medicinal plants garden at Bastyr University and she’s returning to talk about the plants we’ll have in our new First Aid Garden. Learn how to grow your own first aid garden with perennial medicinal herbs. We’ll look at around ten great plants to build your own backyard pharmacy.. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-first-aid-garden-plants-tickets-1357828645029?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Foraging & Cooking with Weeds
Did you know that a lot of the “weeds” in your garden are edible and even tasty? Instructor Cheryl Wheeler will teach us all about them an you’ll get to taste a few recipes too! Cheryl is an expert forager who works at the University of Washington as their Director of International Specialized Programs and also helps UW students in urban agriculture programs like the UW Farm. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-froaging-cooking-weeds-with-cheryl-wheeler-tickets-1357783710629?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Small Space Food Gardening/ Container Gardening
Small Space Food Gardening
Grow your own healthy, organic food in small spaces suited to your landscape. Container gardening is great for beginners, apartment dwellers, and anyone looking to add extra space or variety to their garden. You will learn how to grow herbs, small fruits, and summer veggies. This class also reviews how to choose the right container, where to put it, soil preparation, and maintenance. Our instructor is Marni Sorin from Seattle Tilth Alliance. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-small-space-food-gardening-tickets-1349050669869?aff=oddtdtcreator
Pollinator Program Volunteer Session
Each Thursday evening from 5:30 til 7:30, we have a Pollinator Program run by our beekeepers Gabby & Devin. Volunteers can learn beekeeping while checking on our hive and then they will be working on other pollinator projects, tending our Pollinator Garden, and documenting native pollinators. They may also start propagating pollinator plants.
To join, just drop by and sign in. Please note: calm children only, so as not to upset the bees with loud noises and movements. Bees are Zen.
Free Class:Incredible Edibles with Alex Soleil
Incredible Edibles: Grow Your Own!
Growing your own food is fun and delicious! It can be a great way to connect with nature and enjoy healthy, organic produce that is good for you and the environment. In this class, we’ll go over the basics of organic vegetable gardening and share tips for how to get an abundant harvest while also conserving water. Our instructor is Alex Soleil from Seattle Tilth Alliance. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1326123132989?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Grow Your Own Mushrooms
Interested in growing your own mushrooms? Jake Harris from Stone Soup Gardens returns to teach this popular class about foraging and growing mushrooms. Emphasis is on growing your own with several methods in this spring class. We’ll look at Wine Caps, Oysters, and probably Shitake Mushrooms especially. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-grow-your-own-mushrooms-tickets-1326117084899?aff=oddtdtcreator
Spring Open House & Plant Sale
Our annual Spring Open House is when we have a little fundraiser plant & jellies sale and welcome our partners to come and set up tables to talk about their work and services. This year, the Department of Ecology will also be offering free instant soil tests during the event, so bring a cup of soil from home. The plant sale will include spring vegetables like: Bok Choy & Asian Greens, Kales, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Peas, Spinach, and Swiss Chard. (Warmer weather crops will be at our second sale on May 31st. ) Our friends from Wanderlust Nursery and Nobody Nursery (rare native plants) will also be selling interesting edible plants. The Master Gardeners will be there to answer your questions too. Join us to welcome spring to the garden!
Free Class:Compost and Amendments the Natural Way
Just like us, gardens need food to thrive, and the best nutrition feeds both plants and the soil. Compost and organic amendments in the garden are the tried-and-true way to do this but cover crops and garden residues also offer valuable nourishment. This class explores how to best use compost, amendments, and so-called garden “waste” to meet the nutritional needs of your soil and your plants. We’ll cover tips for building better compost, the pros and cons of organic materials in your own backyard, and natural solutions to maximize garden nourishment. Our instructor is Ea Murphy, author of Building Soil: A down to earth approach. She is also a soil and garden consultant with her company Dirt Secrets.
Register here for 24 available slots: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-compost-amerndments-the-natural-way-with-ea-murphy-tickets-1303611319549?aff=oddtdtcreator
This class is made possible by the Seattle Water Saving Partnership and Water District 20.
Free Class: Winter Pruning Fruit Trees
Learn how to improve your fruit harvest through pruning! We’re excited to have expert Ingela Wanerstrand join us to teach us how. Ingela works with Edmonds College Horticulture Program and Plant Amnesty as well as her own company. We’ll be looking at apples, pears, figs, and more in the Shark Garden orchard. Space is limited to 25, so register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-winter-pruning-fruit-trees-tickets-1271760703499?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Intro to Berry & Vine Pruning
Did you know that you can improve your harvest through pruning? Join us to learn how to prune berries and fruiting vines (kiwis and grapes) with Jeff Oliver from City Fruit. We’ll be looking at raspberries and blackberries, blueberries, currants, elderberries, kiwis, and grapes. Jeff will explain basic pruning techniques and demonstrate on the various berries and vines in the Shark Garden. Space is limited, so register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-intro-to-berry-vine-pruning-tickets-1271752488929?aff=oddtdtcreator
Shark Garden Holiday Sale Fundraiser
We're having a holiday fundraiser sale! We're going to set up tents right in the parking lot for easy access too! Come stock up on holiday gifts and goodies from the garden and our talented volunteers! This sale will have jams, jellies, pickles, sauces, salsas, herb salts, gin kits, herbal skin care, and jewelry. All proceeds go to support garden programs and projects next season! Join us! There's lots of free parking in the school lot. The address is 614 SW 120th St. Burien, WA. or search for the Shark Garden.
Volunteers will be needed to help with this event for set up, helping folks shop, and take down. Volunteers get to shop early before the sale starts!
Volunteer Work Party
Join us for our weekly Wednesday volunteer party. We’re working on getting the food bank garden ready for winter, doing some harvesting, and planting cover crops. Get some fresh air away from politics! As we go into winter the Wednesday volunteer sessions will depend on the weather.
Election Day Volunteer Party
Join us for a couple hours to get away from the election politics! We’re going to be working on some fall clean up in the food bank gardens, processing tomatoes, planting cover crops, and not talking about politics! Come get some fresh air and join community. :) If you’d like some green tomatoes, bring a container to take some home! We’re going to be getting a donation of about 50 pounds of them around 11 am!
Holiday Pop Up Sale (Fundraiser)
IF the weather cooperates, we’re going to have a little holiday sale with more jams, jellies, herbs, and jewelry etc. after our mushrooms class on this Saturday. We’ll watch the weather and hope for the best, so stay tuned! Volunteers may be needed to help. It’s a great opportunity to pick up some holiday gifts and support the garden! :)
Free Class: Farming & Foraging Mushrooms with Jake Harris
Jake Harris from Stone Soup Gardens will be back to talk about fall mushroom foraging and growing your own mushrooms at home with a variety of methods. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-farming-foraging-mushrooms-tickets-1035393278167?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free Class: Perma-what? Permaculture Basics with Jessi Bloom
Garden expert Jessi Bloom will give us an introduction to Permaculture and explain how you can use its principals in your own garden. This class will be an introduction to the principles of Permaculture, a philosophy that combines perennial food crops with design systems that benefit both people and the environment.
Jessi Bloom is a best-selling author, award-winning ecological landscape designer, and speaker. She is the owner of N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Services, based near Seattle, which is known as an innovator and leader in the field of Permaculture, sustainable landscape design, construction and land management.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-perma-what-designing-your-own-permaculture-paradise-tickets-1024308031897?aff=oddtdtcreator
Apple Cider Pressing!
Join us for some family fun pressing apple cider from our orchard. We’ll pick the apples, sort them and wash them for the food bank, and then make cider with the ones that aren’t quite perfect. We have a new hand crank cider press that folks can take turns on. You can also bring apples from home to press and containers to take some cider home in. Join us!
Volunteer Work Party!
Join other volunteers from the Time Bank to work in the garden. There will be weeding and mulching to do, most likely in the Fig Forest and Berry Patch areas. Grace Still will be leading this party, so sign in with her when you arrive. 😊
Free Class: Fermentation 101
Curious about fermented foods? In one of our most popular classes, Chef David Glass will teach us some fermenting basics in this cooking demonstration class. We’ll look at a basic sauerkraut, a salsa, and some fermented veggies. We’ll get to taste a variety of ferments as well. Chef Glass is currently one of the chefs for the Seattle Sounders. He previously worked at our restaurant partner Eden Hill Restaurant and a variety of other amazing fine dining restaurants. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-fermentation-101-with-chef-david-glass-tickets-1004857845867
Free Class: Winterizing Garden Chores to Make Your Spring Easier
Learn how to winterize your garden this fall, so that your spring garden is easier to deal with. Sustainable gardening expert Ladd Smith will teach us tips and tricks on how to prepare for winter. Ladd is one of the owners of In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes in Kent, a leader in eco-friendly garden design. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-winterizing-your-garden-with-ladd-smith-tickets-1004856572057
Free Class: Herbal Teas 101
Learn how to make some healing herbal teas from your garden. Nicole Telkes from Bastyr University will be teaching us this class. Nicole runs the garden at the university for their herbal medicine programs. Participants will have a chance to bring some tea home with them. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-medicinal-herbal-teas-with-nicole-telkes-tickets-1004854706477
Fall Open House and Bake Sale Fundraiser
Our annual fundraiser bake sale and open house. Join us for gourmet goodies from the garden, from jams and jellies from our vast berry collection to herb salts and baked goods. Help support our programs and get some early holiday shopping in!
Volunteers are need to make things for the sale, help set up and take down, and help folks shop. Contact us to help out!