Each spring and fall, SweetSong Groves offers a 3-hour class in fruit tree horticulture. It is a complete introduction, for both beginning and intermediate growers. The emphasis is on non-toxic, ecologically based methods. Topics include:

--the seven basic horticultural concerns
--grafted trees --- why you (usually) want one
--how to plant--fertilization and irrigation
--how to prune
--how to buy a tree
--diseases and insect pests
--fruit tree clubs

The topics are illustrated in a hands-on fashion in SweetSong's groves. The instructor is Darryl McCullough, an officer in the Manatee Rare Fruit Council, and owner of SweetSong Groves LLC, which grows, markets and donates fresh ecologically grown fruit in the Sarasota-Bradenton area.

Information for participants can be found at Fruit Tree Paradise Workshops. In particular, the current version of the workshop notes is free and is available at that page, along with a spreadsheet of very basic information about the more common local species.

Proceeds from the workshop are donated to the local nonprofit Sunshine Community Harvest. Students and those in financial stress may take the class at reduced cost.