FARM Davis, a nonprofit agricultural collective, is hosting “A Day at FARM 2.6″ starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.

City dwellers and country folk alike are invited to join workshops like an orchard planting with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, fruit tree pruning with the Yolo County Master Gardeners, beehive building, fiber and dye garden building with the Davis Fibers Collective.

“After all of the hard work is done, we’ll be kicking up some dirt with our boots during a barn dance with Erik Hoffman of the Hoes Down Festival,” a news release said.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is on County Road 95 across from the Yolo County Airport, about a half-mile north of Covell Boulevard (County Road 31). For more information, visit www.thinkdiscussact.org.

The community and student agricultural collaborative FARM started work in Central Davis on Halloween 2009 when 19 students and community members gathered at 808 K St. to transform a neglected front lawn into a 1,600-square foot organic vegetable and herb farm.

Collectively, they decided it would operate on a gift economy: All produce would be given away.

All FARM (Future Action Reclamation Mob) groups donate half of their harvests to local low-income and homeless food agencies, while the other half is shared among the FARMers.

Since January 2010, the K Street FARM has donated more than 1,300 pounds of food to the César Chávez Plaza community on Olive Drive, an apartment complex housing low-income and formerly homeless residents of Davis.

“The FARM 2.6 (a nod to the acreage size of the land) project is a fusion of design, food production, community building and education,” said Robyn Waxman, a Sacramento City College professor of design and founder of the FARM project. “It’s an attempt to engage the community in re-imagining our relationships to food, to land, and to each other.”

* Artful Fence Building, 11 a.m.: A fence is designed to enclose space, but beyond the basic form of a barrier what does a fence mean? In this workshop, we will use power tools, and found objects and materials to collectively turn the existing outer fence at FARM 2.6 into an expression of FARM itself.

* Irrigation (orchard), 11 a.m.: During this hands-on workshop you will learn about the issues of irrigating a large area. Topics include transporting water underground, drip tape, emitters, gallons per minute, and pressure reducers.

* Fruit Tree Planting, all day: Sacramento Tree Foundation will lead an educational tree planting activity where participants will learn how to properly plant a fruit tree and experience each step first-hand. From digging the hole to proper staking techniques, participants will plant a new orchard of 40 fruit trees and become lifelong tree stewards.

* Fiber and Dye Garden, all day: Grow your own clothes with the Davis Fibers Collective. We will be planting flax (which makes linen) and a number of native species that create colorful dyes.

* Fruit Tree Pruning, noon: Following a presentation on pruning techniques with a Yolo County Master Gardener, small groups will get snipping with some hands-on experience in FARM 2.6’s mature orchard.

* Orchard Sign Painting, noon: Make your mark and paint beautiful and fun wooden signs for the orchard. Every tree deserves a name!

* Top Bar Beehives, 1 p.m.: Used by beekeepers throughout the world, a top bar hive requires minimal materials, allows bees to draw their comb out naturally, minimizes disturbing bees when inspecting a hive and is lightweight. Learn about bees and how to build a top bar hive.

* Wool Spinning, 1 p.m.: Spindle spinning has been part of human history for thousands of years. Find out how to make yarn on a spindle made from everyday materials (dowels, cup hooks, recycled CDs). There also will be a demonstration of spinning on a wheel.

* Compost Building, 2 p.m.: Learn to transform your yard clippings and kitchen scraps into a three-phase, layered compost system modeled after the Ecological Garden at UC Davis.

* Wildlife Habitat Stations, 2 p.m.: This workshop will introduce you to providing proper habitats for birds and beneficials that help to pollinate, protect and beautify your landscape and garden. See what it takes to get your yard certified as a wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.

* Fermented Suint Vat (wool scouring), 3 p.m.: Learn how wool was scoured in medieval times by allowing the suint (sheep sweat and minerals) to interact with the lanolin in a fleece, fermenting to make its very own soap. This method saves lots of water and the water you do use is really good for the garden!

* Irrigation (small garden), 3 p.m.: During this hands-on workshop you will install the fiber and dye garden’s irrigation. Learn to set up drip tape, proper emitter selection, and how to control the water flow to different areas of your garden.

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FARM Davis volunteers stand outside the perennial garden on Feb. 15 as they plan the layout of the fibers and dye garden. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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UC Davis design student Aria Watson, left, Robyn Waxman, right, and other FARM Davis volunteers prepare for a Feb. 4 work day on the farm. Workshops will include planting a fruit tree orchard, building a fibers and dye garden, composting and beehive building. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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