More Course Critiques from 2006:

I found the classes to be quite informative. Alan's teaching style is refreshing and he made most of the classes interesting.
One question I do have is I was wondering if we would be able to have a copy of his notes so we could have any information on items he may have missed or passed over too quickly. All in all it was a good learning experience.

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It's hard to believe we have come to the end of the sessions. I can honestly say that I had a blast; it was fun while at the same time very informative.
The presentations were wll done. As far as I am concerned, there are no negatives.

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I just want to let you know that I enjoyed your classes very much … You have answered some of my questions regarding gardening. I have still much to learn and hope that I will in your company. Your classes may be improved by having a question period at the end of the class regarding everybody's concerns with their own gardening problems as long as the questions are related to the class topic of that day. I am hoping to learn more about soil, what plants are good to grow in this climate, and insect and fungus control. I can't wait to work hands on at the Fairgrounds this summer. Thanks for making the winter more enjoyable!

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During the past three months, as I have attented the Peel Teaching Garden seminars, I have certainly realizxed how little I did know about gardening. Alan's sessions have been very informative, mostly enjoyable and have made me aware of many little things that we are unaware of as we carry on with our daily routines. They have also reinforced my skepticism of news media reports (with which we are bombarded daily) and commercial advertising. I always wonder whether they are actually factual and properly researched or just "poppycock". (ie poisonous substances, green products and "gardening tools.") With this said, and taking into consideration what I have learned, I do think that there were several instances where the lessonmay have dealt with too much detail for most of us neophyte gardeners in the class. My personal suggestion is definitely to keep the plan of lessons 1 through 4, but perhaps making them a little more concise. Lesson 5, on the other hand, seemed to have had much detail of how we arrived at the actual botanical names. As for lesson 6, I think we were all interested in the first part of the lesson, but the reason for the math in the second portion should be explained. I believe Alan's reson for covering it is to be used at the grounds during the spring and summer. However, some of the attendees could not figure out why they needed to know all of this!
In closing, Alan has done a great job teaching a diverse group of people with many different backgrounds. I wish to thank him for giving us the opportunity to expand our gardening and other knowledge, and I must say, "at a very reasonable cost".