Ron Finley – MasterClass – Teaches Gardening

Ron Finley – MasterClass – Teaches Gardening

Community activist and self-taught gardener Ron Finley shows you how to garden in any space, nurture your plants, and grow your own food.

When Ron Finley first grew a garden on a curbside dirt strip, he got cited—and then a warrant was issued for his arrest. He fought back, got the laws changed, and started a movement. Now the community activist and self-proclaimed “Gangster Gardener” is teaching you how to grow your own food, keep your plants alive, and find beauty and freedom in gardening no matter the size of your space. Start planting a revolution.

Browse Lesson Plan

1. Meet Your Instructor

Community activist and self-proclaimed “Gangster Gardener” Ron Finley introduces himself, explains why we should all have reverence for nature, and reveals how growing your own food gives you freedom.

2. Planting a Revolution

Ron talks about his personal story, the challenges of living in a food desert, the critical role of healthy food, and how you can use gardening to create community and rediscover what’s really important.

3. Getting Dirty

Ron offers tips for turning compacted, nutrient-poor soil into fertile ground for healthy plants, and he teaches you how to maintain a compost pile. He also gets into soil testing and how to use bioremediation to decrease soil toxicity.

4. Creating Planters

Ron demonstrates how to upcycle common household items into beautiful containers and planters and then walks you through the essential tools that every gardener needs.

5. Grow Your Own Food: Greens & Legumes

Learn how to grow two of Ron’s favorite vegetables: kale and sugar snap peas. Ron tells you how to plant them as well as how and when to harvest them.

6. Grow Your Own Food: Sweet Potatoes

Ron demonstrates how to plant sweet potatoes, discusses their resilience, and explains how to tell if they’re ready to harvest.

7. Grow Your Own Food: Herbs

It’s inexpensive and easy to create your own herb garden. Ron shares which herbs are good for beginners, how to maintain a garden in a small space, and how to care for your herbs.

8. Increasing Your Bounty

Ron created an oasis in an urban jungle—one that would have cost a fortune if he had bought every plant. Ron shows you how propagation can be used to multiply plants, including cacti, succulents, sugarcane, and citrus trees.

9. How to Not Kill Your Plants

Can’t keep your plants alive? Learn how anyone can develop a green thumb as Ron covers proper plant maintenance and how to diagnose common issues, including root-bound plants and over- and under-watering.

10. Finding Your Creativity

Ron concludes by sharing his belief that everyone has a creative force within—and that gardens are the perfect place to unleash that creativity.