Events

Master Gardener Byddi Lee designed this talk for people who have not gardened before. It will cover basic principles of getting started in gardening, including clearing weeds, amending and fertilizing soil, and basic planting. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion will be driven by the needs of the audience. We hope to generate enthusiasm for gardening for folks who may have been scared off by it in the past.

Location: West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose Directions to West Valley Branch Library

Join us to discuss planning a harmonious garden, including how to plan your garden, what veggies to plant at this time of year, and using the sun/shade microclimates in your garden. We will also talk about edible flowers, and how to use ornamentals to attract incredibly helpful insects.

Location: Guadalupe Demonstration Garden, Walnut and Asbury, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe Community Garden

Why "growing your yard?" Growing a wide diversity of flowering plants will certainly help to attract many different kinds of insects and other organisms to your yard, and encourage them to stay around, but it is only one factor. Other factors such as maintaining the health of the soil in your gardens and orchards, controlling organisms harmful to your plantings, and offering water and shelter as well as the food offered by the plants must be considered.

In this class Master Gardener Sue Van Stee will discuss the diversity of plants that attract birds, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and more to your yard. Sue will define the term "beneficials" in relation to the plants and organisms attracted to them.

Location: South County Demonstration Garden, Saint Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy Directions to South County Demonstration Garden

Master Gardener Nancy Garrison will introduce you to the best of the best, easy-to-grow flowers with staying power. You'll also learn about plants whose foliage is used as the foundation for many arrangements, which add depth and interest to the bouquets.

Learn which specific varieties do well in arrangements and save money while enjoying growing your own flower bouquets. Purple orach, colorful amaranths, different alstroemerias, purple millet, peonies, long-stemmed roses, and many other garden gems will be discussed. Nancy will share 25+ years of knowledge on selecting and growing local cut flowers.

Nancy has trialed over a hundred kinds of flowers in her decades of work with the Cooperative Extension and the Master Gardener program. Her work with sunflowers has been featured in Sunset magazine.

Register at http://commongroundinpaloalto.org/upcomingclasses.htm or call call 650-493-6072.

Location: Common Ground in Palo Alto, 559 College Avenue, Palo Alto Directions to Common Ground in Palo Alto

Learn how almost anyone can make some useful and attractive items with a few commonly available items from your local hardware store, a couple tools, and your own hands. We’ll demonstrate how to build a self-watering planter for container gardening, hanging pockets for a living wall, and baskets to protect your plants from hungry gophers.

Garden tools can be expensive, but with correct use and good care practices, your tools will last a lifetime. We’ll talk about some of our favorite tools, and review how to keep them in prime condition.

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, 433 Charles St., Sunnyvale Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Learn the importance of healthy soil for growing healthy plants. Master Gardener Laura Monczynski will teach a class on how to improve your garden soil. Topics include evaluating and testing your soil, composting, amending, and mulching. It all starts with the soil!

Location: Santa Teresa Branch Library, 290 International Circle, San Jose Directions to Santa Teresa Branch Library

Why "growing your yard?" Growing a wide diversity of flowering plants will certainly help to attract many different kinds of insects and other organisms to your yard and encourage them to stay around, but it is only one factor. Other factors such as maintaining the health of the soil in your gardens and orchards, controlling organisms harmful to your plantings, and offering water and shelter as well as the food offered by the plants must be considered. In this class Carolyn Flanagan and Sue Van Stee will discuss the diversity of plants that attract birds, bees, hummingbirds and more to your yard. Carolyn and Sue will also define the term "beneficials" in relation to the plants and organisms attracted to them.

Location: Vineland Branch Library, 1450 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose Directions to Vineland Branch Library

Master Gardener Candace Simpson will teach us how to deal with vegetable pests and diseases in the most earth-friendly way, using the principles of IPM, Integrated Pest Management. Topics include cultural practices that discourage pests, mechanical barriers and removal methods, techniques for encouraging beneficial insects, and low-toxicity chemical controls.

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

Please join Master Gardener Gil Patrick to learn about what kind of damage different animals can do to your garden. Find out what they eat, and when they are active. Learn about the different ways to control them. Different types of traps will be demonstrated, so this presentation may not be appropriate for children.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

The Water Wizard Festival is an annual educational festival that celebrates our local watershed. Every year, environmental and education organizations from around the Bay Area come together at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens to teach approximately three hundred third graders important hands-on science lessons based on topics like water conservation, pollution prevention, the value of water as a natural resource, and how people can affect their watershed. After students enjoy a morning of fun-filled activities, they eat lunch while listening to music by ZunZun, an environmental education performing arts group.

We'll be hosting and information table - bring your gardening questions! - with children's activities. Drop by the Master Gardener tables and say hi!

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

A plant clinic will be offered at the Willow Glen Farmers' Market on the first Saturday of the month, staffed by Master Gardeners. We'll provide gardening information and assist you in finding solutions to individual gardening problems. The public is encouraged to bring their gardening questions, and also specimens of their plant problems (for example, leaves with mysterious black spots, withered fruit, a cute bug in a jar ...)

Location: Lincoln Ave. and Willow St., San Jose Directions to Willow Glen Farmers' Market

Meet the spring and summer stars that have been outstanding performers in our waterwise ornamental garden and learn how to use them in your home landscape.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto Directions to the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Turn your kitchen and yard waste into black gold with this workshop on composting. The two hour workshop, taught by Master Composter and Master Gardener Joan Kyle, will teach you the basic strategies to successful home composting. Come learn what materials can be composted, different techniques for the best results, and receive tips and hints to choose the best method for you. Help make the world a greener place by joining in the fight for waste reduction - It's HOT to ROT!

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

Join Master Gardener Laura Westley as she takes you back to basics with Flowers 101. What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial? Which flowers grow well in the shade, sun or a little of both? Should you start them from seed, or go with transplants? Which flowers are easy to grow in the Bay Area? Come learn all this and get lots of ideas for your summer flower garden too!

Free but registration required. Call (650) 289-5400.

Location: Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto Directions to Avenidas

Two types of cherries can be planted: sweet, for fresh eating, and sour, for pies and preserves.

California is a top cherry producing state, though cherries thrive only in areas such as Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada foothill areas that meet minimum "winter chill" requirements. Home gardeners can succeed growing tart and sweet cherries, though cherries are more challenging than most other fruit trees. A sunny, gentle slope that allows cold winter air to settle in nearby low spots can be ideal for growing cherries. Deep, sandy loam also is best, though cherries will grow in rocky or poor soils as long as there is adequate overall drainage.

Join Master Gardeners to learn all about how to grow cherries in our area.

See also http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu for information on growing fruit and nut trees in the home garden.

Location: Grange Hall, 8191 Swanston Lane, Gilroy Directions to Grange Hall

Joan will teach us how to control garden pests in the home garden. She will discuss environmentally sensitive approaches to pest problems. Topics will include preventative methods, cultural practices to discourage pests, how to deal with pest population explosions, how to encourage beneficial insects, and appropriate control measures that will have little or no affect on the environment.

Location: The Granary, 17500 Depot Street, Morgan Hill Directions to The Granary

Maintaining a healthy garden is the first step to dealing with pests. We’ll introduce the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach and discuss how to deal with specific pests in a sustainable and proactive way. After the talk we’ll be in the garden ready to answer your questions about your plants at home. Be sure to bring samples of anything you’re struggling with – plants, insects, weeds.

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, 433 Charles St., Sunnyvale Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Master Gardener Laura Balaoro will give an introduction to succulents. She will describe growing habits and conditions for many varieties, talk about how to plant them directly in your garden, and how to use them indoors in time for the holidays. Laura is an expert not only in the requirements of growing different kinds of succulents, but also in container design and maintenance.

Location: West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose Directions to West Valley Branch Library

Deva Luna, Master Gardener and sustainable landscape designer, shares tips of the trade gleaned from a decade of landscaping.

This class offers a holistic approach for achieving a beautiful water-efficient, healthy garden. Join Master Gardener Deva Luna to learn about plant selection, irrigation and use of mulch and compost.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

One of the benefits of living in the our area is the opportunity to grow a wide variety of citrus trees. Join Master Gardeners for a presentation on the basics of growing and cultivating citrus fruit, and learn which varieties are most productive in our region.

Location: South County Demonstration Garden, Saint Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy Directions to South County Demonstration Garden

Always dream of planting your own vineyard? Or do you have grapes in the ground and want a better understanding of how to care for them? In this session, you'll get an overview of what's needed to establish and maintain table and/or wine grapes. Master Gardener Lisa Strand will cover the basics of site selection and preparation, the grape varieties suited to our Mediterranean climate, and share a year in the life of young vines (and what you'll need to do to ensure a healthy crop). Whether you're interested in fresh table grapes, or have your eye on making your own estate wine, this session will provide you with a overview of what you can expect as an amateur vigneron.

Location: Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga Directions to Saratoga Library

Always dream of planting your own vineyard? Or do you have grapes in the ground and want a better understanding of how to care for them? In this session, you'll get an overview of what's needed to establish and maintain table and/or wine grapes.

We'll cover the basics of site selection and preparation, the grape varieties suited to our Mediterranean climate, and share a year in the life of young vines (and what you'll need to do to ensure a a healthy crop.) Whether you're interested fresh table grapes, or have your eye on making your own estate wine, this session will provide you with a overview of what you can expect as an amateur vigneron.

Location: Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga Directions to Saratoga Library

Learn why spiders are nature's best pest control, and other IPM tips. IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management, where we try to use least toxic control methods first. Join Master Gardeners to learn why we firmly believe there are no bad bugs!

Location: Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio, Los Altos Directions to Los Altos Library

Master Gardener Deva Luna, sustainable landscape designer, walks you through creating a design showing a simple lawn conversion to drought tolerant plants.

Location: 2635 Aborn Rd., San Jose Directions to Evergreen Branch Library

Master Gardener Candace Simpson will teach us how to deal with vegetable pests and diseases in the most earth-friendly way, using the principles of IPM, Integrated Pest Management. Topics include cultural practices that discourage pests, mechanical barriers and removal methods, techniques for encouraging beneficial insects, and low-toxicity chemical controls.

Location: Cupertino Community Town Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino Directions to Cupertino Community Town Hall

Deva Luna, Master Gardener and sustainable landscape designer, shows how edibles can be incorporated beautifully into the landscape, instead of being relegated to "the back forty," and shares some of her favorite edible plants for landscaping use.

Location: Berryessa Branch Library, 3355 Nobel Ave., San Jose Directions to Berryessa Branch Library

Please join Master Gardener Laura Balaoro to learn about remarkable succulents with varied colors, shape and textures that can be grown in large or small spaces in our mild Meditteranean climate. Most are happy in partial shade, and require little attention. The talk will cover which succulents grow in winter and are dormant in summer, which grow well in shade, the many ways to use succulents, how and where to plant them in your garden, common pathogens and propagation methods. If possible, planting demonstration will be included.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

What do we mean by "crop rotation" and how does this apply to the home vegetable gardener? Learn what to plant as the seasons change.

Crop rotation is an important factor when planning the vegetable garden. Many disease organisms are soil-borne, and may persist in the soil for several years. Disease problems often increase when the same crop is planted in the same area in successive years. Annually rotating your vegetables in the garden can help reduce the severity of diseases.

Rotation may also help curb insect infestations. Insect populations and plant damage may increase when the same crop is planted in the same area over several years.

Additionally, vegetable crops in the same botanical family are often susceptible to the same diseases and insects.

For crop rotation to be effective, gardeners should not plant vegetables belonging to the same plant family in the same location for two or three years. Crop rotation in a small garden may be difficult. However, home gardeners should rotate their vegetable crops as best they can. Join Master Gardener Niki Muller to learn how you can apply this helpful technique in your garden, and potentially avoid diseases or pests.

Location: Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd., San Jose Directions to Evergreen Branch Library