Adult Education Classes

Winter 2010 Adult Education Classes

You can still sign up for Sustainable Vegetable Gardening - another class is starting on March 23 in Campbell!   This class meets for six weeks, two hours each week and you can register now.  

Campbell               Tue Mar 23 - Apr 27      7 - 9 p.m.              $66   Registration now open! See  www.ci.campbell.ca.us/Recreation/communitycenter or call 408-866-2104.

San Jose               Wed Feb 10 - Mar 17     7 -9 p.m.                $60 members/$72 non-members (of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens) Registration closed

Almaden                Sat Jan 23 - Feb 27       10 - noon               $72 Registration closed

Cambell                 Tue Jan 19 - Feb 23      7 - 9 p.m.               $66 Registration closed              

Palo Alto                Tue Jan 12 - Feb 16      7 - 9 p.m.               $98 Registration closed

We will be offering more classes throughout 2010, including classes on water-wise landscaping.  Check back, or sign up for our Tips & Events once-a-month email to learn about all our upcoming classes, workshops and events.

Please see below for detailed descriptions of the classes.

To register, contact the Adult Education programs.   Visit their websites to register online or call the office.  

Overview of Adult Education Program

We offer several classes per quarter and we partner with these Adult Education programs: 

• Guadalupe River Park and Garden in San Jose
• Almaden Community Center in San Jose
  
• Campbell Community Center
• Palo Alto Adult School
• Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult and Community Education

Our courses focus on sustainable gardening practices and consist of four or six two-hour classes that meet once per week. 

The five different courses are: 

Gardening in Our Time and Place: Santa Clara County Gardening Basics

Santa Clara County is one the best places in the world to create a year-round garden, whetheryou want to grow vegetables or a beautiful sustainable garden full of trees, shrubs, perennials and flowers. Come learn the basics about our climate and soil and the best practices for creating your ideal garden. If you are a beginning gardener, you will learn how to get started successfully. If you have some experience, you’ll learn about sustainable practices and appropriate plants to introduce into your garden. The goal of this class is to enable you to have a successful and sustainable garden in our time and place.

Sustainable Landscape Gardening: The Easy Way to Create a Beautiful, Earth-Friendly Landscape

Did you know fall is the perfect time to plant native plants and Mediterranean-climate plants?  The plants' roots have an easier time getting established over our mild winters, sipping on the winter rains.  Learn simple techniques of sustainable gardening to create and maintain a beautiful ornamental garden that will be attractive year-round while respecting and protecting the environment.Topics include caring for the soil, using efficient irrigation and choosing the right plant for the right place. The course also covers basic design concepts, non-toxic pest management and season-appropriate chores to keep your garden looking its very best.

Sustainable Vegetable Gardening

Gardening year round is easy and rewarding in our mild Mediterranean climate. Learn how to have a successful, environmentally responsible food garden that provides delicious vegetables and herbs every month of the year. This course stresses sustainable gardening practices such as mulching, efficient watering methods, on-site composting,integrated pest management, and use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments.

Topics include:soil preparation, amendments, and fertilizers; irrigation methods and systems; working with both seeds and seedlings; cultural requirements of specific warm and cool season crops and varieties that do well in our area; and how to identify and manage common pests, weeds, and diseases of vegetable crops in Santa Clara County.

Sustainable Vegetables 2.0

Looking for even more information on growing veggies? We'll cover topics like the onion and garlic family, perennial vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes, and much more.

Growing Fruits and Berries Sustainably

Our mild Mediterranean climate allows us to grow a dazzling variety of temperate and subtropical fruits and berries. Learn how to harvest delicious fruit from your garden every month of the year. This course stresses how sustainable gardening practices such as efficient watering methods, integrated pest management and use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments apply to growing fruits and berries. Pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and cherries), citrus and other subtropicals are covered, as well asblueberries, raspberries, strawberries and other berries.

Topics include: soil preparation, planting (including space-saving techniques) and establishment of plants in the first year; irrigation methods and systems; cultural requirements of specific fruits and berries; recommended varieties of deciduous fruits, citrus, avocados and other subtropicals; and pruning, including summer pruning for controlling tree size.

Adult Education Programs: Our Partners