Events

Master Gardeners Sharon McCray, Jim Maley and Bader Kudsi will field your phone-in calls.  Remember you can always call our hotline with your questions, also - 408-282-3105, M-F, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

KKUP Call in: 408-260-2999

See http://mastergardeners.org/events/kkup.html for more details.

Location:

Tune in to KKUP at FM 91.5 from 10 a.m. to noon. Listeners are invited to drop by the studio for an informal discussion with Master Gardeners on horticultural topics. The studio address is 1241 Franklin Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton streets.

Directions to KKUP Radio Studio

Join other gardeners in learning how to save seeds from your favorite summer vegetables and flowers. Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Sat, Sep 6

You will be introduced to the best of the best, easy-to-grow flowers that have staying power. Common plant foliage will complement and add wonderful effect. Learn which specific varieties do well in arrangements. Save money and have more joy growing your own flower bouquets. Purple orach, colorful amaranths, 10 different alstromerias, purple millet, peonies and long-stemmed roses will be discussed. A slide show is included. Nancy will share 20-plus years of knowledge on selecting and growing local cut flowers. She has been involved with the UC Cooperative Extension trials of over a hundred kinds of flowers to find teh most beautiful. Her work with sunflowers has been featured in Sunset magazine.

Location: 559 College Ave., Palo Alto, 94306 Directions to Common Ground

Santa Clara County is one the best places in the world to create a year-round garden, whether
you 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.

There are six classes on six consecutive Monday evenings from September 8 through October 13 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

To register, visit the web site http://www.paadultschool.org
or call 650-329-3752.

Location: Palo Alto High School, Room 1708, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto High School

Learn how to grow "Allium Gardens of Garlic, Onions, Leeks & More!" at the next Master Gardener Workshop at Gamble Garden.  UCCE Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw will explain methods gardeners can use to take advantage of our Bay Area mild winters to grow a gourmet garden of onions, flowering chives, leeks and shallots - all members of the Allium family.  Alliums help conserve water during this drought period since they thrive during the rainy season.  She will also discuss the ornamental alliums, which are very striking, and other edible alliums such as: green onions, Japanese bunching onions, Egyptian walking onions and bulbing onions.  Other topics include: the history of growing onions and garlic; some ancient beliefs and medicinal uses; as well as how to plant, grow, harvest and preserve the Alliums.   Handouts will be provided.

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverly St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

Sat, Sep 13

Join Master Gardener Karen Schaffer for a two-hour free workshop on Cool Season Gardening.  Now is the perfect time to start winter greens, chard, lettuce, kale, radish, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and more!  You will be harvesting delicious vegetables from November through March.

The class is free but we request that you pre-register by phoning the MetroEd office during business hours at 408-723-6450 or by sending email to RitaB@metroed.net.  Please include a phone number in your email.  Registration forms are available at the door. 

 

Location:

Erikson Adult Ed Center, 4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose, 95136.

Directions to Erikson/MetroEd Adult Education Center

Sat, Sep 13

Join the 90,000 people in the United States who have certified their yards and homes as backyard habitats for wildlife. Master Gardener Sharon McCray, whose yard is certified by the National Wildlife Federation, will show the four basic elements required by wildlife for survival and how to provide them in basic landscaping. You'll learn about gardening with natives, how to build a toad house and learn about other wildlife-friendly shelters, discover ways to reduce water use while providing ample resources for animals and so much more! We will even provide the paperwork for you to begin certifying your own backyard habitat. Let's make the world a greener and more wildlife-friendly place.

Location: Guadalupe River Park and Gardens, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110. 408-298-7657 Map and Directions to Guadalupe River Park and Gardens

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-toic pest management and season-appropriate chores to keep your garden looking its very best.

Six consecutive Wednesday evenings from September 17 - October 22, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Register at http://ace.fuhsd.edu or call 408-522-2700.

Location:

Fremont High School, Room Art D, 1279 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale, 94087.

Directions to Fremont High School in Sunnyvale

Wed, Sept 17

Fall is the best time to plant ornamentals in the San Francisco Bay Area. Come and learn how to design your dream garden, get ideas of the plants most suited to our area, and where to find them.

Location: Sunnyvale Library, 665 W Olive Ave, Sunnyvale, 94086. Directions to Sunnyvale Library

Wed, Sept 17

Gardening in containers lets us garden anywhere - balconies, patios, driveways and more. With containers we can bring great tastes, textures and smells closer to us, and keep gardening manageable by choosing plants and containe sizes that meet our needs. In this class you'll learn the basics of container gardening: soil, water, fertilizer, container materials (clay, plastic, etc.), container sizes and common pests. Then you'll learn about a wide variety of plants that do particularly well in containers, with special emphasis on fragrant plants, plants that are fun to touch, and edible plants - herbs, fruits and vegetables, including ones that you can plant right now in September.

Location: Community Room, West Valley Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose, 95117. Directions to West Valley Library

Did you know that by careful planning and plant selection, you can have beautiful flowers in your garden all year long? Find out from Master Gardeners!

Location: Evergreen Library, 2635 Aborn Road, San Jose, 95121 Directions to Evergreen Library

In September, representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Kurt Elvert and Kevin Galvin, will join us for the first hour, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. to talk about the current state problem in water shortages.  They will also discuss the landscape and irrigation system rebate programs for homes and businesses along with other useful water-wise information.

From 11 a.m. - noon, we are inviting people to talk about water-saving ideas. Master Composter Lee Phillips will join us to talk about how he has saved money from the Santa Clara Valley Water District's water rebate program. He will lead off the show with a water-related song he composed! For more infomation on the rebate program, see valleywater.org.

 Time permitting, we will also discuss a movie which has recently opened in selected California cities called "Flow: For Love of Water" and the soundtrack of the movie trailer will be played.

Master Gardener Sharon McCray will also be on hand with Dr. Craig Kolodge, Master Gardeners Bader Kudsi and Jim Maley to discuss water-wise gardening. 

In the final half hour, Sharon will discuss the Prusch Farm Park Harvest Festival that is taking place on October 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: KKUP Radio at FM 91.5 mHz. Drop by the studio at 1241 Franklin Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton Streets. Call in your questions during the show: 408-260-2999. Directions KKUP Radio Studio

Overfelt Gardens in a garden sanctuary for plant, wildlife and quiet
contemplation and enjoyment of nature in the urban setting.

The Chinese Moon Festival is celebrated by billions of people around
the world.  They celebrate it with dances, feasting and moon gazing. 
Delicious moon cakes are a traditional enjoyment.  But on this day, we
offer you the pleasure of sharing arts, crafts and creative activities
in a Chinese garden setting.  

The Master Gardeners are hosting a booth with gardening-related activities for adults and for children.  

Free admission and parking.  This is a tobacco-and alcohol-free event.

Location:

Chinese Cultural Garden, Overfelt Gardens, 368 Educational Park Dr., San Jose, 95133.

Directions to Overfelt Gardens

Now is a great time to start winter greens. Master Gardener Karen Schaffer will introduce you to many new and unusual varieties of vegetables.  Come learn how to grow vegetables for fall and winter harvest.  We will discuss how to seed directly into soil between July and September; how to seed into pots for transplanting later; how to buy good transplants from nurseries for planting in September and later.  You will enjoy great vegetables from October through March! 

Location: Los Altos Main Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Main Library

Sat, Oct 4

Walk and talk with Master Gardeners as they cut back, clean up and divide ornamental plants for the winter.

Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Sat, Oct 4

The goal of the Harvest Fair & Exposition is to embrace the spirit of the county fair and provide a place for families to celebrate a "county fair" in San Jose.

Entertainment - unusual food - pony rides - plant sale - cooking classes - pumpkin patch - hay wagon ride - apple juice tasting - kids programs - games and fun things to do! Listen to the Mariachi San Jose Youth Band!

Visit the Rare Fruit Orchard - the Heritage and High-Density Fruit Orchards - Emma's German Garden - Friendship Forest - Petting Zoo - and be part of 4H Mega Field Day!

The Master Gardeners will host a booth and will be holding a fall plant sale with fall/winter vegetable seedlings and other plants.

For more information, visit http://pruschfarmpark.org or call 408-926-5555.

Location:

Prusch Farm Park, 647 South King Road, San Jose, 95116. This is near the intersections of highways 280/680 and 101. Admission and parking are free.

Directions to Prusch Farm Park

Sat, Oct 4

Tired of watering, mowing and weeding your lawn but don't know what to put in instead?  Replacing your lawn appropriately reduces your water bill and your maintenance costs, encourages habitat for birds and butterflies and does not contribute to global warming.  You'll come away from this inspiring talk with dozens of ideas, illustrated by pictures worth more than a thousand words.  Deva Luna combines her passion for plants with a desire to enhance the environment.  She is a lifetime Master Gardener, Gardening Instructor, Coordinator of Santa Clara Teaching Garden, Landscape Designer and Horticulturalist for EarthCare Landscaping.  She has a degree in "Plants and Art" from UC Davis.

To register, call 650-493-6072.

Location: 559 College Ave., Palo Alto, 94306 Directions to Common Ground

Santa Clara County is one of the best places in the world to create a year-round garden, whether you 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.

There are six classes on six consecutive Tuesday evenings from October 7 through November 11 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Register at http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us/Recreation/communitycenter

Location: Campbell Community Center, 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 95008 Directions to Campbell Community Center

UCCE Master Gardener Bekah Stratton will provide this complete introduction to growing and using the many varieties of lavenders, including the history and mystique of lavender up to the current day.  She will demonstrate the great contrast between lavender grown with preferred, natural methods, and lavender grown with toxic chemical methods.  Being a Mediterranean plant, or dry summer plant, lavender only needs water during our rainy season.  This makes it ideal for landscaping in drought prone areas like ours.  Topics include: genus of Lavenders; types by intended uses; growing habits; planting; methods of propagation; nutrition needs; and soils.  Care of the fragrant crop leading to the final day of harvesting the lavender will be covered as well.  Practical handouts provided.

No Reservations Required. 

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverly St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

A great family day! Giant Pumpkin Patch - Scarecrow Row - Apple Tasting - Fresh Apple Cider - Guadalupe River Education - Lots of FreeK Kid's Activities - Children's Concert. The Master Gardeners will host a fun booth with gardening- and harvest-related children's activities.

Location:

Discovery Meadow, Guadalupe River Park and Garden. This area is located just north of the Children's Discovery Museum at 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110-2722. The major cross street is San Carlos Street.

Directions to Guadalupe River Park and Garden

Master Gardener Lee Ann Ray will answer all your questions about pests in your garden - the good guys as well as the bad guys!   Join us for a free talk on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the home gardener.

The workshop will cover prevention techniques - the most successful AND environmentally-friendly being to encourage beneficial insects in your garden.   Lee Ann will describe how to accomplish this.  She will cover prevention techniques, pest and plant symptom identification, action thresholds and sustainable management methods.  You will discover and discuss low-impact solutions to common gardening challenges and the maintenance and enrichment of our natural gardening environments.

Registration required: Those interested in attending, please send email to ritab@metroed.net or phone 408-723-6450.

Location:

4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose, 95136  (Bus #66)

Directions to Erikson MetroEd Center

This fall, plant a crop in your vegetable bed to feed the SOIL instead of you and your family. We'll talk about what a cover crop is, why they are useful and which ones are good to plant here.

Followed by Grand Rounds in the Community Garden.

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden (at Charles Street Community Garden), 433 Charles St., Sunnyvale, 94087 Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Learn how to have a beautiful garden with less work and less water.  Climate-adapted plants make gardening easy in our year-round dry climate.

Location:

1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose, 95117

Directions to West Valley Library

Let's go green!  A free community event offering families and children opportunities to diminish their carbon footprint and counter global warming.   Sponsored by the League of Women Voters; the Master Gardeners will host a table.

Location:

Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 South Market Street, San Jose, 95113

Directions to the Tech Museum of Innovation

Learn to make your own 'Black Gold' to build soil health and improve the garden. Master Composter Ian Gerbode will explain the many ways yard trimmings, autumn leaves and vegetable waste can be transformed into soil enriching compost. Topics incliude comparing hot and cool composting methods, lasagna sheet composting and successful vermiculture ...aka worm bin management. Garden success begins with good soil.

Location:

13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, 95070

Directions to Saratoga Library

Veggielution is a great college student program of growing vegetables and helping the poor of our community.  This program was featured in the San Jose Mercury News not long ago in an article by Holly Hayes.  The subject of winter vegetables will also be discussed, so tune us in! 

Mark Anthony Medeiros, a Board member of Prusch Farm & Garden in San Jose, and his garden partner Amy will join us to discuss Veggielution.  

Location:

1241 Franklin Square, Santa Clara

Directions to KKUP Studio

Families are invited to join the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and over a dozen other environmental organizations to celebrate nature and wildlife.  There will be live animals, educational presentations, a poster contest and many hands-on activities including nestbox and a bird feeder building.

For "Early Birds," we'll have a guided shoreline walk at the Charleston Slough in Mountain View's Baylands at 8 a.m.  Following the walk, participants will caravan to Wildlife Education Day festivities in Cupertino.  RSVP is required for the walk only.  Please call 408-252-3740 to RSVP or send email to programs@scvas.org.

The Master Gardeners will host a booth with fun hands-on gardening-related activities.

Location:

McClellan Ranch Park, 22221 McClellan Rd., Cupertino, 95014

Directions to McClellan Ranch Park

Join other gardeners in learning how to save seeds from your favorite summer vegetables and flowers!  Master Gardener Rosalie Shepherd will describe the principles and show you sure-fire techniques.  It's great fun and also satisfying to grow your favorite plants from saved seeds.

Location: Los Altos Main Library, 13 S. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Library

Learn how to make unusual and attractive arrangements using plant materials from the fall garden. Ikebana and other techniques will be demonstrated.

Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden (at Eleanor Pardee Community Garden), 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Learn which varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, aprictos, apples and pears are the delight of connoisseurs.  You will be introduced to the best of the best-tasting deciduous fruits that grow in this area and learn where to find sources for your own plants.  Nancy has been conducting and attending fruit tastings for the last 26 years in her diverse home fruit garden and in research facilities around the state.  She has collaborated with Andy's Orchard and Dave Wilson Nursery and oversees the rare fruit plantings at Prusch Farm Park in San Jose.

Location: 559 College Ave., Palo Alto, 94306 Directions to Common Ground

Autumn is the perfect time to start planning a drought tolerant garden that saves water, attracts wildlife and enriches the environment.  Learn design basics for a lush and waterwise garden, including plant selection for year-round bloom and eco-friendly planting techniues and ideas to reduce, reuse and recycle landscaping materials from around the home.  

 

Location:

13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, 95070

Directions to Saratoga Library

It's that time again!  November 8 is this year's last UCCE Master Gardener Plant Clinic workshop at Gamble Garden.  Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer home gardening questions.  This is the right time of year to plan and prepare for 2009's veggie and ornamental plantings.   November is the best time to plant many perennials and shrubs.  Get answers to all those troubling questions about pruning roses, fruit trees and shrub, as well as what and how to plant in your garden right now.  The clinic is a great place to get information about your most mysterious pests, diseases and totally confounding plant troubles.  Bring soil samples and/or photos of pests and plant parts.  Finally, get the help you need to set your garden right.  Please invite friends and neighbors to this free workshop.  

No reservations needed.

Location:

Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverly St., Palo Alto, 94301

 

Directions to Gamble Garden

Plant descriptions may say "partial sun," "partial shade," or full shade."  What do they really mean?  Learn how to create a shady area in your garden or use your existing shade for best effect.  Master Gardener Niki Muller will discuss design issues in creating a shade garden in your location.  Types and patterns of shade and the problems that may arise will be addressed.  Plant selection, care and feeding will also be discussed.  Come with your questions!

Registration is required and class size is limited to 25.  Register online or phone Gamble Garden at 650-329-1365 ext. 201, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Location: Carriage House, Gamble Garden, 1451 Waverly St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

It's time to prepare for our next vegetable growing season.  Our gardens have worked hard all year and now we want to show you how to re-energize your soil.  Come to an exciting and informative workshop on garden soil and learn about soil composition from Laura Monczynski.  Laura specializes in growing organic edibles in her garden and will share tips about organic soil amendments, compost, working with our local clay soils and more.  Healthy gardens start with healthy soil.

There is no fee to attend this workshop but please pre-register by sending email to RitaB@metroed.net or phoning the Erikson Adult Ed Center office during business hours at 408-723-6450.   Registration forms are provided at the door.

Location:

Erikson Adult Ed Center, 4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose, 95136; Bus #66

Directions to Erikson/MetroEd Adult Education Center

Master Gardener Philippa Alvis offers timely information for selecting bulbs to grace the garden with color in spring.  Now is the time to plant, but where an how?  Learn the cultural needs of daffodils, crocus, tulips and everything bulb, including 'winter forcing' techniues for an indoor bouquet in December.  Instruction includes bed preparation, fertilizing needs, sun and water requirements and sources where you can purchase your favorite varieties.

Location:

Saratoga Community Library, 13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, 95070

Directions to Saratoga Library

Master Gardeners will present fresh ways to look at preserving objects destined for our public landfill.   From broken concrete - "urbanite" - that you can use to build raised beds to trellises constructed of previously-used materials -- there are dozens of ways you can both save items from going to the landfill and beautify your garden at the same time.  The purpose of the class is to promote recycling while creating a sense of whimsey and beauty in your garden.

Location:

West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd., San Jose, 95117

Directions to West Valley Library

Join Master Gardener Nancy Garrision for her fabulous introduction to the best tasting deciduous fruit trees that grow well in Willow Glen. Nancy has decades of experience growing almost every fruit tree imaginable, from the apples and oranges that come immediately to mind, to exotic subtropicals and also unusual varieties of more common fruit trees that have special properties -- particularly great taste, or long-lasting on the tree or in storage, or other special characteristics. You will be inspired to start or add to your own home orchard! And check out http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu!

The Master Gardeners also have these upcoming talks about fruit trees:

1. Getting Started to Plant Bare-Root Fruit Trees in January, Tuesday, November 25

2. Pruning Dormant Ornamental and Fruit Trees, Saturday, December 6, 2008

3. Grafting Fruit Trees, Saturday, December 13, 2008

4. Fruit Tree Pruning, Saturday, January 10, 2009

Location:

Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San Jose, 95125

Directions to Willow Glen Library

January is the time to plant fruit trees and other plants such as: berries; rhubarb; shade trees; roses; onions; asparagus and more! These, and many other perennial plants, are sold as bare-root plants.    What does that mean?  Master Gardener Roberta Barnes will describe the best practives in finding, choosing and planting various bare-root plants.

Why plant fruit trees at home?  Some reasons are:

* The advantage of having tree-ripened fruit in your own yard.  (It's not possible to get ripe peaches, for example, in the supermarket.)

* The ability to grow the tastiest varieties, many of which are not available in the supermarkets because they are not grown by commercial growers.

* The freedom to select varieties that will give fruit many months out of the year.

The best way to plant a fruit tree is to plant a bare-root tree in January.  Come learn how easy and fun it is!  The technique of espaliered fruit trees will also be discussed.  And check out http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu!

Location: Los Altos Main Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Library