Events

Get ready for next spring and summer by saving seeds and cuttings of your favorite plants now!

Followed by Open Garden and tours of the gardens with Master Gardeners, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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

Our annual sale of cool season vegetables takes place at the Harvest Festival in Prusch Farm Park!   The festival is packed with entertainment and offers cooking classes, pony rides, hay wagon rides and a variety of foods for sale.  See pruschfarmpark.org for a great description of the Harvest Festival.  

October is a great time to plant - choose among many varieties of cool season vegetables the Master Gardeners have grown from seed.  

Plants on sale include Broccoli (Green Goliath
, Packman Hybrid
, Spigariello Leaf, 
Purple Peacock); 

Cauliflower (Graffiti (purple)
, Cheddar (orange)
, Romanesco (green and fractal)
, Early Snowball (white)

); Cabbage (Early Jersey,  Wakefield

); Peas (
Renee's Super Sugar Snap Peas
, Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow peas

); Lettuce (
Butterhead Capitaine, 
Butterhead Red Ridinghood, 
Batavian Sierra
, Batavian Nevada
, Batavian Cardinale
, Romaine Cosmo Savoy
, Romaine Sucrine
, Looseleaf Flame
, Looseleaf Lettuce Mix, 
Renee's Italian Arugula); Mustard (Giant Red, 
Florida Broadleaf India
, Green Wave

); Chard (
Bright Lights, 
French White, 
Golden Sunrise

); Kohlrabi

; Fennel; 
Frisée (Curled Green Ruffec

); Escarole (Bionda

); Chicory (Heading, Orchidea Rossa
, Heading, Sugarloaf, 
Leafy, Catalogna Pugliese

); Cress (Belle Isle Upland cress

); Spinach (Oriental Giant
, Viroflay); 

Kale (Lacinato
, Red Russian

); Beets (Cylindra (red)
, Golden
).

Location: Prusch Farm Park, 647 South King Road, San Jose, 95116 Directions to Prusch Farm Park

Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw will share her growing tips for beautiful edible and ornamental alliums.  The allium family includes onions, shallots, garlic, leeks, chives and many varieties grown as ornamental flowers.  Learn how to select the best varieties for our area, how to prepare the soil, plant and harvest delectable onions and garlic from your own garden.   Please email ritab@metroed.net or phone the office at (408) 723-6450 during regular business hours if you would like to attend.  The talk is free but registration is required. 

Location: Erikson Adult ED Center, 4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose, 95136 Directions to Erikson Adult Ed Center

UC Master Gardener Abby Garner will discuss how to keep your oak trees healthy, safe, and long-lived, by choosing appropriate plants to grow around oaks.  Incorrect landscaping can actually damage California oak trees.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, many of our ancient, native oaks are threatened by urban development.  Too often, well intentioned, but unhealthy gardening practices lead to the decline of an admired oak tree.  But it is possible to learn to live in harmony with the critical needs of our beautiful Quercus.  Topics will cover the essentials: the oak tree’s unique environmental and water needs, lawns and oaks, use of native plants, and what plants are dangerous to plant under native oaks.  Handouts given.  No reservations necessary.

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

UC Master Gardener Jean Lee will share her experience and expertise growing Asian vegetables in her year-round Santa Clara County garden. Learn how (and when) to plant and harvest various Asian vegetables.  The talk will include ample time for questions and answers.    

Location: Berryessa Branch Library, 3355 Noble Ave., San Jose, 95132 Directions to Berryessa Branch Library

UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County invite you to the McClellan Ranch Field Day and tours of the garden.  There will also be a display of the 12 varieties of winter squash that are being raised this year.

Location: McClellan Ranch, 22221 McClellan Road, Cupertino, 95014 Directions to McClellan Ranch

Come learn from Master Gardeners about propagating plants from cuttings and divisions as well as seed saving techniques.

Followed by Grand Rounds in the garden - tour the garden with Master Gardeners and bring your questions!  

 

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Garden; near Charles Ave. & Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086 Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

When it comes to planting California natives, Fall is the new Spring!  Master Gardener Cayce Hill will discusses why now is the best time to begin planting natives, and how to choose plants that will provide color and diversity to your garden year-round.

Location: West Valley Branch Library,  1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd., San Jose,  95117
Directions to West Valley Library

The guest this month is Don from Common Ground talking about cover crops, soils and how to improve your soil.

This popular, long-running radio show is co-hosted by Master Gardeners
Jim Maley, Bader Kudsi and Sharon McCray.  A wide variety of farm and
garden topics are covered on each show and listener calls are
encouraged (408-260-2999).

Location: KKUP FM 91.5 with listener call-ins: 408-260-2999 Directions to KKUP Studio

Families are invited to join the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, the Master Gardeners 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 bird feeder building.

Get directions and more information about the day, plus see pictures from past
events, by clicking here. Or to see this year's flyer, click here.

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

Location: McClellan Ranch, 22221 McClellan Road, Cupertino, 95014 Directions to McClellan Ranch

Fall garden maintenance is all about planting new perennials, pruning, cleaning up from the past season, and dividing bulbs and making cuttings for propagation.   Join Master Gardeners for a talk on what to do this fall to enjoy the garden through the winter and to get ready for spring.  It's not too late to plant fall/winter vegetables!

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

All about garlic!  Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw will share her expertise on how to prepare your soil, choose varieties for our area, plant, cultivate and harvest your own delicious garlic varieties.  As time allows, she will cover some tips on growing onions.

Location: Berryessa Branch Library, 3355 Noble Ave., San Jose, 95132 Directions to Berryessa Branch Library

Come learn how to whip it into shape for the 21st century.  Master Gardeners will talk about how to integrate low-water use and general sustainability principles in a good-looking home landscape.  Fall is the perfect time to plant perennials!

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

CANCELLED DUT TO CONSTRUCTION AT THE GARDEN

 Walk and talk with Master Gardeners as they cut back, clean up and divide ornamental plants for the winter.  A discussion of tool care will also be included.

Followed by Open Garden from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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

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.

This class meets on six consecutive Monday evenings, November 9 - December 14 from 6:30 -  8:30 p.m.  The course code is 227272.

Click here to register online or call 408-522-2700.  See http://ace.fuhsd.org for more information about the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult and Community Education program.

Location: Sunnyvale's Fremont High School, 1279 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd., Sunnyvale, CA, 94087 Directions to Fremont High School in Sunnyvale

Master Gardener Bader Kudsi will discuss the principles of grafting fruit trees in detail at this introduction to grafting.  Several types of grafts will be explained and demonstrated, as well as the reasons for grafting trees so as to have different fruit varieties on a single tree. 

Other topics include: what is a scion; rootstock and scion grafting compatibility of different families and varieties of fruit trees; the correct type of graft to use in each case; tools; the best time to graft; and post-operation care.  Great for both the novice and a refresher for the advanced grafter.  Handouts.  No reservations necessary.

See also the Propagation section in the UC Davis Home Orchard webpage for information about grafting: 

http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/general-prop.html.  

The California Rare Fruit Growers holds a Scion Exchange every January, where you can find scions to graft onto your existing trees, either free or very low cost.    Check the Events Calendar in December for details on the upcoming scion exchange!

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

Come join us for a free talk on composting with Master Gardener and Master Composter Ian Gerbode.  Ian will cover the basic principals of composting, what goes in, what does not, where to locate the bin, what types of bins are available for purchase or ideas to make your own.  We will learn how to manage the compost pile once it is established and how to harvest and use the finished product in your gardens.  This is the season to revel in the glorious excess of the summer garden and build a thing of beauty (compost!)  as a tribute to the soil that has sustained our summer bounty.  We have harvested for ourselves; now it is time to nurture the soil.  Seating is limited; please phone our office at 723-6450 during business hours or email ritab@metroed.net and leave your name and contact information and a request to attend the worksop.

Location: Erikson Adult ED Center, 4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose 95136 Directions to Erikson Adult Ed Center

Fall is the best time to plant perennials, especially water-wise and drought-tolerant native plants and plants from Mediterranean climates.  Join Master Gardeners for a talk on why this is and how to plant for best success.   Need ideas for what to plant?  Plant options will be discussed and  we'll have a water-wise plant list handout. 

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

Join Master Gardeners in free centerpiece workshops - two workshops this year due to high demand!  (There is a $3 fee for one person or $10 for a family to the Heritage Holiday but there is no additional fee.)  Plant materials, containers and oasis (green foam material used to anchor plant materials) are provided. 

See the Heritage Holiday webpage for more details on this day-long festival, which includes in addition to the Master Gardener centerpiece workshops

• Tea & Tour
• Antique Corner
• Children's Corner and Santa Claus
• Shopping for local arts, foods, candies and gifts in the Museum Store
• Entertainment by Relative Insanity, Wayne Jiang on dulcimer and auto harp
• Strolling costumed carolers from the Lyric Theatre
• Demonstrations including costumed carolers, live music, yarn-spinning and lace-making.

 

Location: History Park at Kelley Park, 1650 Senter Road, San José  95112 Directions to History San Jose

Even in late fall, the garden is beautiful and has much to share.  It's time to do some planning and thinking about bare root planting.  Join Master Gardeners for a great time in the garden and learn about purchasing and planting bare root trees, shrubs and perennials for edible and ornamental gardens.

Plants grown from bare root often are more vigorous and healthy and it is much less expensive to buy a bare root plant than a nursery plant in a 5-gallon or 10-gallon pot.

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

This annual workshop is so popular, we’ve added an additional time slot. Join us in the morning at 10 a.m. or in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m. for a two-hour hands-on workshop.

Get ready for the holidays the old-fashioned way by making your own wreath to adorn your front door!  Master Gardener Milli Wright and friends will show us how to look through our gardens and parks to find unusual items that can be incorporated into the wreaths.  After a basic design lesson, and examples of other clever projects, you will be ready to create your own personal gift for your home.  All basic materials will be provided, but if you have some special greenery, lights or ornaments that you would like to incorporate onto your wreath, feel free to bring them along.

Location:

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, 95110

Directions to Guadalupe River Park & Garden

Master Gardener Bader Kudsi will again share his knowledge of grafting at our free World Garden Workshop.  Grafting allows gardeners and farmers to grow more than one variety of fruit on their trees.  Sometimes a tree that has become non-productive can be recharged through grafting.  In the art of grafting, Bader is a master craftsman.  Come learn how to collect scion wood from one tree and graft it onto another to extend the harvest by growing fruits that ripen at different times.  Bader will teach us how collect and store the scion wood, when and how to graft and how to care for the graft for the best chance of success.

To sign up for the workshop, please phone our office during regular business hours (408) 723-6450 or email ritab@metroed.net.  Space is limited and this workshop has been very popular.

Location: Erikson Adult Ed Center, 4849 Pearl Ave., San Jose, 95136 Directions to Erikson Adult Ed Center

This annual workshop is so popular, we’ve added an additional time
slot. Join us in the morning at 10 a.m. or in the afternoon at 1:30
p.m. for a two-hour hands-on workshop.

Get ready for the holidays the old-fashioned way by making your own
wreath to adorn your front door!  Master Gardener Milli Wright and
friends will show us how to look through our gardens and parks to find
unusual items that can be incorporated into the wreaths.  After a basic
design lesson, and examples of other clever projects, you will be ready
to create your own personal gift for your home.  All basic materials
will be provided, but if you have some special greenery, lights or
ornaments that you would like to incorporate onto your wreath, feel
free to bring them along.

Location: Guadalupe River Park and Gardens, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, 95110 Directions to Guadalupe River Park & Garden