Events

Find great scion wood for grafting onto fruit trees, and attend free workshops on fruit varieties and on grafting trees taught by Master Gardener Bader Kudsi.   Hundreds of varieties of deciduous fruit tree scion wood are available for grafting on compatible fruit trees in your own backyard.

You can also find cuttings from fruit trees that you can propagate by simply planting them right away in the group (persimmon, pomegranate, fig, grapes and others).  Free, but donations gratefully received.  

Demonstration of grafting techniques at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the meeting hall.   Read more about scion wood and grafting techniques in the UC guide for Home Orchards, http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu

While waiting for the weather to get warm enough for spring planting, why not sign up for a pruning workshop in the Historic Orchard at Guadalupe River Park & Gardens?  This is the perfect time to prune (and plant) fruit trees.  Tools, techniques and basic pruning concepts will be taught by Sean McGrail, Pruning Specialist and Landscaper.   You will get to practice what you’ve learned -  and support the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens! -  by helping prune different varieties of fruit trees.  The Historic Orchard is a 3.3-acre site planted in 1994 to showcase the varieties of fruit trees that once made the Santa Clara valley famous as “The Valley of Heart’s Delight”.  It is located in Guadalupe Gardens just south of Taylor Street and adjacent to the River Park trails.  The orchard contains over 250 fruit trees, including cherries, apricots, prunes, apples, and more. It is maintained by dedicated volunteers.   Meet in the orchard, dress in layers, bring water and your sharp and clean pruners! 

Space is limited, so reserve your spot early by
contacting us at education@grpg.org or 408-298-7657 or by sending a check to: Friends of Guadalupe River
Park & Gardens,438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110. Visa and
MasterCard are also accepted via phone or mail.  For more information, please call 408-298-7657.

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 Saturday mornings, January 23 - February 27 from 10:00 a.m. - noon.

To register, call 408-268-1133.  Registration opens in December. 

Master Gardener Allen Buchinski, lead for the high density fruit tree orchard at Prusch Park, will be talking about and demonstrating Fruit Tree Pruning at the Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden.  We'll meet in the Growing Circle and move around the garden with the demonstrations on apple, plum, nectarine trees and possibly others.  See also http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu for great information on fruit tree care, including pruning.