Events

Graywater is water from your shower, clothes washer and bathroom sink
that is re-used for landscape irrigation. Learn about different systems
and how easy and safe graywater can be.

Free but registration required:  call 650-340-3000 or email landscape@bawsca.org

See http://bawsca.org/water-conservation/residential-outdoor/
for full list of Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency "2010
Spring Landscape Series"  (9 free classes between May 1 - June 5, in
Mountain View,  Los Altos Hills, Daly City, Palo Alto, Hayward, Belmont,
Milpitas and Foster City).

Location: Mountain View - details given when registering.

Visit the headquarters of Sunset Magazine to tour the grounds and demonstration homes and gardens, and discover over 120 exhibitors who have ideas for your backyard and beyond, representing travel, food, wine and beer, garden, home and design.

Don't miss the stellar line-up of celebrity chefs, garden, Idea Home
and design speakers plus musical acts.

Not to be missed is "Secondhand Sunset," where you can shop for treasures we’ve uncovered
from our prop studio, library, Idea Houses, and even our own closets.
And, be on the lookout for a large selection of home and garden goods
that have appeared in the magazine. All proceeds go to charity.

 

Visit the Master Gardener booth at the annual Sunset Magazine Celebration - bring your gardening questions or stop by to say hi. 

Discounts

Receive $1 off general or senior admission when you park at Sun Microsystems-1601 Willow Road; east of Hwy 101-and take the
shuttle to Celebration Weekend.

Receive $1 off general admission if you bicycle to the event.

Advance
tickets may be purchased for groups of 10 or more. A
portion of the proceeds will benefit the Children's Health Council. No
pets, please. Box office opens at 9:30 am on event days.

Questions
Call 800-786-7375 or send an email to celebration@sunset.com

Location:

Sunset Magazine Headquarters, 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park 94025

Directions to Sunset

Come to a workshop in the garden to discuss how to control fruit tree growth with summer pruning.   Winter pruning when the trees are dormant stimulates growth; summer pruning helps keep the trees smaller (8' if desired) to help with harvest.  Hands-on demo will be part of the workshop and handouts provided.   See also http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu for information on selecting, planting, caring for, watering, pruning and harvesting fruit trees.

 The workshop will be followed by an Open Garden - come wander the edibles garden and our large waterwise garden.  Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions.

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

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.  We'll walk around the garden and look for challenges and talk about how to handle them.  Check out the UC Davis website, http://ipm.ucdavis.edu - a treasure trove of information on pests and diseases.

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Gardens, 433 Charles St., Sunnyvale 94086 Directions to Charles Street Community Garden

Flowers in the home say "Welcome!"  Join UCCE Master Gardener Milli Wright and team to learn how to create your own garden of cutting flowers.  Be inspired to create your own arrangements with what you gather from your yard.  Instructors will bring flowers and other plant materials for demonstration.

See also the project report about Cutting Flowers that this team published in 2006 on our website: http://www.mastergardeners.org/projects/ninepalms/2006/cutflowers.html

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

Learn how to grow your own delicious, healthy vegetables.  This talk by Master Gardener Laura Monczynski will includes instructions for growing vegetables in containers as well as in the ground.  You'll have an opportunity to plant seeds to take home with you.  Growing your own food is a great family activity! 

Check out our short videos and handouts on our special "Spring Garden Market Bonus" webpage, http://mastergardeners.org/SGM-Bonus.  We put online many videos and handouts on vegetable gardening topics:  drip irrigation; growing peppers, basil, herbs, flowers; tomatoes varieties and good ways to stake tomatoes; creating mosaic stepping stones from "trash" in your garage or shed ... and more.

Location:

Alum Rock Branch Library, 3090 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, 95127

Directions to Alum Rock Branch Library

Join Master Gardener Lise Varner as she teaches all about gardening in containers.  You can 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 container 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 such as herbs, fruits and vegetables, including ones that you can plant right now!

In celebration of Adult Summer Reading, we will have a drawing at the end of the program for giveaways.
 

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

Learn how easy it is to reduce the size of your lawn and add beautiful low-water native and Mediterranean plants at this talk by Master Gardener Angie Chiappa.  You can also plan for year-round bloom, which is attractive and provides food for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. 

Location:

Santa Clara City Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara 95051

Directions to Santa Clara City Central Park Library

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

Learn about controlled distribution of water, how much is the right amount for veggies and ornmentals and learn about different ways to water (hand watering, drip irrigation, spray heads controlleds by irrigation controller that uses hydrozones and other types of irrigation).

Followed by Open Garden in the Water Wise Garden and Edibles Garden, which features 4 vegetable beds interplanted with flowers that attract beneficials, espalier and 3-in-a-hole fruit trees, container plantings and compost and worm bins on site.  The Water Wise Garden features 5 large beds, including one all-native plants; the other beds incorporate low-water Mediterranean plants.  See our Plant Dictionary at http://mastergardeners.org/plant-dictionary for details on plants we grow in the Water Wise Garden. 

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

Master Gardener Jean Lee will share her expertise growing Asian vegetables in her year-round Santa Clara County garden.  Learn how (and when) to plant and harvest various Asian vegetables.  Slides of Asian vegetables will illustrate the talk - some taken in Jean's garden and some from Jean's travels in China. 

Location:

West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose 95117

Directions to West Valley Library

Succulents are great water wise plants outdoors, and make beautiful arrangements!  Join Master Gardener Laura Balaoro for a talk all about succulents.

Location: Santa Teresa Library, 290 International Circle, San Jose 95119 Directions to Santa Teresa Library

California native plants can add beauty and interest to your garden while at the same time reduce the amount of water needed.  Come learn about some good plants for our area and how to integrate them into your garden.  We'll look closely at the native plants growing in the demo and community garden. 

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching at Demonstration Garden, in the Charles Street Community Garden, Olive Street near Charles Avenue, Sunnyvale 94086 Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Venga con Sylvia Ortiz, maetra de jardineria, para aprender a cultivar verduras en cacetas, empezando con semilas.  (Join Master Gardener Sylva Ortiz as she demonstrates how to grow vegetables in containers, starting from seeds.)

Location:

Biblioteca Latinoamericana Branch Library, 921 South 1st Street, San Jose 95110

 

Directions to Biblioteca Latinoamerica Library

Join Master Gardener Laura Westley as she explains how maintaining a healthy garden is the first step to dealing with pests.  She’ll introduce the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach and discuss how to deal with specific pests in a sustainable and proactive way.  Check out the UC Davis website, http://ipm.ucdavis.edu - a treasure trove of information on pests and diseases.

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

 Do you have shady spots?  Spots that get uneven watering or that are difficult to water?  Soil challenges?  Come join Master Gardener Roberta Barnes for a discussion of plants for tough spots.  Bring your questions about all the tough spots in your garden.

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

Interested in becoming a master gardener?  Come to one of our Information Meetings to learn more about the program and to pick up an application.   The information meetings are August 5, 7 - 9 p.m. and August 26, 1 - 3 p.m.  The in-depth master gardener training will take place from January, 2011 - May, 2011; the new class meets once a week on Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  Topics include: basic botany, vegetable and ornamental gardening, fruit trees and landscape trees and shrubs, pruning and other garden maintenance, watering and water wise plants, composting and nurturing the soil, Integrated Pest Management and other topics.  The focus of each topic is sustainable gardening practices.

The information meetings are free and open to all; there is a fee (about $150) for the training that includes the the cost of 3 books: the California Master Gardener Handbook, Pests of the Garden and Small Farm and Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs.  All three texts are published by the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources; if you are interested in these reference books they are available on the UC ANR website, http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu.

See http://www.mastergardeners.org/class/2011 for more information.

Location: Santa Clara County Offices, Building Two, 1555 Berger Drive, San Jose, 95112 Directions to Santa Clara County Government Office Buildings

Now is the time to think about starting your cool season vegetable gardening!  Join Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw to learn what vegetables to grow in the fall and winter (cauliflowr, broccoli, kale and many other greens, peas, and so many more), how to get them started, grow and harvest them.  After the talk, plant a 6-pack of cool season vegetable seeds to take home with you.  Check out our online vegetable planting guidelines: http://mastergardeners.org/warm-cool-veg-charts

Location:

Evergreen Library, 2635 Aborn Road, San Jose 95121

Directions to Evergreen Branch Library

Dozes of activities for all ages - including the Junior Livestock Auction. Look for the Master Gardener booth! See http://thefair.org for details. 

Location:

Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, San Jose, 95111

Directions to Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

We'll discuss planning a fall vegetable garden and easy seed starting so you can enjoy a bounty of fresh vegetables all winter long.  Now is the time to plant broccoli and cauliflower and start seeds to plant in September. 

Followed by Open Garden in the Water Wise Garden and Edibles Garden.

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

Ask UCCE Master Gardeners all about your garden problems at this walk-in Plant Clinic. Get a personal consultation with Master Gardeners on plant diseases or general problems with your garden, including soil types, plant nutrition, watering, landscape or pests.  Other topics include: organic sprays, cultivation practices, methods to attract beneficial insects as well as questions concerning roses and problems growing tomatoes.

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

It's time to start thinking about your fall/winter garden to start it from seed.  Come for a hands-on demo of seeding - you do it - and learn how to care for those seedlings.  You'll leave ith a six-pack seeded with cool season vegetables to keep warm and moist for 4-8 weeks and then transplant into the ground in September-October. Some plants like cauliflower and broccoli are best planted in August. 

See our cool season planting guide for info: http://mastergardeners.org/help/vegetables

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Garden on Olive St. near Charles St., Sunnyvale 94086 Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

It's time to start thinking about your cool season vegetable garden.  Learn about the wonderful array of vegetables that thrive in our fall/winter season.  We'll discuss how to plan your garden and when to plant your seeds and seedlings so you can harvest fresh vegetables all winter long.

Check out our Vegetable Planting Guidelines at http://mastergardeners.org/warm-cool-veg-charts for ideas on what sort of vegetables you can grow over fall/winter, and, for an idea of when to put them in the ground (or start from seed).   This and much more will be covered in class. 

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

Master Gardeners will host an information table - bring your gardening questions!  - and a hands-on Children's Activity that will teach children about planting and entertain visitors of all ages.

Location: Alum Rock Avenue from 101 to Manning/Millar Avenues, San Jose 95127 Directions to Alum Rock Avenue

Master Gardener Susan Zaslaw will share her tips for successfully growing edible alliums in your backyard garden.  Learn how to take advantage of our Bay Area mild and rainy winters to grow a gourmet garden of bulbing onions, garlic and shallots.  Learn how to select the best varieties for our area, how to prepare the soil, when and how to plant, grow, harvest and preserve your alliums.  Handouts will be provided.

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

Tune in to KKUP at 91.5 FM at 10 a.m. for a great show about chiles from the expert afficianados! Join us for a free-form chile pepper discussion.  Call in at 408-260-2999 with your questions and comments on any and all things chile pepper. 

Topics include: 

Pimento de Padron - a mild pepper, popular for saute for tapas appetizer

Bhut Jolokia – World Hottest
Ulupica – Root Chile of the World
Favorite Chiles
Seed Saving
Seed Starting
Planting
Straw Bale Planting
Favorite Recipes
Chile Food Preservation
Chile First Aid Ideas

Location: KKUP 91.5 FM - call in number 408-260-2999 KKUP

Interested in becoming a master gardener?  Come to one of our
Information Meeting on August 26, 1-3 p.m.,  to learn more about the program and to pick up an
application.   The in-depth master gardener training will take place
from January, 2011 - May, 2011; the new class meets once a week on
Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  Topics include: basic botany,
vegetable and ornamental gardening, fruit trees and landscape trees and
shrubs, pruning and other garden maintenance, watering and water wise
plants, composting and nurturing the soil, Integrated Pest Management
and other topics.  The focus of each topic is sustainable gardening
practices.

The information meetings are free and open to all; there is a fee (about
$150) for the training that includes the the cost of 3 books: the
California Master Gardener Handbook, Pests of the Garden and Small Farm
and Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs.  All three texts are published
by the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources; if
you are interested in these reference books they are available on the UC
ANR website, http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu.

See http://www.mastergardeners.org/class/2011 for more information. 

Location: Santa Clara County Office Buildings, Building Two, Auditorium, 1555 Berger Dr., San Jose, 95112 Directions to Santa Clara County Office Buildings