Events

Why "growing your yard?" Growing a wide diversity of flowering plants will certainly help to attract many different kinds of insects and other organisms to your yard and encourage them to stay around, but it is only one factor. Other factors such as maintaining the health of the soil in your gardens and orchards, controlling organisms harmful to your plantings, and offering water and shelter as well as the food offered by the plants must be considered. In this class Carolyn Flanagan and Sue Van Stee will discuss the diversity of plants that attract birds, bees, hummingbirds and more to your yard. Carolyn and Sue will also define the term "beneficials" in relation to the plants and organisms attracted to them.

Location: Vineland Branch Library, 1450 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose Directions to Vineland Branch Library

Master Gardener Candace Simpson will teach us how to deal with vegetable pests and diseases in the most earth-friendly way, using the principles of IPM, Integrated Pest Management. Topics include cultural practices that discourage pests, mechanical barriers and removal methods, techniques for encouraging beneficial insects, and low-toxicity chemical controls.

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

Please join Master Gardener Gil Patrick to learn about what kind of damage different animals can do to your garden. Find out what they eat, and when they are active. Learn about the different ways to control them. Different types of traps will be demonstrated, so this presentation may not be appropriate for children.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

The Water Wizard Festival is an annual educational festival that celebrates our local watershed. Every year, environmental and education organizations from around the Bay Area come together at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens to teach approximately three hundred third graders important hands-on science lessons based on topics like water conservation, pollution prevention, the value of water as a natural resource, and how people can affect their watershed. After students enjoy a morning of fun-filled activities, they eat lunch while listening to music by ZunZun, an environmental education performing arts group.

We'll be hosting and information table - bring your gardening questions! - with children's activities. Drop by the Master Gardener tables and say hi!

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

A plant clinic will be offered at the Willow Glen Farmers' Market on the first Saturday of the month, staffed by Master Gardeners. We'll provide gardening information and assist you in finding solutions to individual gardening problems. The public is encouraged to bring their gardening questions, and also specimens of their plant problems (for example, leaves with mysterious black spots, withered fruit, a cute bug in a jar ...)

Location: Lincoln Ave. and Willow St., San Jose Directions to Willow Glen Farmers' Market

Meet the spring and summer stars that have been outstanding performers in our waterwise ornamental garden and learn how to use them in your home landscape.

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

Turn your kitchen and yard waste into black gold with this workshop on composting. The two hour workshop, taught by Master Composter and Master Gardener Joan Kyle, will teach you the basic strategies to successful home composting. Come learn what materials can be composted, different techniques for the best results, and receive tips and hints to choose the best method for you. Help make the world a greener place by joining in the fight for waste reduction - It's HOT to ROT!

Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose Directions to Guadalupe River Park

Do you want your garden to be as welcoming to bees, butterflies and birds as it is to your family and friends? Join Nancy Bower as she teaches you how to create a habitat in your garden, fit for beneficial insects, pollinating bees, and beautiful songbirds.

Location: Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd., San Jose Directions to Evergreen Branch Library

This walk-in summer Plant Clinic features personal consultations with UCCE Master Gardeners on problems specific to this season's gardens.

Topics include seasonal plants, soil types, pests and disease, plant nutrition, watering, organic sprays, healthy cultivation practices, methods to attract beneficial insects, and questions concerning summer problems in the garden! Plant samples welcome in sealed plastic bags. No reservations needed. Handouts.

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

Please join Master Gardener Gil Patrick to learn about what kind of damage different animals can do to your garden and home, what they eat and when they are active. Different types of control will be discussed for a variety of animals, and traps will be demonstrated for some, so no small children please.

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

Join Master Gardener Laura Westley as she takes you back to basics with Flowers 101. What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial? Which flowers grow well in the shade, sun or a little of both? Should you start them from seed, or go with transplants? Which flowers are easy to grow in the Bay Area? Come learn all this and get lots of ideas for your summer flower garden too!

Free but registration required. Call (650) 289-5400.

Location: Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto Directions to Avenidas

A panel of UCCE Master Gardeners and California Rare Fruit Growers will teach this class. Find out which cherries will have had the best success in Santa Clara valley and what new varieties to try. Learn how to plant, fertilize, water, and prune a cherry tree. We will discuss different ways to deter the Spotted Wing Drosophila (Cherry Vinegar Fly). This is a new pest that turns cherries into mush.

Get ready for a few surprises from the panel, and bring your experiences to share with the class. This will be a fun and fast moving class.

Please RSVP (although walk-ins welcome!) Send email to both weedeater@earthlink.net and gargoyleden@verizon.net.

See also http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu for information on growing fruit and nut trees in the home garden.

Location: Grange Hall, 8191 Swanston Lane, Gilroy Directions to Grange Hall

Joan will teach us how to control garden pests in the home garden. She will discuss environmentally sensitive approaches to pest problems. Topics will include preventative methods, cultural practices to discourage pests, how to deal with pest population explosions, how to encourage beneficial insects, and appropriate control measures that will have little or no affect on the environment.

Sponsored by the Morgan Hill Community Garden.

Location: The Granary, 17500 Depot Street, Morgan Hill Directions to The Granary

Master Gardener Jim Maley will give useful advice on selecting, cultivating, and harvesting both hot and sweet peppers that grow well in our area.

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

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. After the talk we’ll be in the garden ready to answer your questions about your plants at home. Be sure to bring samples of anything you’re struggling with – plants, insects, weeds.

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, 433 Charles St., Sunnyvale Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Master Gardener Laura Balaoro will give an introduction to succulents. She will describe growing habits and conditions for many varieties, talk about how to plant them directly in your garden, and how to use them indoors in time for the holidays. Laura is an expert not only in the requirements of growing different kinds of succulents, but also in container design and maintenance.

Location: West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road, San Jose Directions to West Valley Branch Library

One of the benefits of living in the our area is the opportunity to grow a wide variety of citrus trees. Join Master Gardeners for a presentation on the basics of growing and cultivating citrus fruit, and learn which varieties are most productive in our region.

We will start our workshop in the boardroom of the hospital, and finish with hands on demonstration in the South County Demonstration Garden.

Location: South County Demonstration Garden, Saint Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy Directions to South County Demonstration Garden

This class offers a holistic approach for achieving a beautiful water-efficient, healthy garden. Join Master Gardener Deva Luna to learn about plant selection, irrigation and use of mulch and compost.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

Always dream of planting your own vineyard? Or do you have grapes in the ground and want a better understanding of how to care for them? In this session, you'll get an overview of what's needed to establish and maintain table and/or wine grapes. Master Gardener Lisa Strand will cover the basics of site selection and preparation, the grape varieties suited to our Mediterranean climate, and share a year in the life of young vines (and what you'll need to do to ensure a healthy crop). Whether you're interested in fresh table grapes, or have your eye on making your own estate wine, this session will provide you with a overview of what you can expect as an amateur vigneron.

Location: Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga Directions to Saratoga Library

Learn why spiders are nature's best pest control, and other IPM tips. IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management, where we try to use least toxic control methods first. Join Master Gardeners to learn why we firmly believe there are no bad bugs!

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

One of the benefits of living in the our area is the opportunity to grow a wide variety of citrus trees. Join Master Gardener Nancy Garrison for a presentation on the basics of growing and cultivating citrus fruit, and learn which varieties are most productive in our region.

Location: Vineland Branch Library, 1450 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose Directions to Vineland Branch Library

Master Gardener Deva Luna, sustainable landscape designer, walks you through creating a design showing a simple lawn conversion to drought tolerant plants.

Location: Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd., San Jose Directions to Evergreen Branch Library

Master Gardener Candace Simpson will teach us how to deal with vegetable pests and diseases in the most earth-friendly way, using the principles of IPM, Integrated Pest Management. Topics include cultural practices that discourage pests, mechanical barriers and removal methods, techniques for encouraging beneficial insects, and low-toxicity chemical controls.

Location: Cupertino Community Town Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino Directions to Cupertino Community Town Hall

Deva Luna, Master Gardener and sustainable landscape designer, shows how edibles can be incorporated beautifully into the landscape, instead of being relegated to "the back forty," and shares some of her favorite edible plants for landscaping use.

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

Please join Master Gardener Laura Balaoro to learn about remarkable succulents with varied colors, shape and textures that can be grown in large or small spaces in our mild Meditteranean climate. Most are happy in partial shade, and require little attention. The talk will cover which succulents grow in winter and are dormant in summer, which grow well in shade, the many ways to use succulents, how and where to plant them in your garden, common pathogens and propagation methods. If possible, planting demonstration will be included.

Location: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara Directions to Santa Clara Central Park Library

What do we mean by "crop rotation" and how does this apply to the home vegetable gardener? Learn what to plant as the seasons change.

Crop rotation is an important factor when planning the vegetable garden. Many disease organisms are soil-borne, and may persist in the soil for several years. Disease problems often increase when the same crop is planted in the same area in successive years. Annually rotating your vegetables in the garden can help reduce the severity of diseases.

Rotation may also help curb insect infestations. Insect populations and plant damage may increase when the same crop is planted in the same area over several years.

Additionally, vegetable crops in the same botanical family are often susceptible to the same diseases and insects.

For crop rotation to be effective, gardeners should not plant vegetables belonging to the same plant family in the same location for two or three years. Crop rotation in a small garden may be difficult. However, home gardeners should rotate their vegetable crops as best they can. Join Master Gardener Niki Muller to learn how you can apply this helpful technique in your garden, and potentially avoid diseases or pests.

Location: Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd., San Jose Directions to Evergreen Branch Library