Growing Fruits and Berries Sustainably

Our mild Mediterranean climate allows us to grow a dazzling variety of temperate and subtropical fruits and berries. Learn how to harvest delicious fruit from your garden every month of the year. This course stresses how sustainable gardening practices such as efficient watering methods, integrated pest management and use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments apply to growing fruits and berries. Pome fruits (apples and pears), stone fruits (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and cherries), citrus and other subtropicals are covered, as well asblueberries, raspberries, strawberries and other berries.

Topics include: soil preparation, planting (including space-saving techniques) and establishment of plants in the first year; irrigation methods and systems; cultural requirements of specific fruits and berries; recommended varieties of deciduous fruits, citrus, avocados and other subtropicals; and pruning, including summer pruning for controlling tree size.

The class meets on six Wednesday evenings from June 17 - July 22.  Each class is two hours long, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.   The last class is a field trip to a local garden.

Register at http://paadultschool.org or call 650-329-3752.