The length of a talk follows the title. For example, "Turning Trash to Treasure (25)" means that talk is 25 minutes long.

12:15 - 1:15 p.m. Seeding Workshop Drop by to plant flower or vegetable seeds in containers that you can take home. Fun for kids and adults! Location: Ornamental Flowers Sales Area.

Description of Gardening Talks - Located all around the Spring Garden Market - Look for the signs

40-Minute Talks

Edible Landscaping - 11:30 Learn how to grow flowers, vegetables and fruit trees together, linked with wonderful pathways that unify the design. Large beds can be anchored with fruit trees, and summer sun and winter shade create exciting micro climates.

Fruit Tree Care and Pruning - 1:10 With proper care, the fruit trees in your yard can provide abundant crops of delicious, organic fruit. Learn to prune to develop a healthy structure, increase yield, and manage the size of your trees.

Growing Great Tomatoes - 10:00 Learn best practices for planting, staking, and watering.

Love Your Santa Clara County Clay Soil - Turn it into Garden Gold - 10:45 Learn how to dig, amend, fertilize, and mulch your soil to grow great veggies.

Make Your Own Tomato Supports - 11:00 Learn how to make inexpensive, effective, DIY tomato supports that work for years, and review the pros and cons of some of the most commonly purchased supports.  

Short Talks (15, 20 or 25 minutes)

All About Basil - 10:20, 11:20 Basil varieties for all tastes! Today we're selling multi-packs containing a mix of several basil varieties.  We'll discuss the different varieties, highlighting their best uses.

Aphids - 9:20 Learn earth-friendly ways to deal with one of the most common pests in the garden, using Integrated Pest Management techniques.

Arboretum All-Stars - 1:00 Did you know Master Gardeners all over California, in collaboration with UC Davis, have been trialing low-water plants? We've compiled a list of 100+ All-Stars, from groundcovers to spring bulbs to flowering shrubs to trees. Join us for a talk on how to select an All-Star for your garden, where to find it, and how to care for it.

Bean Tipi - 10:00 Learn how to make supports for growing vines, using branches, twine and paint. Using mostly found or leftover items, you can build a vertical structure for your garden. See how you can build a tipi to trellis pole beans or vining flowers, or turn it into a garden fort using stuff you've already got in your garden or garage.

Blueberries - 11:45 Learn about the different types of blueberries, and what to consider when purchasing each type. You'll learn when to plant, how to prepare the soil, fertilizing, watering, and controlling insects or predators.

Citrus - Best and Uncommon Varieties for Santa Clara County - 12:40 Learn from Master Gardener experts the best varieties and how to plan your orchard for year-round harvest. We'll discuss mandarins (tangerines), oranges, grapefuit, lemons, limes, and an assortment of less common, but fantastic, types for eating and juicing. Master Gardener Nancy Garrison has taste-tested hundreds of different citrus varieties and will share her favorites with you.

Compost Made Easy - 9:20 Learn a fun and easy way to get started composting kitchen waste and plant matter, with information on worm composting as well.

Container Gardening - 10:30 Learn the basics of container gardening: what soil to use, how to water, when to fertilize, different container materials and the appropriate size container. Both vegetables and flowers do great in containers - even together! We will also discuss common pests.

Cucurbits - What Are They? 10:00, 12:45 This family of vegetables includes cucumbers, melons, summer squash, and winter squash. Learn when and how to grow and harvest them.

Cutting Garden - Flowers - 9:40, 12:00 It's easy to grow flowers year-round that you can cut and enjoy in the house. We'll tell you about unusual varieties of annuals and perennials that work wonderfully as cut flowers.  

Gardening with Succulents - 12:30 What are the tips and tricks for gardening with succulents? It is not just about placing a succulent in dirt, and letting the plant grow on its own. We will touch on soil, water, and light/sun exposure. You will also see some succulents that are winter growers.

Gopher Baskets - 10:30 Save your plants, and some money! Make your own gopher baskets. Protect the roots of your plants from gopher damage by planting in a wire basket. Learn how to make your own with wire fencing and pliers.

Growing Mediterranean and Drought Tolerant Herbs - 10:00, 11:30  Mediterranean and other drought tolerant herbs can be a beautiful part of your permanent landscape, while using very little water. Learn about herbs that can be planted together, and have prolific blooms and pleasant fragrances. Learn tips on how to grow them, and tips on pruning and maintenance. These are some of the most popular culinary herbs that are also easy to grow.

Herbs for Shady Areas - 10:30 Do you want to grow herbs, but have very little sunlight? Find out which herbs tolerate shade, or partial shade. Learn how to incorporate them into a shade garden, for their interest as beautiful plants, and to provide you with a variety of flavors.

Identify Critter Damage in Your Garden - 12:00 Learn how to deal with critters in your garden: gophers, moles, squirrels and rats.

New Herbs for the Spring Garden Market - 9:30, 11:00 This year we grew thirteen new herbs for the Spring Garden Market. Learn how to use them to make teas, add to salads, and flavor vegetables, soups, eggs, meat, and more. You'll learn what the herbs need to flourish in your garden, and growing tips from the herb experts.

Our Favorite Tools - 10:00, 11:30 More than 300 Master Gardeners compiled 25+ years experience to recommend great tools and books. Come find out which ones are our Top Ten Favorites. Why did the ones we selected get the thumb's up?

Peppers - A Salsa Garden - 10:20, 11:20 Learn about the peppers most suited for making your favorite salsa, from mild and sweet to hot and spicy. Add your home-grown tomatoes and cilantro - voila, homemade salsa!

Plants From Other Plants - Propagating Cuttings - 11:45 Learn how to grow new plants from cuttings.

Seeding Workshop - 12:15 Drop by to plant flower or vegetable seeds in containers that you can take home. Fun for kids and adults! Location: Ornamentals Flowers Sales Area.

Snail-Free Gardening - 12:30 Ever think about what gardening would be like without snails? Our speaker never did either ... until now.

Space-Saving Ideas in the Garden - 12:15 We'll demonstrate how to make the most of your growing space, including vertical planting and hanging baskets.

Spilling the Beans on Beans - 11:00 Beans are easy to grow, and you can grow them year-round, while enriching your soil.

Starting from Seed Through Transplant - 12:15 Learn how to start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants from seed. You will be taken through the steps from seeding to transplant into the garden, for a healthy start for your summer veggies. Learn what to plant, and when to plant for best results.

Sunflowers - 10:40, 11:40 Learn about different varieties, seeding, what to do next, and uses as cut flowers.

Strawberries Demystified 10:00, 12:20 Learn to grow these wonderful fruits, and which varieties we recommend.

Taking Care of Your New Plants - 9:20, 9:40, 10:00, 10:20, 10:40, 11:00 Learn tips from the pros about how to take care of your new plants until it is time to put them in the ground. Now is too early to put most summer vegetables in the ground.

Tomato Varieties - 9:30, 11:00 Not sure what variety to grow? Learn about the many possibilities, and choose what's best for you. We'll talk about the varieties we're selling at the Spring Garden Market, highlighting their best uses. We'll explain how we choose the varieties that we sell.

Turning Trash to Treasure - 11:00 Don't throw away that treasure - find out fun ways to re-use it in the garden, and keep it out of the landfill. From trellises to imaginative walkways,  those old stakes and broken concrete can take on a new life. We'll talk about our Top Ten Repurposed Treasures.

Worm Composting 1:20 Want to compost your food scraps, but don't have room for a compost pile? Learn how worms can turn those scraps into awesome compost. Cauliflower bottoms, coffee grounds, apple cores, stale bread ... keep it all out of the landfill, and put it to good use as worm castings in your garden.