Erikson MetroEd

Join us for a practical and informative talk on growing and caring for roses in your own home garden.  Master Gardener Sharon McCray will teach the novice and experienced gardener about rose culture, how to plant, prune, prevent diseases, feed and care for them for many years of gorgeous blooms.

To sign up for the workshop, phone the Erikson office during regular business hours at 408-723-6450 or email Ritab@metroed.net.

Pruning fruit trees is always a popular topic! Pruning will:

*Control tree's size for easier care in maintaining and picking fruit

* Increase strength - develop strong limb structure

* Distribute sunlight evenly throughout tree

* Regulate fruit bearing - remove excess fruitwood

* Renew fruitwood - continue strong buds and flowers

* Remove undesirable wood - dead, broken and crossing branches

The best time of year to prune fruit trees is the dormant season, December, January (best) and until the middle of February, but note summer schedule for Apricots.

See also the University of California guide for home orchards at http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu

The workshop is free but registration is required. Please register by contacting RitaB@metroed.net or calling 408-723-6450 from Monday through Friday during business hours.

Master Gardener Bader Kudsi will teach gardeners of all skill levels how to graft different varieties of fruit trees.  Grafting involves joining two genetically distinct plants so that they unite to continue growth as a single plant.  A short section of a shoot taken from the type of fruit tree that you want to grow is inserted into a limb or trunk of a seedling tree - the rootstock.  The rootstocks have desirable characteristics that make them preferable to growing a tree on its own roots.

Some species cannot be propagated by techniques known as cutting or layering, but can be propagated by grafting.  You can also graft several varieties onto one rootstock, and the resulting tree will bear several varieties of fruit! 

See also the University of California guide for home orchards at http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu

To sign up for the workshop please contact RitaB@metroed.net or call the MetroEd office, Monday through Friday during business hours, at 408-723-6450.

Master Gardener Lee Ann Ray will answer all your questions about pests in your garden - the good guys as well as the bad guys!   Join us for a free talk on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the home gardener.

The workshop will cover prevention techniques - the most successful AND environmentally-friendly being to encourage beneficial insects in your garden.   Lee Ann will describe how to accomplish this.  She will cover prevention techniques, pest and plant symptom identification, action thresholds and sustainable management methods.  You will discover and discuss low-impact solutions to common gardening challenges and the maintenance and enrichment of our natural gardening environments.

Registration required: Those interested in attending, please send email to ritab@metroed.net or phone 408-723-6450.

Sat, Sep 13

Join Master Gardener Karen Schaffer for a two-hour free workshop on Cool Season Gardening.  Now is the perfect time to start winter greens, chard, lettuce, kale, radish, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and more!  You will be harvesting delicious vegetables from November through March.

The class is free but we request that you pre-register by phoning the MetroEd office during business hours at 408-723-6450 or by sending email to RitaB@metroed.net.  Please include a phone number in your email.  Registration forms are available at the door.