A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins Saturday, February 1 with a timely session on starting summer vegetable plants from seed and concludes in early June with a workshop on wildlife attracted to garden areas planted with natives. In all, this Spring 2025 Series totals 19 workshops, including six all-new topics. There is something here for every type of gardener and every size of home garden, whether you maintain a balcony of plants in containers or produce fruit and vegetables on a large plot for your family, friends, and neighbors. For a list of all the workshops and to register for any of the first six workshops described below, visit our website.
For the first time, we are offering a workshop on ways to implement hardscaping to create manageable garden areas. Our workshop on installing and maintaining a drip irrigation system will help you integrate efficient watering into the different zones within your garden.
We've got a workshop on jump-starting your garden for a successful growing season!
If you plan to grow vegetables this year, our workshop on companion planting in the vegetable garden will provide lots of practical information and plenty of inspiration for plant combinations that provide one another with nutrients, shade, and physical support.
We've got a workshop on growing berries and grapes, and will once again present our popular workshop on fruit tree care and maintenance. A new workshop will delve into the tasty topic of growing herbs and edible flowers.
Many of us are grappling with the sad reality of fire-damaged soil. A new workshop on post-fire soil recovery covers the steps needed to bring fire-scorched soil back to life, including erosion control, incorporating compost, adding microbes, reseeding, and mulching.
Of course, gardening successfully does not come without its challenges. We tackle the problem of invertebrate pests in our workshop on dealing with gophers, moles, and voles. Weeds are another kind of pest entirely, and one that pretty much every gardener must contend with. To the rescue: our workshop on identifying and controlling weeds. While we may consider weeds to be noxious and without merit, in fact they can offer important clues about the health of the soil.
Our own health is the topic of a new workshop on the many benefits of creating therapeutic spaces in our home gardens.
Well-maintained garden tools can make working in the garden easier and more pleasurable; we've got a workshop on tool maintenance and care to help you extend the life of your garden tools and perhaps give you some ideas for new additions to your toolshed.
Most of the workshops will be held in the outdoor classroom in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden located at the Patrick Ranch (10381 Midway, between Chico and Durham). Other locations include the OLLI classroom at The Social residence halls in Chico; the Chapman Park Teaching Garden at the Dorothy F. Johnson Center in Chico; the Terry Ashe Recreation Center on Skyway in Paradise; Sutherlands Landscape Center; and Full Circle Florals in Vina.
The following list covers our February and March workshops. All workshops are free, but they do require advance registration. For full workshop descriptions and to register, visit our website.
Seed Starting (Saturday 2/1). Learn to start your own plants from seed. The focus here is on tomatoes and peppers. Many options for seed starting indoors will be covered, including proper lighting and temperature control.
Stem Propagation (Saturday, 2/8). Learn when and how to propagate woody perennials and divide plants; the proper techniques for dividing plants; the best planting mediums to use; and how to plant cuttings and divided plants.
Year-Round Fruit Tree Care (Saturday, 2/15). Learn what to do throughout the year to keep your fruit trees healthy and ensure the most successful crops. Pruning, irrigation, fertilizers, and cultural practices will all be covered.
Drip Irrigation Installation and Maintenance (Friday, 2/21). Drip irrigation is arguably the most efficient method of providing water to trees, crops, gardens, and landscapes. This workshop provides an overview of different options available for drip irrigation systems and covers how to install, inspect, troubleshoot, and repair them.
MARCH
Post-Fire Soil Recovery NEW (Monday, March 10). Wildfires can damage soil, increasing the risk of erosion and nutrient depletion. This workshop will cover the steps you can take to bring your soil back to life, including erosion control, incorporating compost, adding microbes, reseeding, and mulching.
Healing Gardens NEW (Wednesday, March 19). Quiet, solitude, and a connection with nature can be vital to one's peace of mind and even help speed recovery from illness. Join us for a presentation that looks at a number of gardens designed specifically for this purpose and then explores ways in which we can create therapeutic, healing spaces in our own home gardens.
Details of the workshops to be offered from April through June will be posted in the coming weeks. Registration for each month's workshops opens no later than two weeks before the first day of that month.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
