A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins February 3 with a timely session on starting summer vegetable plants from seed and concludes at the end of May with an exploration of weeds – how to identify common weeds, and what their presence can indicate about the health of your soil. In all, this Spring Series totals 20 workshops, including five 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 full descriptions of all the workshops and to register, visit our website.
The many fascinating ways in which California native plants have adapted in order to succeed despite our hot, dry summers is the focus of a new workshop. And if harvesting plants in their natural habitat for medicinal use interests you, Jules Pecson of Fiona's Forest will be returning to teach a workshop on the practice of wildcrafting.
When you are adding more native plants to your own garden why not make choices that also help attract and support birds? We've got a new workshop on creating a bird-friendly garden that also appeals to humans. And don't forget about the bees! Our workshop on native bees will help you understand their plant and habitat needs and provide you with the information you need to support these valuable pollinators.
We've got workshops on caring for roses and cultivating succulents. If you are interested in adding food plants to the ornamentals in your garden, our workshop on edible landscaping is for you. Adding some fruit trees is one way to incorporate edibles into your garden, and our popular workshop on fruit tree care is being offered twice.
Of course, gardening does not come without its challenges, which often arrive in the form of noxious weeds. But the appearance of weeds can also provide valuable information about the health of your soil, a topic covered in our workshop on weed identification. As gardeners we also grapple with challenges presented by all kinds of pests; our workshop on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is designed to help you address pest problems safely.
Finally, no gardener gets younger as time marches on. Our “Gardening for a Lifetime” workshop offers plenty of practical advice to help transform increasingly difficult chores into sustainable activities, so we can continue to be active in the garden as we age.
Most of the workshops will be held in the outdoor classroom located in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden or inside Pat's Barn; both are located at the Patrick Ranch (10381 Midway, between Chico and Durham). Other locations include the Terry Ashe Recreation Center on Skyway; the Paradise Veterans Hall; and the OLLI classroom at The Social residence halls in Chico. The Fruit Tree Care workshops will be held at a private residence, and the Edible Landscaping workshop will be presented via Zoom. While most of the workshops take place during morning or early afternoon hours, the workshops on soil health and edible landscaping are offered later in the afternoon.
The following is a list of workshop topics and dates. All workshops are free, but they do require advance registration. For full descriptions of all the workshops and to register, visit our website.
FEBRUARY
Seed Starting (Saturday 2/3). 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.
Gardening for a Lifetime (Wednesday 2/7). Practical advice about plants, labor-saving techniques, tools, and exercises to help us continue to garden successfully as we (inevitably) age.
Wildcrafting (Monday 2/12). Learn from experienced herbalist Jules Pecson of Fiona's Forest as she discusses the practice of harvesting plants in their natural habitats and their uses in medicinal remedies, tinctures, and salves.
Rose Care and Propagation (Tuesday 2/20). Keep your roses healthy throughout the year! From preparing the soil through planting, fertilizing, watering, pruning, and pest management, Butte Rose Society Consulting Rosarian Gwen Quail will share a wealth of guidelines, tips, and how-to's for happy roses.
Gardening in the Foothills (3/11). The focus here is on the rewards and challenges faced by those who garden in our foothill areas. Topics include soil structure, biochar and soil building; water-wise gardening; pest management; planting systems for different landscape types; solar impact; and plant selection.
Edible Landscaping (Monday 3/18). You can have a productive AND beautiful edible landscape by incorporating fruit and nut trees, vegetables, and herbs into the garden. This workshop focuses on the use of food plants as design features that contribute aesthetic value as well as tasty food to the garden.
“Black Gold” – Vermiculture (Wednesday 3/20). This workshop will teach you how to create rich, nutritious compost with help from worms. A Certified Composter will show you how to get started and how to keep the worms happy so they continue to create valuable Black Gold for your plants.
Propagation (Saturday 3/23). Come to learn when and how to propagate woody perennials and divide plants; leave this workshop with plant cuttings from our Demonstration Garden to start at home.
Fruit Tree Care (Wednesday 3/27). What are the best practices for cultivating fruit trees? Orchardist Tom Hansen covers pruning, irrigation, fertilizers, and cultural practices in this information-packed workshop (also offered on 4/13).
Soil Health (Monday 4/1). The three most important things you can do in your garden for healthier plants, more nutritious food, and a waterwise landscape are the focus of this workshop. Specifically: no till; no bare soil; and no herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Learn how soil health, plant health, and people's health are all connected.
Native Gardens for the Birds (Friday 4/12). Make your garden a habitat that supports birds throughout the year. Learn which bird species you can expect to attract; the plants they like; and how to arrange different types and sizes of plants in order to provide food, shelter, protection, and nesting sites.
Fruit Tree Care (Saturday 4/13). What are the best practices for cultivating fruit trees? Orchardist Tom Hansen covers pruning, irrigation, fertilizers, and cultural practices in this information-packed workshop (also offered on 3/27).
Irrigation (Wednesday 4/17). 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.
Succulents (Friday 4/19). Succulents do well in our climate because their thick, fleshy leaves retain water during long dry summers, and their striking appearance makes them great choices for ornamental gardens. This workshop covers heat and water requirements; which types do well in containers and which ones are happy when planted in the ground; and includes a tour of our new Succulent Garden.
Composting (Friday 4/26). Learn to make wonderful soil-enriching compost from leaves, garden waste, and kitchen scraps. This workshop covers the different ways to create compost, using techniques that range from simple to complex. Knowing the choices can help you choose the style that best fits your own resources and needs.
Firewise Gardening (Thursday 5/2). This presentation covers fire behavior, State guidelines for defensible space, and how to create and maintain defensible space around your home. Examples of firewise plants, as well as of plants that should be avoided in a firewise landscape, will be included.
Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees (Wednesday 5/8). Did you know that 1600 species of native bees can be found in California? This workshop focuses on a few of them: bumblebees, leaf cutting bees, mason bees, and carpenter bees. Understanding the bees' lifespans and their plant and habitat needs will help you support these valuable pollinators.
Pest Management (Friday 5/17). In this interactive class learn the basics of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) so you can solve your pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment.
Weed Identification (Monday 5/20). Using our Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch as a lab, a team of Master Gardeners will show you how to identify common weeds and explain what their presence might reveal about the health of the soil. Armed with this knowledge, you can manage your own soil more efficiently. Using mulch to control weeds will also be discussed.
How Does Your Garden Grow? Adaptations of California Native Plants (Wednesday 5/22). Plants are adapted to the specific conditions of their native environments. In this workshop our own Wildflower Maven, Cindy Weiner, discusses the variety of adaptations which allow California natives to succeed in Butte County despite our hot and dry summers.
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.
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins with a two-parter designed to help us make the most of our summer produce: “Canning Fruits & Pickles: The Basics of Boiling Water Bath Canning” on August 28, followed by “Pressure Canning Vegetables and Dehydrating Fruits & Vegetables” on September 11. The series concludes on November 20 with “Wildcrafting” – an introduction to collecting plants in the wild and using them in medicinal remedies and health products. In all, this Fall Series totals 16 workshops, including nine 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.
Selecting, planting, caring for, and harvesting fruits and berries are covered in a trifecta of workshops: “Growing Citrus Trees,” “Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Strawberries,” and “Espalier,” which focuses on training fruit trees along a horizontal surface.
If you are thinking you'd like to start beekeeping, or are just interested in learning how to attract and support honeybees and other pollinators, our workshop on Honey Bees is for you.
Of course, supporting pollinators and other native wildlife is important to us all. Our new workshop on native oaks (“Plant an Acorn; Harvest a Community”) describes the multiple ways creatures and humans benefit from creating an oak ecosystem in our own yards and gardens. Oaks can contribute greatly to a wildlife corridor – why not make your own yard count in the effort to conserve water resources and rebuild local wildlife corridors? Learn how in “Neighborhood Habitat Certification,” our workshop led by the coordinator of Altacal Audubon's Certified Neighborhood Habitat Program.
Most of the workshops will be held in the outdoor classroom located in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden or inside Pat's Barn; both are located at the Patrick Ranch (10381 Midway, between Chico and Durham). The first three workshops will take place indoors, in the Chico Branch Library Meeting Room on Sherman Avenue in Chico; two will be held in Paradise, at the Terry Ash Center on Skyway; and the workshop on berries will be held at the private residence of our berry expert. While most of the workshops are held during morning or early afternoon hours, the workshop on container gardening is offered in the early evening (6 to 7:30 pm).
The following is a list of workshop topics and dates. All workshops are free, but they do require advance registration. For full descriptions of all the workshops and to register, visit our website.
Canning Fruits & Pickles: The Basics of Boiling Water Bath Canning (Monday 8/28). Start canning and preserving your garden bounty, using the Boiling Water Bath and Atmospheric Steam Canning methods.
SEPTEMBER
Pressure Canning Vegetables and Dehydrating Fruits & Vegetables (Monday 9/11). Learn to successfully and safely process food with a pressure canner, and how to dry fruits and vegetables in a dehydrator or simply outside in the sun.
Container Gardening (Tuesday 9/12). Grow edibles, ornamentals, shrubs, and small trees outdoors in containers. Container types, plant choices, and best practices for soil, watering, and fertilizing will all be covered.
Honey Bees (Saturday 9/23). If you are considering beekeeping as a hobby, or just interested in learning more about attracting honeybees and other pollinators to your garden, this workshop is for you.
It's a Wrap! Autumn Garden Clean Up, Winter Prep and Preservation (Saturday 9/30). This workshop/discussion delves into some essential steps to ensure that next year's garden is even more successful.
Tool Care (Tuesday 10/3). Rob Fanno from Fanno Saw Works will tell us how to select and care for garden tools.
Biochar: Is It Worth It? (Wednesday 10/4). Learn what biochar is, what it can do for your soil, why it works, and when it doesn't.
Propagation (Monday 10/9). Learn when and how to propagate woody perennials and divide plants.
Growing Citrus Trees (Thursday 10/12). All about citrus: the best varieties for our region; planting, training, and caring for citrus; protecting citrus trees from frost; common pests and diseases to watch out for and control.
Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, and Strawberries (Friday 10/20). Best methods for planting, growing and harvesting delicious berries.
Composting (Friday 10/27). This workshop covers a variety of approaches to creating compost, from simple to complex.
Neighborhood Habitat Certification (Saturday 11/4). Learn how your yard can contribute to the development of needed wildlife corridors in our community.
Plant an Acorn; Harvest a Community (Tuesday 11/7). Planting native oaks to support local creatures that depend on them for food and/or shelter not only helps out wildlife, but enriches our own lives as we contribute to an important ecosystem.
Espalier (Wednesday 11/8). Dive into the ancient horticultural practice of growing trees and bushes along a horizontal surface using supports. Focusing on fruit trees, this workshop provides all the information you need to get started.
Gardening for a Lifetime (Thursday 11/13). Practical advice about plants, labor-saving techniques, tools, and exercises to help us continue to garden successfully as we (inevitably) age.
Wildcrafting (Monday 11/20). Learn from experienced herbalist Jules Pecson of Fiona's Forest in Paradise as she discusses the practice of harvesting plants in their natural habitats and their uses in medicinal remedies, tinctures, and salves.
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.
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is underway! The series kicked off with “Fall Vegetable and Seed Starting” on August 23, and will conclude on December 6 with “Gardening for a Lifetime.” In all, this Fall Series totals 18 workshops, covering eleven all-new topics and seven important basics. 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.
A number of new workshops focus on issues related to our changing (and hotter) climate, including how to deal with heat in the garden; how to design your landscape for a hotter, drier climate; the benefits of native plants in our challenging environment; and steps you can take to manage your garden during prolonged drought conditions.
Interested in adding a new gardening skill? We've got workshops on bonsai; vertical gardening; companion planting; composting with worms (vermiculture); and the use of self-watering pots and planters.
Most of the workshops will be held in the outdoor classroom located in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden or inside Pat's Barn; both are located at the Patrick Ranch (10381 Midway, between Chico and Durham). A few workshops will be held at private residences; the workshop on native plants is a joint venture with the Paradise Garden Club and will take place in Paradise at the Terry Ashe Recreation Center. While most workshops are held during morning hours, this season several are being offered in the early evening (6 to 7:30 pm).
The following is a list of workshop topics and dates. All workshops are free, but they do require advance registration. For full descriptions of all the workshops, information on our Covid safety guidelines, and to register, visit our website.
Landscape Design for a Hotter Drier Climate (Wednesday 9/7, 6-7:30 pm). Learn to create areas in your garden that are more heat-adapted and use less water.
Self-Watering Pots and Planters (Friday 9/9, 10-11:30 am). Learn about different types of self-watering containers: how they work, the best planting mediums for them, and the kinds of plants that do and do not thrive in them.
Companion Planting with Ornamentals (Saturday 9/10, 10-11 am). Attract pollinators, deter pests and offer food for wildlife by combining plants that give one another the nutrients, shade and/or support they need.
Vermiculture: Why Do I Keep Throwing This Stuff Away When the Worms Would Love to Eat It? (Monday 9/19, 10-11:30 am). Learn how to make a simple bin that uses worms to compost kitchen waste, creating compost for your garden.
The 3 Most Important Things You Can Do in Your Garden (Thursday 9/22, 11 am -12:30 pm). Best practices for soil health, plant health and people's health are all connected. Three processes are key: no till; no bare soil, and no herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers.
Propagation (Tuesday 9/27, 9-10:30 am). Learn when and how to propagate woody perennials and divide plants.
Lawn Conversion to Lower Water Use and Add Interest to Your Garden (Wednesday 10/5, 6-7:30 pm). This workshop takes you through the steps of taking out a lawn area and, eventually, replanting it to lower water bills, encourage more wildlife and create a more diverse garden.
Bonsai (Friday, 10/7, 10-11:30 am). Learn the pruning and training techniques needed to create a beautiful miniature tree.
Heat in the Garden—and What to do About It (Tuesday 10/11, 10-11:30 am). Learn to recognize symptoms of heat stress on different crops, and how to minimize these harmful effects.
Composting (Tuesday, 10/18, 10-11:30 am). This workshop covers a variety of approaches to creating compost, from simple to complex.
Vertical Gardening plus Edible Gardening (Thursday 10/27, 10-11:30 am). Maximize your garden space by growing fruits, vegetables, and vines upwards!
Drought Talk (Wednesday 11/9, 6-7:30 pm). Learn to take precautions in your garden that will help you define your gardening priorities and plan for continuing drought conditions.
Native Plants (Monday, 11/14, 1-2 pm). This workshop will take place in Paradise, where gardeners face challenges created by the Camp Fire as well as our continuing drought. Native plants and other sun-loving and drought-tolerant plants help conserve water and attract pollinators.
Drip Irrigation Installation and Maintenance (Wednesday 11/16, 6-7:30 pm). An overview of different drip irrigation systems, how to install them, and how to troubleshoot problems and make repairs.
Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs (Tuesday 11/29, 12-1:30 pm). Learn when and how to prune for size and shape, and the right tools for various pruning jobs.
Fruit Tree Pruning (Saturday 12/3, 10-11:30 am). Different fruit trees bear fruit in different ways; this workshop includes a demonstration of the best way to prune various fruit trees.
Gardening for a Lifetime (Tuesday 12/6, 10-11:30 am). Practical advice about plants, labor-saving techniques, tools, and exercises to help us continue to garden successfully as we (inevitably) age.
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) 538-7201. 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 Hotline webpage.
This Fall we are offering over a dozen workshops. We have quite a few new topics on tap, as well as a timely four-part series on Landscaping with Fire. Most workshops will be held in-person at our outdoor classroom located in our Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch, on the Midway just south of Chico. Covid safety protocols will be followed for all in-person workshops, and numbers of participants will be limited. All workshops are free and take place in the morning; none are more than two hours long. Registration is required. You can register and find more information here. The series includes the following workshops.
Drought Triage. Join us at our Demonstration Garden on Wednesday, September 8, to learn how, where, and when to best use our increasingly scarce water resources in your home landscape. The focus will be on determining which plants to save (and why) and the best methods of applying irrigation to them. It's important that we conserve water and save as many plants, particularly shade-producing trees, as possible. The Master Gardeners are committed to helping with that effort.
Berry and Grape Care also takes place in the Edible Garden, and features the berry and grape garden we planted earlier this year. On Friday, September 17, learn about the best varieties to plant in our climate, along with optimum methods of planting, training, pruning, irrigating, and harvesting. In addition to grapes, the workshop will cover blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, even Goji berries and elderberries, plus any other brambleberry fruits of interest to participants. Bring your questions!
Another favorite hands-on workshop, Propagation, will be held on Monday, September 27, at our Demonstration Garden. Learn the best time to propagate woody perennials and divide plants; how to select and make cuttings; the proper techniques for dividing plants; the best planting mediums to use; and how to plant cuttings and divided plants. You will get to take home several plant starts from cuttings in our Demonstration Garden. Bring your own garden pruners; all other materials will be provided.
Our October workshops include the new topic When to Control Pests? Degree Days Tell Us, in Pat's Barn at Patrick Ranch, on Friday, October 8, from 9 to 10:30 am. This new workshop features scientific information on how to treat for pests based on outdoor temperature and plant growth stages. Both plants and insects reach each developmental stage according to the amount of heat they experience. A simple on-line University of California app calculates this heat as degree days. UC research has determined the degree days necessary for the developmental stages of different kinds of insect pests. The best control is to time treatments for when the insect pest is at its most vulnerable stage. In this workshop, we'll walk through examples for some common pests by getting degree days, applying UC treatment-timing research, and choosing a treatment.
Landscaping for a Future with Fire is a four-part series recorded from last year's OLLI presentations and offered this year on Zoom each Wednesday in October from 10 to 11 am. Register for any or all of the presentation dates below. A live question and answer period will follow each presentation. The series focuses on preparing our homes and landscapes for the new reality of living with fire. Throughout these workshops we will be discussing natural regeneration, erosion, fire ecology, and the characteristics of plants that provide the best fire resistance. The four parts of this series are as follows:
Defensible Space will air on October 6. Since the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County in 2017, our understanding of the best way to design defensible space around the home through hardscape and plant choices has been revised and refined. In this workshop, learn about current state guidelines and the recommendations of University of California researchers.
On October 13, we cover Soil Restoration, Erosion and Mulch, exploring the impacts of fire on the soil in your landscape. Learn more about this topic and explore possible remediations, including how to address post-fire erosion. This workshop also explores the many types of mulch and their various uses, helping you decide which mulch is most appropriate for you and your garden.
In Firewise Landscape Conversion on October 20 we talk seriously about the landscape choices we make and how those contribute to a changing climate; water supply; and overall environmental health. Learn how the plants we choose, why we plant them, and where we put them can make a positive difference in the present and in the future.
The final part in this series on October 27 discusses Maintaining Your Firewise Landscape and presents recommendations and actions for maintaining the safety of your landscape over time. This session includes information about post-fire care of your trees and your soil.
Rob Fanno of Fanno Saw Works leads our Tool Care workshop in December 1. Winter is the best time to sharpen, oil, and perform routine maintenance on your hard-working garden tools. Rob will discuss the different types of garden tools, provide an overview of material differences in the selection process, discuss strengths and weaknesses of specific tools, and review tool care and maintenance.
Be sure to check our website for details on how to register for any or all of our 2021 Fall Workshops.
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 (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.
The Master Gardeners are offering our Fall series of free workshops online via Zoom, beginning September 10. Like the in-person, hands-on workshops offered in the past, these six classes will be packed with useful and valuable gardening information. One of the benefits of using Zoom is that there will be no limit on the number of participants, so we hope to reach more individuals than was possible with the previous in-person format. Listed below are short descriptions of the Fall workshops. For more details and to register, please visit our website. Note that registration continues to be required for all workshops.
Please Note: The September 10 workshop has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 15, 10 to 11:30am.
We are excited to offer a new three-part series, Gardening from the Ground Up, which covers principles that can revolutionize the way you garden. In Part 1: Minimize Disruption, we will explore the interaction of plants and microbes and how to support the tiniest animals in your garden; examine the effects of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides; and discuss the advantages of No Till gardening. You'll come away with lots of ideas for starting your fall garden from the ground up. In Part 2: No Bare Soil, we'll investigate compost -- What does compost do? Is all compost created equal? And then we'll dive into bacterial- and fungal-dominant composts, discuss the principle of keeping live roots in the soil, and offer examples of succession planting you can utilize this fall. In Part 3: Diversity we'll look at the evidence supporting the values of diversity in the garden and consider what that means for the home gardener. We'll review the research on the near-magical phenomenon of quorum sensing, and then discuss cover crops, implementation plans, and the possibility of retraining your eyes. The Gardening From the Ground Up workshops will be held from 2 to 3 pm on successive Thursdays (September 17 and 24, and October 1st).
The Fall 2020 Workshop Series will conclude with an in-depth look at Plant Viruses on Tuesday, October 13, from 10 to 11:30 am. Most gardeners are aware of plant diseases that can wreak havoc in their gardens. If you grow fruit trees, you may be confronted with curled, reddened peach leaves (peach leaf curl fungus). If you grow apples or pears, your trees may sometimes look like they were scorched with a blow torch (fire blight bacterium). But did you know that viruses can also lurk in the leaves, stems, and fruit of your garden vegetables and flowers? This workshop will cover how viruses behave, how they are transmitted, and how to identify and manage them.