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.