Upcoming Gardening Events in Butte County
Rose Care Workshop 🌹
Tuesday, September 16, 9:30–11:30am
Dorothy F. Johnson Center, 30 people
Gwen Quail, Consulting Rosarian from the Butte Rose Society, will discuss and demonstrate how to keep your roses healthy and happy throughout the seasons of the year. Topics covered will include soil management, planting, fertilizers, watering, integrated pest management, and pruning. Rose varieties, fragrance, propagation guidelines, and exhibiting roses will be discussed as time allows.
CLICK HERE to register for this workshop. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners.
rose photo courtesy of Altman's Plants
Companion Planting 🌱
Saturday, September 20, 9–10:30am
Dorothy F. Johnson Center, 25 people
Companion planting is the practice of arranging plants in proximity to one another so that they attract beneficial insects and pollinators, deter unwanted pests, and offer shelter and food for beneficial insects. Companion plants provide one another with things they need, such as nutrients, shade, and physical support. In this workshop you will learn how to accomplish this in the home vegetable garden, focusing on the potential symbiotic relationships between various vegetable, herb, and flower combinations. We will include time for you to analyze your own garden and consider plant combinations that might work well there.
CLICK HERE to register for this workshop. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners.
"Black Gold" Vermiculture 🪱
Saturday, September 27, 11am–1pm
Dorothy F. Johnson Center, 25 people
We don’t mean oil! We mean the beautiful, rich, nutritious compost you create from kitchen and garden scraps, along with help from the vermiculture community. Worms consume the biomass you provide them, digest it, and then excrete worm castings, or “Black Gold.” This workshop, taught by a Certified Composter, will show you how to start the process and keep the worms happy so they continue to cast off Black Gold for your plants.
CLICK HERE to register for this workshop. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners.
Fruit Tree Care 🍎 🍑 🍐
Saturday, October 4, 10–11:30am
Demonstration Garden, 25 people
Tom Hansen will explain what to do throughout the year to keep your fruit trees healthy and ensure the best crops. His talk will cover pruning, irrigation, fertilizers, and cultural practices. Learn about the different fruit tree bearing habits and how those habits guide pruning decisions for regular bearing and good fruit size. This workshop will take place in the Demonstration Garden orchard to demonstrate and discuss the best way to prune various fruit trees. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.
Registration for this workshop begins September 1st. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners.
Honeybees 🐝
Tuesday, October 7, 10–11:30am
Bradley 2 at The Social, 50 people
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to keep a hive of honeybees? Humans have been fascinated by the honeybee for a very, very long time: evidence of beekeeping goes back at least 9,000 years, and humans collected honey from wild bees before that. In this class you’ll have an opportunity to observe honeybees and learn how to set up your own apiary. Along the way, you’ll learn what you can do to help honeybees and pollinators survive and thrive in our current environment. This workshop is designed for those considering beekeeping as a hobby and also those who are interested in learning more about attracting and supporting honeybees and other pollinators.
Click here to register. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners
Local Nursery Crawl--autumn edition!
October 10th and 11th
Various nurseries around Chico
It's time for the first ever Autumn Edition of the hugely popular Chico Local Nursery Crawl! Visit nurseries for sales and fun, collect stamps on your "passport" from each nursery you visit, then enter to win. raffle. Most importantly, support our local green businesses!
See details in the photo, and at your favorite participating nursery!
Creating a backyard blooming meadow and cottage garden look 🏡
Saturday, October 11, 1–3pm
Bradley 2 at The Social, 50 people
Are you attracted to the cottage garden look, but it seems like a lot of work? Do you have a corner of your yard that feels neglected, and the idea of turning it into a small-scale flowering meadow sounds appealing? Consider planting a wildcrafted flower garden! Flower wildcrafting is a technique of creating a natural-looking garden that incorporates both human propagation activities along with self-propagation by plants, including annuals, bulbs, natives, and perennials. Learn how to envision, plan, plant, maintain, and enjoy a year-round wildcrafted floral garden and blooming meadow. It's fun and easy, especially when allowing Nature to help create your garden tapestry.
Click here to register. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners
Weed identification and management 🌱 🔍
Monday, October 13, 1–2:15pm
Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 50 people
This workshop explores the nature of weeds, and why it’s important to correctly identify which weeds you are battling. We’ll offer tools to help with this, including a hands-on practicum. Primary strategies for weed control are Integrated Pest Management methods; we’ll have a quick primer on chemical controls, for when they are needed as a last resort.
Click here to register. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners
Hands-on fruit tree pruning ✂️
Friday, October 17, 10–11:30am
Demonstration Garden, 10 people
Join Master Gardener Tom Hansen to assist in the fall pruning of our demonstration orchard. This workshop provides a hands-on chance to prune our fruit trees with expert guidance. Learn how to keep fruit trees the ideal size for your backyard garden so that no ladders are needed for pruning or harvesting. Bring a pair of hand pruners if possible.
Click here to register. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners
Gardening with California native plants 🌼
Tuesday, October 21, 10–11:30am
Pat’s Barn, 30 people
By using native plants, you can transform your garden into a more natural habitat that is not only beautiful, but also supports local ecosystems, conserves water, and reduces maintenance. In this workshop, you will learn some basic principles about gardening with natives and be introduced to some natives that do well in garden settings. Emphasis is on specific gardening practices that increase biodiversity and ecosystem function. Our local California Native Plant Society Garden Ambassador will provide a resource list and planting guide as part of this workshop.
Click here to register. Thanks to the Butte County Master Gardeners
Photo courtesy of the California Native Plant Society
Thursday Night Market
Thursdays, April 10-September 25th, 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Downtown Chico
This fun family friendly traditions occurs each Thursday from April 10th to September 25th. There are always craft and food vendors, and usually several plant and houseplant vendors too. 🪴 Support our downtown, our downtown stores, and the fun and creative vendors who make this fun event possible. 🛍️