Garden for the Environment will offer the following workshops and events in April and May 2022. All will be at Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s teaching garden, 1590 7th Avenue (at Lawton). Founded in 1990, our garden offers informative, hands-on workshops on most Saturdays that teach Bay Area residents how to grow climate-appropriate gardens and food, make compost, and conserve water. We hope you’ll join us for some of these terrific learning opportunities – we’re excited to have you in the garden! Masks to help prevent COVID transmission are optional for fully vaccinated individuals and required for unvaccinated individuals.
For more information, visit our website at www.gardenfortheenvironment.org.
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER DAYS AND WORKSHOPS:
Educational Volunteer Hours
When: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am to 3pm
Cost: Free
Registration required! Register at bit.ly/gfevolunteershifts
Join us in the garden on Wednesdays and Saturdays to help with garden maintenance tasks. You’ll work alongside staff and fellow volunteers on a range of activities like composting, vegetable planting and harvesting, pruning, and weeding. The best way to learn is by doing, and we promise you’ll learn a lot working in the garden with us. Bring lunch and picnic with us at noon!
* Bring your own gardening gloves. See additional requirements on the registration page.
STILL SPOTS LEFT! Bouquet Making – TWO SESSIONS!
When: Saturday, April 30th
Cost: Reduced: $50; Regular: $62; Full: $75
Register:
- Morning session (10am – 12pm): bit.ly/gfebouquetmorning22
- Afternoon session (1 – 3pm): bit.ly/gfebouquetafternoon22
You can make beautiful home garden bouquets year-round, but flowers in the spring are especially pretty. In this fun and engaging hands-on workshop, you’ll learn skills that you can use to make gorgeous arrangements at home with plants from your own yard and neighborhood! Each workshop attendee will get to make their own garden-grown bouquet to take home.
Urban Composting
When: Saturday, May 7th, 10am – 12pm (You can also register for additional dates in 2022!)
Cost: Free!
Register: bit.ly/gfeurbancomposting2022
Learn how to make your very own compost! The backbone of every healthy garden, compost improves all soil types and can be the difference between success and failure with many plants. In this class, we will teach you how to make compost in your backyard, and introduce you to our worms that make their own special fertilizer. We will also give you tips on using your city compost bin. Come learn what you can do to improve your garden and prevent organic waste from ending up in the landfill.
WAITLIST ONLY — Plant Propagation with Pam Peirce
When: Saturday, May 7th, 10 – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfepropagation2022
In this engaging, hands-on workshop, well-known San Francisco gardener Pam Peirce will reveal all the ways you can make new plants and the opportunity to practice some of these techniques yourself! The class will address how to start plants from seed and then will explore other fascinating ways plants reproduce — bulbs, divisions, cuttings, and layering. The plants included as examples will be food crops, garden ornamentals, and houseplants. Helpful handouts will be included so you can begin propagating plants on your own!
Pam will have copies of her book, Golden Gate Gardening, on sale for $30 (cash or check). She will sign a copy you bring or one you buy from her.
Grow Your Own Food in May
When: Saturday, May 14th, 10 – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfegrowingfoodmay
In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop.
In May, you’ll learn about care and watering needs for your spring garden, warm-weather crops to plant for the summer, and plants that attract beneficial insects to help your garden thrive. You’ll also gain knowledge that will help you care for your garden throughout the year. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers!
Gardening in a Changing Climate – Moving from Anxiety to Action
When: Saturday, May 14th, 1 – 3pm
Cost: Reduced: $15; Regular: $27; Full: $40
Register: bit.ly/gfechangingclimate2022
We hear about it every day — climate change. Along with many other global issues we’re facing, it seems like a daunting, seemingly insurmountable one. While one person cannot stop it on their own, there are small steps each of us can take in our homes and gardens to make an impact, and even help reverse climate change. We can move from despair into action to create regeneration and resilience.
Join us at GFE for this thought-provoking and inspiring event with environmental educator Charlotte Canner, who will share how this can be done, explain solutions on a garden tour, and facilitate group discussion and how each of us can be a part of reversing the effects of climate change.
Beginning Beekeeping: The Basics and Mid-Season Colony Health
When: Saturday, May 21st, 10 – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfebeekeepingmidseason2022
So you’re thinking of becoming a beekeeper? This workshop is an introduction to bees and beekeeping practices whether you’re starting a backyard hive or are just curious about bees. We’ll cover equipment and tools needed, bee biology basics, and provide practical knowledge to get your beekeeping journey started. There will be a class outline, suggested reading, and additional recommendations provided. If weather permits, students will see the hives close-up. Protective clothing will be provided.
The class is designed for absolute beginners so no prerequisite knowledge is required. We will have more beginning beekeeping classes this year, and each will emphasize what is happening in a beehive throughout the seasons. Keep checking our workshop schedule for more beekeeping workshops!
Grow Your Own Food in June
When: Saturday, June 11th, 10 – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfegrowingfoodjune
Learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop.
In June, you’ll learn about tending to your edible garden in the long and often foggy days of San Francisco’s summer, including fertilization, troubleshooting, and weed management. You’ll also gain knowledge that will help you care for your garden throughout the year. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers!
Introduction to Sustainable Gardening Series: Summer
When: June 11th, 18th, and 25th – Saturdays from 10am to 12pm
Cost: $30 for the full three-part series, and receive a $10 gift card at each workshop
Register: bit.ly/gfesustainablesummer
Sponsored by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The Introduction to Sustainable Gardening series is a three-part workshop series designed to help you transform your yard into a thriving, sustainable garden. This course will teach you everything you need to know to nurture perennial gardens that conserve water, provide beauty, and attract pollinators and beneficial insects.
San Francisco is a beautiful and unique city, with year-round mild temperatures and dry, foggy summers. Learn what plants are adapted to our coastal climate and grow without the need for toxic pesticides or lots of water. This course will focus on native and drought-tolerant ornamental gardens but will cover broad topics that can also apply to vegetable gardening.
Registering will sign you up for the full series of three workshops. Please only register if you plan to attend all three sessions.
Beginning Beekeeping: The Basics and Mid-Season Colony Health
When: Saturday, June 18th, 10 – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfebeginningbeekeepingjune2022
So you’re thinking of becoming a beekeeper? This workshop is an introduction to bees and beekeeping practices whether you’re starting a backyard hive or are just curious about bees. We’ll cover equipment and tools needed, bee biology basics, and provide practical knowledge to get your beekeeping journey started. There will be a class outline, suggested reading, and additional recommendations provided. If weather permits, students will see the hives close-up. Protective clothing will be provided.
The class is designed for absolute beginners so no prerequisite knowledge is required. We will have more beginning beekeeping classes this year, and each will emphasize what is happening in a beehive throughout the seasons. Keep checking our workshop schedule for more beekeeping workshops!