Western Municipal Water District and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Riverside County Master Gardener program have teamed up to hold three free gardening workshops in the coming months.
The workshops will be presented on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon in Western’s water-efficiency garden, Landscapes Southern California StyleSM in Riverside.
Workshops are scheduled on the following Saturdays:
Jan. 9, 11 a.m. to noon – “Mulching for a Healthier Landscape.” Mulching is a great way to make your soil and plants happy and healthy. Mulching puts beneficial nutrients back in the soil, helps protect plants and makes gardens water efficient. Christine Lampe, a UCCE Master Gardener, will explain basic mulching techniques as well as sheet mulching (lasagna method).
Feb. 13, 11 a.m. to noon – “Converting Sprinkler Zones into Drip Irrigation.” With the drought, homeowners are looking for ways to conserve water and still enjoy their gardens. A simple, cost-effective and user-friendly method is to convert a sprinkler system to drip irrigation. Irrigation expert Mike Baron from The Toro Company will show you how to change your system to a better method of watering without digging trenches or great expense.
March 12, 11 a.m. to noon – “Bountiful Harvests from Warm Season Vegetable Gardens.” Whether you have acres or a small city plot you can raise vegetables that are better for you and taste great. There are many choices beyond tomatoes and zucchini. Debra Corbin-Euston, a UCCE Master Gardener, will help you decide what to plant as well as how to cultivate and harvest your crop.
Landscapes Southern California Style showcases California native and climate-appropriate plants as well as the irrigation systems that improve a landscape’s water-saving ability. The garden is located at 450 E. Alessandro Blvd., Riverside, at the corner of Mission Grove Parkway. It’s open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tours of the garden are available Wednesday through Saturday for groups of eight or more adults, including high school student groups. Tours are led by UCCE Riverside County Master Gardeners. A tour request can be submitted at www.wmwd.com/index.aspx?nid=124.
For more information about Master Gardeners in Riverside County like the “UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County” Facebook page, follow @MGPRiverside on Twitter or visit the Master Gardener web site: http://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/.
