Home & Garden Digest – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Get to know the best native California flowering plants and pollinators for your home garden at the “From Manzanita to Milkweed” discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, on the patio of the Felton Library located at 6121 Gushee St. You’ll learn how to source the plants and even propagate some of them from seed. Seeds will be shared, plus a list of additional resources. The host, UC Master Gardener Janice Kuch, has over 20 years of California native plant experience. She has worked on various local habitat restoration projects, including a current native plant garden project at San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.

Registration required, sign up at santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/13814097.

Stop by the Garden Exchange for some fresh gardening inspiration. Join the garden community for this month’s evening exchange and workshop from 5 to 6 p.m. on March 12, and every second Wednesday of the month, in the parking lot of Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave. Park in the northern rows of the parking lot away from the building. Gardeners are welcome to bring seeds, bulbs, succulents, houseplants, veggies, fresh flowers, informational material or any garden-related items to trade within the garden community. You do not need to bring something in order to participate and you must take back anything not given out. Spread the word and tell your friends.

For questions, call 831-515-7162 or email [email protected].

Grey Bears Thrift Store is excited to host its next Repair Café from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 15, at the Grey Bears warehouse at 2710 Chanticleer Ave. The team of volunteers includes mechanical and electrical engineers, a knife sharpener, experts in clothing, textiles and shoe repair services. Whether you need help fixing bikes, toys, lamps, clocks, vacuums, clothes, shoes or more, they have skilled volunteers ready to assist. If you have repair skills and would like to volunteer, please join in helping extend the life of community members’ belongings. To get involved, email [email protected].

Are you a “foodie” gardener who wants to grow a garden to prepare a wide range of fresh and seasonal meals? Join The Gardeners’ Club at 7 p.m. March 13 at the Aptos Grange Hall, 2555 Mar Vista Drive, for an inspiring talk by Renee Shepherd, a lifelong gardener, cookbook author and expert in kitchen gardens. She’ll share tips on planning, planting and harvesting a colorful, productive garden filled with flavorful vegetables and herbs.

Shepherd will provide a variety of suggestions, cultural seed resources and ideas for preparing delicious meals using your homegrown produce. With her vast experience in gardening and seed production, she will offer a wealth of knowledge to help you grow a thriving garden year-round. Everyone who attends the meeting will be given drawing tickets for many different prizes, including seeds and multiple copies of her cookbooks.

Gophers are every backyard gardener’s nemesis. Join vertebrate pest control expert Thomas Whittman from 10 a.m. to noon on March 15 at the Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn, 94 Ranch View Road, for this informative class on effective gopher control methods that are safe for humans and the environment.

Gophers and other vertebrate pests take a huge toll in agriculture as well as your own backyard; as much as 10% to 50% of crops can be lost to animal pests. Whittman has been working on this issue for over 35 years and has come up with innovative methods and tools to reduce crop damage by managing pest populations in several ways. The most effective lethal traps and techniques will be presented along with exclusion barriers, integrating pest predators and crop rotation. If there’s time, Whittman will answer questions about rats, deer and squirrels.

At the end of the class there will be a hands-on demonstration to identify gopher activity, find the burrow and set a few traps (weather permitting). Register for this workshop at tinyurl.com/bdhb6csv.

The Garden Digest is compiled by Jesselyn Rego. To submit items for the calendar including events, meetings, resources or anything garden related, email [email protected].