Events

Garden for the Environment Workshops
February and March 2025

Garden for the Environment (GFE) will offer the following workshops and events in February and March 2025. All will be at Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s teaching garden, 1590 7th Avenue (at Lawton). Founded in 1990, GFE 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! We encourage you to bring a mask to the garden to assist you in navigating your comfort level with the COVID situation. 

For more information, visit our website at www.gardenfortheenvironment.org.

UPCOMING VOLUNTEER DAYS AND WORKSHOPS:

Educational Volunteer Hours

When: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am - 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. 

Urban Composting 

When: Saturday, March 1, 10am – 12pm (you can also register for additional dates in 2025!)
Cost: FREE!
Register: bit.ly/gfecompost25

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.

Introduction to Sustainable Gardening Series: Spring 

When: March 1, 8, and 15 - Saturdays from 10am – 12pm
Cost: $30 for the full three-part series, and receive a $10 gift card at each workshop
Register: bit.ly/gfesustainablespring25
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.

Grow Your Own Food

When: Saturday, March 8, 10am – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfegrowfood25

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 March, you’ll learn about growing your own transplants, what seeds to start indoors and outdoors, successful transplanting of seedlings, and much more.  If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers!

Dig In! 2025: Six-Part Edible Gardening Series 

When: Saturdays from 10am - 12pm on March 22, March 29, April 5, 12, 19, and 26. One registration enrolls you in all six sessions!
Cost: Reduced: $170; Regular: $240; Full: $300
Register: bit.ly/digin2025

Do you want to get your hands dirty? Learn how to garden this spring! This six-part workshop series is designed to teach you everything you need to start growing food in your backyard in a supportive, hands-on environment.

San Francisco provides a perfect climate for growing food year-round! Even a small backyard space can be enough to grow healthy vegetables. In this workshop series you will learn about the types of beds and containers in which to grow your plants and how to build healthy soil, build a simple irrigation system, plant and care for veggies, and harvest your crops.

All materials and tools will be provided. Please bring your own gardening gloves. 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Part I: Site Assessment – March 22

Part II: Growing Healthy Soil – March 29

Part III: DIY Drip Irrigation – April 5

Part IV: Planting Calendars & Crop Rotation – April 12

Part V: Planting Your Edible Garden – April 19

Part VI: Care & Harvest of Your Backyard Garden – April 26

Plant Pruning

When: Saturday, March 29, 10am – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfepruning25

Pruning is vital for plant health and can enhance the beauty and vigor of your entire garden. In this engaging workshop, you will learn how to make basic pruning cuts and about principles and techniques that inform wise pruning decisions for perennials, shrubs, and small garden trees. We will discuss the best times to prune for our San Francisco climate, as well as the proper tools for each type of pruning cut. This workshop will be hands-on, so you will gain the confidence to prune your own garden by practicing on some of GFE's plants!

Fruit Tree Pruning and Care Seminar

A few images from our recent class.

Bee Keeping Class

A few images from our recent Bee Keeping class

Growing Young Gardeners at Wegman’s

A local Daisy Troop visited Wegman’s Nursery this last Sunday. 15 girls took a tour of the shop, listened to a talk on plants, and potted a painted pot on site. They then went over to the rest home across the street and gifted the pots to the elderly. We loved hosting these young gardeners!