Events
Garden for the Environment
Garden for the Environment (GFE) will offer the following workshops and events in September and October 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!
NOTE: The garden will be closed for volunteer shifts and workshops on Saturday, August 30th in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
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, September 6th, 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.
Grow Your Own Food
When: Saturday, September 13th, 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 September, you'll learn how to prepare your garden for the cool and rainy season and harvest the fruits of your summer garden.
Culinary Herbs as Medicine with Bonnie Rose Weaver
When: Saturday, September 20th, 10am - 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $40; Regular: $52; Full: $65
Register: bit.ly/gfeculinaryherbs25
In this two hour workshop, you'll develop an understanding of your kitchen spices as the start of a home apothecary. From the perspective of food as medicine, you'll dive into the medicinal uses of common kitchen herbs like rosemary, oregano, garlic, and ginger. Then, the class will put this knowledge to the test and make herbal vinegars from herbs grown at Garden for the Environment that you’ll take home with you!
Beginning Beekeeping: Bees in Winter and Preparing to Beekeep Next Year
When: Saturday, September 27th, 10am – 12pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfewinterbeekeeping25
Whether you're already keeping bees or simply curious about what beekeeping involves, there will be something for you in this class. We'll cover the basics on bees, the progress of bees through the seasons, how to keep bees healthy, and what to look for at this time of year. We’ll also talk about swarming, pest management, and more.
The class will also address special concerns of urban beekeeping. Are there city or county restrictions on beekeeping where you live? How can you be the best bee steward possible in an area where bees and people will inevitably meet?
The class is designed for beginners so no prerequisite knowledge is required. You will get to see live bees in an observation hive.
Urban Composting
When: Saturday, October 4th, 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.
Growing A Garden: Where to Start
When: Saturday, October 11th, 10 - 12pm (You can also register for additional dates in 2025!)
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfegrowingagarden25
Do you have a space that you would like to turn into a garden but don’t know where to start? This class is perfect for beginner gardeners or anyone looking for a refresher. We will guide you through the steps to transform your yard into a beautiful garden, including maintenance tips and where to find support and resources. We will also include information and advice on container gardening. This workshop will focus on working with nature, observing your space, and demystifying San Francisco's unique microclimate. With your newfound knowledge, you'll be able to create a manageable garden that aligns with the space you have. Bring your questions!
Please note that this workshop focuses on perennial plant gardening, NOT edible food growing. If you are interested in learning about edible plant growing, please register for one of our Grow Your Own Food workshops.
Introduction to San Francisco Native Plants
When: Saturday, October 11th, 1 - 3pm
Cost: Reduced: $25; Regular: $37; Full: $50
Register: bit.ly/gfesfnativeplants25
Are you curious about San Francisco’s native plants? Our expert instructor from the California Native Plant Society, Yerba Buena Chapter, will introduce you to an array of native plants that are appropriate to your local conditions. You can incorporate them into your home garden, whether you have a yard or raise plants in containers. Tour GFE's native plant areas, learn about propagation, and ask plenty of questions.
San Francisco native plants have co-evolved with our local soils, climate, and native wildlife, including butterflies and bees. They are the best plants we can add to nurture our ecosystem. When we add native San Francisco plants to our gardens and public spaces, we strengthen our local ecosystem and enhance its connectivity with nearby ecosystems, creating a robust web of life that helps our local flora and fauna thrive. Learn how you can be part of this!
Introduction to Sustainable Gardening Series: Fall
When: October 18th, 25th, and November 1st - 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/gfesustainablefall25
October 19th, 26th, and November 2nd - Saturdays from 10am to 12pm. Cost: $30 for the full three-part series, and receive a $10 gift card at each workshop. 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 large amounts 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.
The full series is $30, but you will get $10 gift cards to the Urban Farmer Store at each workshop (for a total of $30 in gift cards if you attend the two workshops).
Registering will sign you up for the full series of three workshops. Please only register if you plan to attend all three sessions.
Fruit Tree Pruning and Care Seminar
A few images from our last 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!
