Events on our event calendar fall into one of four general categories: gardening/farming, food preservation, sustainable living, or seed saving, and consist of things like classes, talks, plant sales, seed exchanges, fairs and festivals, movies, and special events.
Calendar
Mar
18
Wed
Mar 18 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
A tour of our local wastewater treatment plant – Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) – located at 1400 Radio Road in Redwood Shores. Take the opportunity to visit the plant that is in the midst of a an over $700 million Capital Improvement Program to update aging infrastructure originally built back in 1982. The plant is a regional facility that serves Belmont, Redwood City, San Carlos and West Bay Sanitary District.
Tour features:
- Secondary treatment and advanced filtration
- Recycled water facility
- Cogeneration of energy from methane gas
- Biosolids production used for composting and farming
- On-site use of recycled water
Please note that no children under the age of 11 are permitted on this tour.
Mar
20
Fri
Please come and join us for the opening of a brand new south bay seed library located at the San José Almaden Branch Library. The grand opening takes place just in time for area gardeners to get their hands on some seed for their spring planting. The Almaden Seed Library will offer a wide selection of seasonal seeds year round for patrons to take home and grow. We ask that in return, gardeners consider becoming a Seed Guardian and letting one of the specific varieties of seed on our annual seed guardianship list go to seed, so that that seed can be returned to us for processing and placement back into the south bay seed library system.
Season appropriate seeds made available at the Almaden seed library are offered to patrons on on a first come, first served basis.
Keeping seeds freely available within the public commons makes them more accessible for everyone, but it especially eases the way to growing food for first-time and lower-income gardeners. A small section of a typical backyard, with the addition of sunlight (which is free) and water (also free, if you use a rain barrel) can produce a substantial amount of healthy food — a boon for people on tight budgets.
If you’re not sure how to harvest seeds, we here at Silicon Valley Seeds can show you. It’s not hard. And if you take seeds but don’t get around to saving some this time around, that’s OK. Just try to make it to one of our seed saving classes.
Are you an experienced gardener? Would you like to become one? Do you want to interest a child in gardening? Whoever you are, we hope you’ll welcome spring by using your new seed library!
See our complete list of south bay libraries which offer free seed to gardeners…
Apr
9
Thu
Apr 9 @ 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
The Silicon Valley AgTech Conference, a segment of Internet of Things World. An extraordinary event featuring the sharpest minds engaging at the intersection of Silicon Valley and global agriculture, where visionaries converge to tackle critical challenges and showcase the latest innovations for farmers, investors and stakeholders in the global food system.
A unique conference where technology meets agriculture, where the Silicon Valley meets the Silicon Prairie, and where innovation returns back to the farm. The organizers of the Silicon Valley AgTech Conference Aspire to apply the Silicon Valley model in bringing together promising ideas that leverage agricultural applications to build great new companies, exchange ideas and generate interest in this critical, life giving industry. An incredible day of panel discussions, breakout sessions, technology demos, startup pitches, and industry updates. Over 500 attendees interact with partners, investors, and customers every year.
Attendees have the opportunity to
- Meet some of the biggest names in the industry.
- Find a partner, investor, or customer.
- Preview the technology of tomorrow.
- Meet innovative startups working to change agriculture.
- Explore up and coming technologies.
- Expose your brand to industry enthusiasts.
So whether you work in agriculture, technology, or are merely enthusiastic about all things agricultural, this is the premier event to attend.
Apr
15
Wed
Apr 15 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
A tour of our local wastewater treatment plant – Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) – located at 1400 Radio Road in Redwood Shores. Take the opportunity to visit the plant that is in the midst of a an over $700 million Capital Improvement Program to update aging infrastructure originally built back in 1982. The plant is a regional facility that serves Belmont, Redwood City, San Carlos and West Bay Sanitary District.
Tour features:
- Secondary treatment and advanced filtration
- Recycled water facility
- Cogeneration of energy from methane gas
- Biosolids production used for composting and farming
- On-site use of recycled water
Please note that no children under the age of 11 are permitted on this tour.
Apr
18
Sat
The Master Gardeners Plant Sale and Spring Market makes a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, other veggies, herbs and flowers available for sale, most at a price of $3 or $4 each.
While the event opens at 9am, if you’ve been to a Master Gardener plant sale in the past, you know that the lines start early and the tomatoes are often picked clean by 10am. So a bit of advice: take time to look over the online descriptions of what’s being offered and plan your visit accordingly. Don’t forget to bring a box or cart to help with transport. (Note that though the park will open early, cars will not be allowed to line up prior to the gates opening, so please plan accordingly…).
This is a premier Master Gardener plant sale with a bit of sustainable garden showcase thrown in. Plant offerings include a huge variety of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, and succulents. All offerings are seeded right here in Santa Clara Valley. Varieties made available at this market might be a bit unusual, can be difficult to find elsewhere, and should do very well in our soils and climates. Sales benefit the UC Master Gardener program.
Garden talks take place from 10am to 1pm. A good number of food vendors (and more than a few food trucks) will be on site serving lunch. There’s also an area where one can find the plant babysitters, a group of folks that will look after your purchase(s) while you enjoy the many other activities taking place. (Why drag your little leafy ones around with you, when you have access to a sitter?)
Master Gardeners Plant Sale provides an excellent way to get a jump start on your springtime garden. You know that the plants are of high quality, having been started with love by expert growers. A fun gardening event for all South Bay gardeners, whether young or old, just getting started or a seasoned pro.
See you there…
Apr
20
Mon
Apr 20 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Container gardening for all seasons. A Master Gardener class given in Cupertino.
Do you live in an apartment, condo or townhouse? Would you love to grow your own vegetables or flowers but think you just don’t have space? Learn to make use of your limited space by using container gardening for all seasons!
In this two-night course, Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County will show how you can grow a wide variety of plants on a patio or balcony. Soil, water, pest control, fertilizers, and various containers will be discussed and demonstrated. Learn how to have a year-round garden that provides food and beauty in your small space.
Unlike many Master Gardener presentations, this two day (four hour) class is not free, and class space is limited. Visit the event registration page to reserve a spot in this in this class. If you don’t have a lot of space or think you can’t grow fresh veggies using the space that you do have, attend this class to be proven wrong. You can grow food in your limited space!
This is part one of a two part class; part two takes place on April 27th, at the same time.
Presenter: UC Master Gardeners
Apr
25
Sat
Hidden Villa Homesteader’s Fair, an event designed to celebrate the practice of sustainability and self-reliance through home-scale agriculture and the cultivation of culinary and craft skills. A day featuring live music, locally sourced food, demonstrations, and info booths focused on a bevy of homesteading topics (such as gardening, beekeeping, livestock care, food preservation and wine making).
Hidden Villa features educational programs designed to inspire people of all ages to be proper stewards and caretakers of the environment, people that recognize and appreciate the diversity and interconnected nature of the world we live in. Students are made to understand their role within the amazingly intricate ecosystem which supports life. Using the operations of a small-scale organic farm, students learn what it takes to produce healthful, sustainable food. The food produced feeds members of the local community, supports vital educational programs, and demonstrates the quality which results from employing responsible organic growing methods.
The Hidden Villa Homesteader’s Fair works to
- model methods and educate the community about regenerative and sustainable practices
- facilitate farm-to-table awareness that connects people to their food
- host conversations that demystify the nuances of the local food system
- act as a conduit in the value exchanged between food producers and food consumers
It does this by offering
- Informational booths dedicated to a broad spectrum of small-scale agriculture, food, and craft topics, including beekeeping, cheesemaking, winemaking, fermented foods and beverages, and more
- A full schedule of demonstrations and presentations, including beer brewing, fruit tree maintenance, backyard chicken care, and pickling
- An exciting selection of local food & farm businesses sharing small-batch products crafted with love
- An opportunity to get to know some incredible food and farm-based organizations from around the Bay
- A keynote speech from award-winning author and edible garden enthusiast, Rosalind Creasy
- Food trucks and live music to keep the festivities going!
Farm visitors are invited to participate more broadly in Silicon Valley’s regenerative food system and are encouraged to move towards value-driven food choices for people of all ages.
Apr
27
Mon
Apr 27 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Container gardening for all seasons, part 2. A Master Gardener class given in Cupertino.
Do you live in an apartment, condo or townhouse? Would you love to grow your own vegetables or flowers but think you just don’t have space? Learn to make use of your limited space by using container gardening for all seasons (part 2)!
In this two-night course, Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County will show how you can grow a wide variety of plants on a patio or balcony. Soil, water, pest control, fertilizers, and various containers will be discussed and demonstrated. Learn how to have a year-round garden that provides food and beauty in your small space.
Unlike many Master Gardener presentations, this two day (four hour) class is not free, and class space is limited. Visit the event registration page to reserve a spot in this in this class. If you don’t have a lot of space or think you can’t grow fresh veggies using the space that you do have, attend this class to be proven wrong. You can grow food in your limited space!
This is part two of a two part class; part one took place on April 20th, at the same time.
Presenter: UC Master Gardeners
May
2
Sat
May 2 – May 3 all-day
The Going Native Garden Tour offers a free tour of native gardens here in the Santa Clara Valley and Peninsula, the San Francisco south bay. The event has been organized by the California Native Plant Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter), in association with UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County.
The event takes place all day Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday features a showing of those gardens in the northern cities:
- Los Altos
- Mountain View
- Palo Alto
- Redwood City
- San Mateo
- Sunnyvale
Sunday features a showing of those gardens in the southern cities:
- Campbell
- Cupertino
- Gilroy
- Los Gatos
- Morgan Hill
- San Jose
- Santa Clara
The array of gardens on the Going Native Garden Tour ranges from established collector’s gardens to those that are newly installed, and from acre lots to townhome gardens. A few gardens will contain mostly local native plants, others the horticulturally available suite of natives from throughout California, and the rest a mixture of natives and Mediterranean plants. Some gardens have been designed and installed by owners, the others by professionals.
What’s special about California native plants? They are adapted to our soil and climate, and are easy to care for. A large number of native plants are naturally drought tolerant. They are unmatched in habitat value, attracting native birds, butterflies, and other forms of wildlife. And, as the gardens on the tour show, California native plants are beautiful; the gardens on the tour display a sense of place that is uniquely Californian.
Gardens on this tour were selected because they:
- Feature native plants
- Are pesticide-free
- Reduce waste by composting, mulching, and selecting appropriate plants
- Conserve water
- Provide habitat for wildlife
On tour day, sponsoring nurseries will conduct native plant sales at select gardens. Part of the proceeds benefit Going Native Garden Tour.
Looking for answers to specific questions? Refer to the GNGT FAQ…
May
20
Wed
May 20 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
A tour of our local wastewater treatment plant – Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) – located at 1400 Radio Road in Redwood Shores. Take the opportunity to visit the plant that is in the midst of a an over $700 million Capital Improvement Program to update aging infrastructure originally built back in 1982. The plant is a regional facility that serves Belmont, Redwood City, San Carlos and West Bay Sanitary District.
Tour features:
- Secondary treatment and advanced filtration
- Recycled water facility
- Cogeneration of energy from methane gas
- Biosolids production used for composting and farming
- On-site use of recycled water
Please note that no children under the age of 11 are permitted on this tour.