Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop offered at IVC Farm & Garden

Spring is in the air. Our hills are turning green, buds are starting to blossom on tree branches, and allergy season has officially kicked off. I even caught sight of some daffodils today. Time to dust off the garden gloves and get ready for spring planting!

Gear up for the season by attending a fruit tree bench grafting workshop at local Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden in Ignacio on Saturday, February 23rd, from 10:00am-1:00pm. The farm is located on the College of Marin campus at 1800 Ignacio Boulevard, west of highway 101. Parking is free on the weekends.

For a $50 workshop fee, participants will receive a tutorial demonstration followed by an opportunity to practice grafting techniques. Each person will graft one tree to take home. Additional trees can be grafted for a fee of $10 per tree, or hone your new skills by grafting tree stock for the farm. It's a great opportunity to learn this gardening skill!

Instructor John Valenzuela is an experienced grafter, horticulturist, consultant, and educator who specializes in ecological edible landscapes called "food forests." He currently chairs the Golden Gate Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association. He also maintains a small rare fruit nursery in Novato.

To register for this event, visit http://ucanr.edu/ivofg-grafting. Class size is limited to 30 participants. Master Gardeners will receive 3 CE hours for their attendance. For more information, contact Liz Peer at lpeer@peermusic.com. *Please wear good walking shoes and be prepared for rain.

The IVC organic farmstand will also be open to the public on Saturday, February 23rd, from 10:00am-2:00pm offering seasonal vegetables and plant starts for sale.

Get your green on and get grafting!