Santa Cruz Parks - Activity Guide - Summer 2024

www.scparks.com • 15 INTERPRETIVE & OUTDOOR EDUCATION PRO GRAMS Plant a Fall or Winter Garden from Seed No matter where you live in Santa Cruz County, there's still plenty of time to plant and enjoy a bountiful garden of easy-care vegetables, fresh herbs and colorful flowers to plant from seed now to both pollinators and sustain your family through fall and winter. Instructor Renee Shepherd is the founder of local seed company Renee's Garden. She seeks out the very best seeds from around the world, tests them in her own local trial garden, and shares them with other gardeners in the company's colorful seed packets. Her gardening values, enthusiasm and discerning taste have made Renee Shepherd a household name in the gardening world. QUAIL HOLLOW RANCH – AGES 12 & UP Su 9/1 11am-1pm Free Habitat Restoration French Broom is an invasive, exotic plant that takes over natural habitats. Join the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society and park volunteers for a broom bash, removing these (and other unwanted plants) from the park trails. Your help with this project will improve the natural system of the park as well as its beauty. Wear comfortable layered clothing, bring something to drink, and lots of enthusiasm! We work rain or shine, but if things get particularly unpleasant, we’ll call it a day. Tools will be provided. Bring work gloves and water. For ages 16 & up. Chapter web site: http://www.cruzcnps.org. Native Plant Gardening Did you know that Santa Cruz County is home to 1,000+ native plant species? This diversity creates options in landscape designs and o˜ers ways to work in harmony with nature. Join UC Master Gardeners Janice Kuch and Robin Spring as they give you the tools for selecting and locating the right plants for your location. Whether you are gardening in containers, have a small yard or a larger plot, native plants can add resiliency to your landscape, help you protect natural resources, and preserve our state’s biodiversity. Participants will receive practical handouts, plant lists, tips, and strategies to maximize results. Live specimens will be on display and additional interpretive materials will assist in visualizing your garden. In addition, because no garden is without weeds, weed identification and eradication information will be available. Enrollment is limited. Sign up in advance to secure your space at mbmg.ucanr.edu . QUAIL HOLLOW RANCH – AGES 16 & UP Sa 11/2 10:30am-12:30pm Free Regenerative Soil Techniques for the Home Gardener Healthy soil is the foundation of a productive, thriving garden. Did you know fall is the perfect time to improve soil resiliency for next year's harvest? UC Master Gardeners Bridget Matz and Debbie Moser will show you how to improve soil health in your vegetable beds and gardens, using a variety of proven techniques. We will present an overview of soil science and soil resiliency, cover cropping, sheet mulching, vermicomposting, and straw bale gardening. We invite our community to participate in this hands-on event. Space is limited, so register today at mbmg.ucanr.edu to make sure you don't miss this opportunity to make your garden the best it can be! PINTO LAKE COUNTY PARK, MASTER GARDENER DEMO GARDEN – AGES 16 & UP Sa 10/5 10am-12pm Free UC Master Gardeners of Monterey Bay o ers a wide variety of gardening classes throughout the year. Please visit their website at mbmg.ucanr.edu to see their classes, join their mailing list, or submit a gardening question to their Gardening Advice Hotline.