Windsor Garden News: October

Succulent Pumpkin Workshop Looming Large

Tickets are $35 for WGC members, $50 for non-members. Ticket pays for one medium pumpkin (roughly the size of a dinner plate - that you'd need two hands to pick up or hold). All other materials are included as well: a large variety of succulents and embellishment items (acorns, rose hips, berries, pine cones, etc.). Hot glue guns and plenty of refill glue sticks will be available too!

The workshop starts with a design demonstration.Then you can pick a pumpkin that calls to you, and decorate away! WGC will have experienced decorators on hand to help you. The location for the mid-day workshop will be outdoors, in the garden of WGC founder and longtime leader Cindy Fenton, and will be emailed to you upon ticket purchase. Click on the link below for more details and online ticket purchase links. Email officers@windsorgardenclub.org to make arrangements to purchase via check.

Second Saturday Workday is October 14

Check in with garden leaders to see if any particular tasks need doing. Don't forget to record your hours in the notebook in the kiosk (the little green glass-front cabinet full of notebooks and garden books.) Remember, all community gardeners are required to put in 6 hours of volunteer time per calendar year. Or pay $25/hr for any "unworked" volunteer maintenance time. Your hours will be tallied in mid-December.

Friends and visitors who want to help out and meet some community gardeners are always welcome! Before you can lift a finger in the TGCG, though, you'll need to sign a Town of Windsor liability form. Check in with garden leaders to get one!

Passings: Steve Castelli, Husband of Longtime WGC Trustee Glenda Castelli

Many Windsor Garden Club members know longtime WGC Board Member and hostess extraordinaire Glenda Castelli, and her daughter, Windsor Farmer's Market manager Tina Castelli. Sadly, Steve Castelli, Glenda's husband and Tina's father, passed away in September. Read his obituary in the Press Democrat. Again, our condolences to the Castellis.

Barley, Bine, Beer and Sheet Mulching?

Yes. On Oct 25.

The Town of Windsor and environmental nonprofit Daily Acts are teaming up to hold a free "Office Happy Hour: Sheet Mulching Your Landscape" event on Wednesday, Oct. 25, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Barley and Bine Beer Cafe in Windsor. This FREE event is an opportunity for folks to learn more about sheet mulching and how to transform your home landscape. Daily Acts staff will highlight the benefits of sheet mulching, the steps you’ll need to take, where to purchase materials, and how to take advantage of available rebates. Bring photos of your landscape for personalized recommendations for your yard. It's free, but advance registration is sincerely appreciated.
Click here for details and registration

Learn About Gardening with Native Plants
on October 28 at the Windsor Library

UC Master Gardener Bill Klausing will give a free presentation on gardening with Native Plants on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Windsor Regional Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Fall is the perfect time to plan and implement the addition of native plants to a Sonoma County garden. California natives increase biodiversity in your landscape and support local ecosystems most efficiently. In his talk, Klausing will share tips for native plant selection and care. Registration is required to attend. The workshop ends just in time to wander across the Green and visit the Open House at the Town Green Community Garden (see below).

Click here to register for the Master Gardeners Native Plant Talk

Come Enjoy Fall in the Garden on October 28

Come enjoy fall in the Town Green Community Garden on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 3 p.m. Stroll through the garden and see what a healthy ecosystem and organic garden beds look like in fall. Visit with gardeners and Master Gardeners, and bring a question or two. Check out the new Community Pollinator Garden just outside the TGCG Fence in the Town Hall complex. The Town Green Community Garden is located at the corner of Windsor Road and Joe Rodota Drive in the Town Hall complex.

Visit Windsor's Food Forest October 29

Did you know that the Town of Windsor has a Food Forest? Yep. It's at Robbins Park, and it's named, oddly enough. Robbins Food Forest. Come visit the Robbins Food Forest and talk with some of the volunteers who help take care of the trees there at the "Fall Freshen" from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 24. The park is located at 200 Billington Lane in Windsor. If you'd like to volunteer to help tidy up the Robbins Food Forest, you're welcome to join the volunteers. PS: What is a food forest? It's a grouping of plants in public areas -- usually trees. Local residents can pick and eat fruits from those Food Forest trees. Come see what's growing in Robbins Park.