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Whether you’re looking to tour historic landmarks, learn some gardening skills or spend the day on a community farm, you’ll find plenty of opportunities on the Peninsula. Check out our August home & garden events calendar.
‘Signs of Late Summer’ hike
9 a.m. – noon, Friday, Aug. 8 | Pulgas Ridge Preserve, Redwood City| Free | Information
Join docent naturalists Lina Mesa and Mallik K. to explore signs of late summer at Pulgas Ridge Preserve. Participants will see a variety of oak and other native trees and observe bushes with berries, as well as get a scenic view as they hike along the top of the ridge. This moderately paced, 4-mile hike includes the Dick Bishop and Dusky-footed Woodrat trails and traverses hilly and uneven terrain. No dogs
Learn 10 habits of successful gardeners
6:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug.12 | Online class sponsored by the Mountain View Public Library | Free | Registration required
Join master gardener Mint Pasakdee, who will share tips on how to become a successful gardener during her “Ten habits of successful gardeners” class. You will learn about creating healthy soil, using a seasonality checklist, making plant selections, using appropriate weed and pest controls, and much more. Bring gardening questions or just tune in to learn from other gardeners.
Alternative lawn choices
1:30-2:30 p.m., Sun. Aug. 17 | Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto Free| Registration not required | Information
Master gardener Carolyn Williams will talk about replacement plantings for conventional high water-using sod lawns, with a focus on using less water and fertilizer, lower maintenance, and finding good solutions for what you would like in your yard. Different lawn, groundcover and meadow grass choices also will be highlighted.
Explore historic Union Cemetery
10-11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 23 | Union Cemetery, 316 Woodside Road, Redwood City | Free | Advanced registration not required | Information
Come take a guided tour of Redwood City’s historic Union Cemetery, which opened in 1859 on a 6-acre triangle of land just outside of downtown. The 2,400 graves include many of San Mateo County’s founding families and pioneers. Closed in 1918, the cemetery was named a California Historic landmark in 1967 and was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1983. The tour, led by Historic Union Cemetery Association Board members, is part of a series of free walking tours throughout the greater Peninsula from now through the end of August that the San Mateo History Museum coordinated to complement its Victorian Days at the Old Courthouse.
Art in the Garden
5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | $10 | Registration required
Gamble Garden will be transformed into an artists’ studio where everyone can join in during its third annual Art in the Garden, held in partnership with the Pacific Art League. Enjoy a glass of wine and wander in the garden where artists will be working, sketching, drawing and planning. Observe the artists, chat with them, and try your hand at sketching or painting. Featured artists include Lori Anderson, Natalia Drachinskaya, Emo Gonzalez, Denise Howard, Ria Krishnan and Richard Man.
August on the farm
9 a.m. – noon, Wednesdays & Saturdays, Aug. 6, 9, 13, 16, 20 | Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills | Registration required.
Help Hidden Villa’s farm team care for food grown in the fields for the local community. Volunteers are needed to help remove weeds from the farm fields as well as assistance with other tasks. Participants should come ready to get dirty. The farm recommends wearing clothes that you’re okay with getting dirty, sturdy boots and a sun hat. Bring a water bottle and snacks, if you like.
Volunteers meet at the front of the property at 9 a.m. and then head out to the fields from there.
Hidden Villa grows on about 7 acres of land, producing food for the community and donating 25% of the harvest to the food bank at the Community Services Agency of Mountain View. Anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a guardian.
Hazardous waste drop-off in Mountain View
8:15 a.m. – 11:15 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 23, Mountain View | Free | Appointment required
Appointments are available to drop off household hazardous waste for free at a drop-off event in Mountain View that will be open on Saturday, Aug. 23 through the Household Hazardous Waste Program.
For Santa Clara County residents who can’t make the Mountain View drop-off event, there are permanent, year-round sites located in San Jose and San Martin, as well as upcoming temporary drop-off events in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. In San Mateo County, drop-off events occur in Daly City, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, La Honda, Menlo Park, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Mateo and South San Francisco.
The Hazardous Waste program allows residents to dispose of unwanted household products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive or reactive for free at designated sites with an appointment. Once you make an appointment, the address of your drop-off location will be emailed to you.
Common products that can be dropped off include auto fluids, batteries, electronics, fluorescent and LED lightbulbs, garden chemicals, household cleaners, paint and many other products that require proper disposal to prevent harm to humans and the environment.
Note: Palo Alto residents who want to schedule a drop-off need to contact their city’s household hazardous waste program at 650-496-5910.
For more information about year-round appointments, go to Santa Clara County or San Mateo County.
Sunset hikes at Filoli
6-7:30 p.m.., Wednesdays & Thursdays, now-Sept. 18, Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | $75 | Registration and information
Explore the natural lands beyond Filoli’s formal gardens during a guided sunset tour along the estate’s beloved trails, as well as trails rarely open to the public. The 2-mile hike follows a scenic creek bed and historic flume built more than 100 years ago by William Bourn, the industrialist who constructed Filoli.
The 90-minute hike takes guests uphill on winding paths through towering redwoods, fern-covered understory and ever-changing flora and fauna.
Free seeds at local libraries
Not sure what to plant as you plan your fall garden? Head to your local library. Several public libraries on the Midpeninsula include seed libraries stocked with vegetable, fruit, herb and native flower seeds that residents can bring home and plant for free. You can find the seeds stored in old library card catalogs at most libraries that offer this service – and you don’t need a library card. Available seed varieties are rotated seasonally according to optimal planting times for our area.
Rinconada, Menlo Park, Belle Haven, Mountain View and Redwood City public libraries are among those that operate seed libraries in the area. Contact your local library for more information.
‘Building with Cob’ workshops (Part I & II)
10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sat., Sept. 6 & 13 | 230 Demeter St., East Palo Alto | Free | Registration and information
Learn the basics of building with cob, a natural, earthen building material similar to adobe that is made from a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water. The nonprofit Fresh Approach will lead a hands-on natural building workshop where participants will explore a variety of techniques, including how to identify and test clay soil, and how to source and prepare natural materials. Together, the class will put these skills into practice by building a garden wall.
