Home briefs: Celebrate fall with harvest events on the Peninsula

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Learn about easy-to-grow veggies and greens for your fall garden during a Zoom garden talk presented by the Menlo Park Library. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

Crops for your fall garden

6:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 4 | Zoom | Free | Registration required

Learn about easy-to-grow veggies and greens for your fall garden. During this talk presented during the monthly Garden Talk series presented by the Menlo Park LIbrary, you will what varieties grow well in the Peninsula and when and how to get them started.

What’s the difference between geraniums and pelargoniums?

1-2:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 8 | Zoom and in-person at Central Park, 101 Ninth Ave., San Mateo | Free | Registration required

What is the difference between a pelargonium and a geranium? Both are related flowering plants in the Geraniaceae family, but they have some distinct differences. Learn which of these plants to choose for your garden, the best soil, how to water, when to fertilize and prune, their pests and diseases and how to propagate.

Horticulturaist Robin Parer, who lectures frequently to garden groups and societies throughout the United States and has collected and propagated more than 500 geranium species, will lead this talk.

Herbs are a diverse group of plants with diverse needs. Learn how to grow them at home during a talk at the Mountain View Public Library. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

Tips for growing culinary herbs

6:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10 | Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St. | Registration recommended

Growing your own herbs is an easy way to add year-round international flavor to meals with little space and modest effort. Culinary herbs are a diverse group of plants with diverse needs. Learning to grow a variety of them successfully will give you a delicious education in growing a variety of different plants.

During this one-hour workshop, Master Gardener Ann Burrell will help you identify the cultural needs of many different culinary herbs, enabling you to successfully grow your own herb garden.

Seating is limited. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Gamble Garden is celebrating fall with Harvest Time tours. Embarcadero Media file photo.

Harvest time at Gamble Garden

10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Sept. 14 | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Free | Registration required

See fruits and vegetables ready for harvest at Gamble Garden during its special Harvest Time tours on the second Saturday of September.

Children can taste, see, feel and smell edible plants during a guided nature hunt in the garden. There also will be crafts and hands-on activities. For Adults, there will be guided tours of the historic house, which will be decorated to celebrate the harvest, and its edible garden. Visitors will learn some surprising facts about that fascinating nightshade family of plants.

Learn how to drink what you grow

7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16 | Orchard Room, Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road | Free | More information

Learn how to select, grow, maintain, propagate and harvest plants that can be used in homemade beverages.

UC Master Gardener Monique Frappier and the “Garden-to-Glass” team will introduce six of their favorite plants that impart desirable flavors and aromas, ideal for crafting refreshing teas, infusions, syrup and other beverages. These plants can be grown in small spaces and can help make the most out of your raised beds or landscape.

Lichens 101: How to identify them

10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Wed., Sept. 18 | Long Ridge Preserve, La Honda| Free | More information

Take a moderately paced 5-mile hike along the Peters Creek and Long Ridge trails with docent naturalists Kate Bauer, Mary Brunkhorst and Nick Yatsko while learning the basics about lichen and how to identify some of the most common kinds that grow in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Bring a lunch to enjoy among the lichen.

Meet at Peters Creek Roadside Parking (across from the Grizzly Flat trailhead on Skyline Boulevard).

Volunteers can help Hidden Villa's farm team tend to the organization's farmland during two separate farm day events. Courtesy photo. — Volunteers can help Hidden Villa’s farm team tend to the organization’s farmland during farm day events on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Courtesy photo.

Farm volunteer days

9 a.m. – noon, Wednesdays & Saturdays, Sept. 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, | 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.

Orchard Days at Filoli

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.., Saturdays & Sundays, Sept. 21 – Oct. 27, Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | Registration and information.

Enjoy the bounty of fall in Filoli’s Gentleman’s Orchard surrounded by the jewel tones of autumn, live music, spiced cider and a variety of seasonal activities during Filoli’s annual Orchard Days. Filoli-grown frut and vegetables will be available for purchase at the farm stand. There will be a hay maze for children, and guests can take a self-guided orchard walk to learn about the historic orchard and fall celebrations across cultures.

Filoli kicks off Orchard Days on Sept. 21 & 22 with Hispanic Heritage Weekend, celebrating the contributions of the local Hispanic community to agriculture and the arts.

Rinconada Library in Palo Alto is among the libraries that offer free seeds. Photo by Devin Roberts.

Fall seeds at local libraries

Not sure what to plant as fall approaches? 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.

Learn about the benefits of using native plants in your garden design during a presentation at the Mountain View Public Library. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

Native gardening tips

6:30-8 p.m., Wed. Oct. 7 | Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St. | Registration recommended

Learn about the ecological benefits of using native plants in garden design during this informational talk presented by professional landscaper Shelkie Tao. Native gardens promote biodiversity, support local wildlife and require less maintenance and water than traditional gardens.

Seating is limited. Registration is recommended. Walk-ins are also welcome.