Home & Garden Digest

Bee Tours are back from 1-2:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at Earthbound Farm Stand, 7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. Experience the magic of pollinators with local bee concierge Lara Mitchell. The tour will begin in a covered pavilion. Once suited up in organic cotton ventilated bee suits, the tour heads into the CCOF-certified organic farm and gardens. There are several hives throughout the property. Participants will be able to taste the honey, observe the lifestyles of honeybees and learn about their importance to our ecosystem.

Read Bee Tour information thoroughly prior to purchasing tickets. The duration of the tour is approximately 90 minutes. Children ages 11 and younger are not permitted on the tour. Please wear closed-toed shoes for the tour. You may cancel your registration for a tour up to two weeks in advance of the tour day and receive a refund. Date changes can’t be accommodated. If you wish to attend a different date you will need to cancel and re-book. Unfortunately, some credit card processing fees are non-refundable. No refunds or exchanges will be given on tours that are canceled less than one week prior to the tour. Earthbound Farm Stand reserves the right to cancel any tour in the event of instructor illness, or inclement weather. You will be contacted by email or telephone and issue a full refund. If you miss a tour due to weather-related concerns or personal reasons, the standard cancellation policy applies. Private tours are available. For information and ticket purchase, visit eventbrite.com.

Join fellow gardeners for a free monthly Santa Cruz Garden Exchange from 5-6 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz. Please park in the northern rows of the parking lot away from the building. Gardeners are welcome to bring anything from their garden such as seeds, bulbs, succulents, houseplants, veggies, fresh flowers, informational material or any other garden-related items to trade within your garden community. You do not need to bring something in order to participate and you must take back anything not given out. For questions, call 831-515-7162 or email [email protected].

Esperanza Community Farms presents civil rights activist Dolores Huerta at 4 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts, 250 E. Beach St., Watsonville. Huerta and presenters will discuss sustainable communities, organic farming and economic justice. The event will also feature dance performances and appetizers. Huerta has spent decades championing the rights of farmworkers, women and the LGBTQ+ community. Huerta be joined by local activists Mireya Gómez-Contreras, co-leader of Esperanza Community Farms, and Ann López, executive director of the Center for Farmworker Families, as they discuss cultivating sustainable communities through organic farming and economic justice.

Proceeds from this event will benefit Esperanza Community Farms and the Center for Farmworker Families. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available upon request. The Mello Center is wheelchair accessible. Doors open at 3 p.m., appetizers and vendors from 3-4 p.m., dance performance at 4 p.m., Presentations and presenters 4:20-6 p.m. For information and ticket purchase, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/harvesting-equity-with-dolores-huerta-tickets.

Learn about native plants as you help keep them thriving at a garden work party from 9-11 a.m. at Felton Discovery Park (6121 Gushee St., Felton), a county park planted with natives and focused on environmental education. Felton Library Friends organizes a volunteer work party from 9-11 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month.

Felton Discovery Park features a native and riparian plant walkway and pollinator garden, natural play areas to engage children in climbing and exploration, as well as interpretive signs about pollinators, watershed, riparian zones and restoring fire’s natural role. To volunteer in the park and learn about programs and activities, visit feltonlibraryfriends.org.

The Monterey Bay Iris Society is having its annual iris rhizome sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Deer Park Shopping Center, 783 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos. This is your chance to get some iris rhizomes from the private gardens of the members of the Monterey Bay Iris Society. This annual sale is well known for its selection of tall bearded iris. The rhizomes are $4 each or 20 for $60. At the sale, expert iris growers will be on hand to help you with your selection and will have printed hand-outs on how to grow iris. An iris is a good choice for our gardens because they are drought tolerant. They bloom in the spring and need very little, if any, water in the summer. Our area has almost perfect growing conditions for iris. They are one of the easiest garden plants to grow and will give good results with a minimum of care. The sale is very popular so get there early to get the best selection. If you can’t make the Aug 5 sale, they will also be available at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College on Aug. 12 and Aug. 19. For information, montereybayiris.org/.

The Garden Digest is compiled by Jesselyn Rego. To submit items for the calendar including events, meetings, resources, or anything garden related, email [email protected].

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