These events are not hosted by Wegman’s Nursery.
Garden for the Environment
Garden for the Environment (GFE) will offer the following workshops and events from mid-March through April 2026. All will be at Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s teaching garden, 1590 7th Avenue (at Lawton). Founded in 1990, GFE offers informative, hands-on workshops on most Saturdays that teach Bay Area residents how to grow climate-appropriate gardens and food, make compost, and conserve water. We hope you’ll join us for some of these terrific learning opportunities—we’re excited to have you in the garden!
NOTE: Our new greenhouse and storage facilities are done and they look great! Stop by the garden to check them out.
The garden’s center area is closed to the public most days. When possible, we will open the center on Saturdays. Give yourself a few extra minutes to find your workshop on Saturdays.
For volunteer hours, we will congregate in the Victory Garden area for check-in. Please access this space from our northwest and northeast entrances.
For more information, visit our website at www.gardenfortheenvironment.org.
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER DAYS AND WORKSHOPS:
Educational Volunteer Hours
When: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am - 3pm
Cost: Free
Registration required! Register at bit.ly/gfevolunteershifts
Join us in the garden on Wednesdays and Saturdays to help with garden maintenance tasks. You’ll work alongside staff and fellow volunteers on a range of activities like composting, vegetable planting and harvesting, pruning, and weeding. The best way to learn is by doing, and we promise you’ll learn a lot working in the garden with us. Bring lunch and picnic with us at noon!
* Bring your own gardening gloves. See additional requirements on the registration page.
Urban Composting
When: Saturday, June 6, 10am - 12pm
Cost: Free
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
Learn how to make your very own compost! The backbone of every healthy garden, compost improves all soil types and can be a difference between success and failure with many plants. In this FREE workshop, we will teach you how to make compost in your backyard and introduce you to our worms that make their own special fertilizer. We will also give you tips on using your city compost bin. Come learn what you can do to improve your garden and prevent organic waste from ending up in the landfill!
GFE offers this popular workshop to the public for free and appreciates any donation you can make to support our efforts to educate the public about environmentally-conscious gardening and more. www.gardenfortheenvironment.org/donate
Growing a Garden: Where to Start
When: Saturday, June 13, 10am - 12pm
Cost: $25 - $58.74
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
Do you have a space that you would like to turn into a garden, but don’t know where to start? This class is perfect for beginner gardeners or anyone looking for a refresher. We will guide you through the steps to transform your yard into a beautiful garden, including maintenance tips and where to find support and resources. We will also include information and advice on container gardening. This workshop will focus on working with nature, observing your space, and demystifying San Francisco's unique microclimate. With your newfound knowledge, you'll be able to create a manageable garden that aligns with the space you have. Bring your questions!
Please note that this workshop focuses on perennial plant gardening, NOT edible food growing. If you are interested in learning about edible plant growing, please register for one of our Grow Your Own Food 2026 workshops.
Our expert instructor Carey Craddock is a garden coach, consultant, and horticultural enthusiast. She has been teaching at Garden for the Environment since 1998, first as a Get Up! intern, and then as a staff member until 2003. She trained in both CCSF and Merritt College’s landscape horticulture programs, and loves to combine her passion for art and horticulture into creative projects. She runs Carey Craddock Gardens where she specializes in ecological garden design and growing food.
Trees for Life: Young and Old Tree Care
When: Saturday, June 20, 10am - 12pm
Cost: From $27.24
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
In this engaging workshop, learn how to get a new tree off to the right start so it can grow old, and how trees' needs change as they age.
Trees seem so eternal, it’s easy to forget that they need care in our gardens and in the built environment. Certified and Consulting Arborist Ellyn Shea has been planting and taking care of trees for over 25 years. She'll provide insights on how to get a new tree off to the right start so it can grow old, and how the needs of trees change as they age.
Note that this class is primarily for non-fruiting trees, although some information presented in this workshop may apply to most trees.
Instructor Ellyn Shea wears a number of hats as a gardener, garden coach, Certified Arborist, consultant and educator in San Francisco. Her checkered professional background includes landscaping, bookkeeping, teaching abroad and community urban forestry with Friends of the Urban Forest. Visit her at www.garden-guidance.com
Grow Your Own Food
When: Saturday, July 11, 10am - 12pm
Cost: $25 - $58.74
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop.
Some topics that will be covered in the months the workshop is offered:
- January: Soil fertility, weed management, and what to plant now.
- March: Growing your own transplants, what seeds to start indoors and outdoors, and successful transplanting of seedlings.
- May: Warm weather crops and plants that attract beneficial insects and watering needs of your spring garden.
- July: Planning for your winter garden and summer pests and diseases to look out for.
- September: Preparing your garden for the cool and rainy season and harvesting the fruits of your summer garden.
- November: Taking advantage of the rainy season by planting cold hardy crops such as garlic, peas, and edible perennials.
Our expert instructor Carey Craddock is a garden coach, consultant, and horticultural enthusiast. She has been teaching at Garden for the Environment since 1998, first as a Get Up! intern and then as a staff member until 2003. She trained in both CCSF and Merritt College’s landscape horticulture programs and loves to combine her passion for art and horticulture into creative projects. She runs Carey Craddock Gardens where she specializes in ecological garden design and growing food.
Beginning Beekeeping: The Basics and Focus on Urban Beekeeping
When: Saturday, July 18, 10am - 12pm
Cost: From $27.24
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
Come learn beekeeping basics, how to keep a mid-season colony healthy, and. how to beekeep in urban areas in this engaging workshop!
Whether you're already keeping bees or simply curious about what beekeeping involves, there will be something for you in this class. We'll cover the basics on bees, the progress of bees through the seasons, how to keep bees healthy, and what to look for at this time of year. We’ll also talk about swarming, pest management, and more.
The class will also address special concerns of urban beekeeping. Are there city or county restrictions on beekeeping where you live? How can you be the best bee steward possible in an area where bees and people will inevitably meet?
The class is designed for beginners so no prerequisite knowledge is required. You will get to see live bees in an observation hive.
Lynne Rousseau: For over two decades, Lynne has been immersed in the world of beekeeping, has maintained active hives, and developed a deep appreciation for these remarkable pollinators. Beyond managing her own hives, She's passionate about sharing her knowledge through educational outreach, from observation hive demonstrations and honey tastings at senior homes and schools to mentoring veterans through Hives for Heroes. Her urban homestead reflects her broader commitment to environmental sustainability and provides year-round resources for pollinators. Sharing the wonders of bees and the taste of local honey, and witnessing the joy it brings, continues to fuel her passion for beekeeping and environmental education.
Summer Fruit Tree Pruning
When: Saturday, July 18, 10am - 12pm
Cost: From $27.24
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
Fruit trees require year-round care, and summer pruning is critical to their health. Learn best techniques for it in this workshop!
Fruit trees require year-round care, and summer pruning is critical to their health. Summer pruning allows air and light to reach fruits and lower branches, controls growth on vigorous trees, helps direct a tree's shape, and is an opportunity to remove dead, damaged, and dying wood. Our expert instructors will teach general pruning techniques, discuss the differences between summer and winter pruning, and lead a hands-on demonstration so you can learn which cuts will keep your trees healthy and productive.
Following the workshop, you can put your newfound skills to use! Feel free to bring a lunch and eat with GFE staff and volunteers, and then at 1pm, join a group of fellow workshop participants and others from the GFE community to prune our orchard trees.
Instructors Jamie & Blas are natives of San Francisco. They tend a small homestead in San Francisco with their two girls, complete with honey bees, chickens, greenhouse, mini orchard and vegetables. Blas has a degree in environmental studies, a certificate in sustainable design from the Urban Permaculture Institute of San Francisco and currently is teaching high school science in the Jefferson Union School District. Jamie has an MS in science and a doctorate in educational leadership from SF State University. She is a certified UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener and currently Executive Director of Planet Bee Foundation. In their free time you can find them volunteering at their local community greenspace Sisterhood Gardens and running their garden education company @FogCityGardener.
How to Cope with a Slope! Tips for Gardening on Hillsides
When: Saturday, July 25, 10am - 12pm
Cost: From $27.24
Registration required! Register at eventbrite.com
The Bay Area is full of hills, but don’t let the steep slope of your yard scare you away from creating a beautiful garden!
Hillsides are a challenge, whether they're dry or irrigated, sunny or shady. We will address many of the issues involved in hillside gardening and discuss site assessment, irrigation best practices, design techniques, and plant selection. We will also tour the sloped garden areas at GFE and see multiple practical ideas to inspire you. Wear comfortable walking shoes for varied terrain.
Instructor Ellyn Shea wears a number of hats as a gardener, garden coach, Certified Arborist, consultant and educator in San Francisco. Her checkered professional background includes landscaping, bookkeeping, teaching abroad, and community urban forestry with Friends of the Urban Forest. Visit her at www.garden-guidance.com