The Sonoma County Fall Home Show returns to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this weekend with ideas to help you freshen up the old homestead. Contractors, building suppliers, landscapers, vendors featuring flooring, furniture, windows and window treatments, not to mention suppliers and builders of new roofing, decks and gutter systems, will be on hand to help people get started on their home improvement projects. The event, which began Friday, continues today and Sunday, running in tandem with the Redwood Empire Train Show, the largest north of San Francisco, featuring model railways and steam engines. Admission to both shows is $7. Children under 12 are free. Bring a can or box of food for the Redwood Empire Food Bank for $2 off admission. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa.
FULTON
K-J tomato fest coming Sept. 28: Everyone's favorite fruit is the star of the 17th annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival on Sept. 28. The event is a chance to see and sample more than 175 heritage varieties of tomatoes grown in the winery's expanded culinary gardens. Garden tours, wine and food pairings, garden seminars, tomato-inspired creations by Executive Chef Justin Wangler and a Chef's Challenge with 50 Bay Area chefs competing to create the best tomato-centric bites, round out the day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $90 at kj.com. 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton.
SANTA ROSA
Organic theme at SR Garden Club: David Perkins, a lifelong organic gardener and accredited Organic Land Practitioner, will talk about Organic Land Care Management at the meeting Monday of the Santa Rosa Garden Club. Perkins is knowledgable about biodynamics and permaculture and advocates Integrated Pest Management as a solution for protecting local watersheds like the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The meeting is free and open to the public. 1:30 p.m. 2050 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa. 537-6885 or email gardenclubevents@yahoo.com.
SANTA ROSA
Say farewell to your turf: Master Gardener Sandy Metzger will talk about how to turn your turf into a low-water use, low-maintenance landscape during a free workshop today at The Harvest for the Hungry Garden in Santa Rosa. Metzger will talk about how to remove your lawn and then suggest plantings and turf-free landscaping ideas. The workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 1717 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa. For information call 484-3613.
GLEN ELLEN
Olive expert leads curing workshops: With the olive harvest just around the corner, olive maven Don Landis is again starting up his workshops on curing the fruit, starting with a talk Sept. 29 at B.R. Cohn Winery. Landis will talk about the history of the olive in California and offer a description of the Greek style of olive curing without lye. The workshop includes an olive tasting. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. $20. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 800-330-4064, ext. 124.
SEBASTOPOL
Gold Ridge holds fall open house: Lilith Rogers performs her one-woman show about the life of early environmentalist Rachel Carson during the fall Open House and Plant Sale Sept. 28 and 29 at Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Farm. Rogers will call up the spirit of Carson, a writer, activist and organic gardener whose book "Silent Spring" drew attention to the dangers of toxic chemicals, starting at 1 p.m. Sept. 29. Self-guided and docent-led tours of the historic 3-acre farm will be offered. Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and plants from fall veggie starts to unusual perennials will be for sale along with farm tools and heritage jam made from fruits grown on the farm. Free. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 7777 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, behind the Burbank Heights and Orchards senior housing complex.
SANTA ROSA
Next fall sale at Willowside: Bargain plants are up for grabs at the Willowside School Fall Plant Sale on Sept. 28. The student-run nursery will have perennials, roses, grasses, Japanese and Trident maples, deodar cedars, redwoods and cypress as well as a multitude of succulents, Chinese quince and elm trees. Pack home a 3- to 6-foot red/yellow magnolia for $25 to $40. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5299 Hall Road in west Santa Rosa. For information call 569-4724.
SONOMA COUNTY
Free workshops fill fall season: The Sonoma County Master Gardeners are holding a series of free lectures and workshops for the fall planting season. All are held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information call 565-2608 or visit sonomamastergardeners.org. Coming up:
Today
Cloverdale — Restoring Habitat - One Garden at a Time: Learn how to revive the natural ecosystem with the thoughtful use of native plants. Master Gardener Mary Lou Milkoff will discuss how to welcome birds, butterflies, beneficial insects and bees into your yard. Learn to make your garden diverse and sustainable, cutting down on labor and use of water, pesticides and fertilizers. Cloverdale Regional Library, 401 N. Cloverdale Blvd.
Rohnert Park/Cotati — Dahlia Care and Culture: Learn how to grow great dahlias for beds, borders and cutting gardens from Jim Lang, who has grown several thousand dahlias over the past 30 years and has exhibited and judged them for the past nine years. Rohnert Park Regional Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way, Rohnert Park.
Sebastopol — Care and Pruning of Hydrangeas: The workshop is all about growing hydrangeas, from water-saving techniques, fertilizing, pruning methods and hydrangea varieties to propagating and drying of blooms. Sebastopol Regional Library, 7140 Bodega Ave.
Sept. 28
Guerneville — Making Wine from Homegrown Grapes: Master Gardener Dennis Przybycien explains how to make top quality wine from homegrown grapes. He will cover proper harvest and step-by-step wine production, including equipment needed, as well as information on government regulations. Guerneville Regional Library, 14107 Armstrong Woods Road.
You can direct Home & Garden news to meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: