Learn how to make great compost with worms at free workshop

Put worms to work in your garden

One of a gardener’s greatest friends is the worm. Learn to put these wiggly creatures to work for you in a free online workshop Feb. 13.

Jennifer Roberts, who oversees compost education for the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County, will lay out the basics of how to use worms to create great compost. She will cover the process from setting up a worm bin to watering and feeding them. 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Roberts, a California naturalist, has worked as a landscape designer and is certified in permaculture design. To register and get a link to the Zoom meeting, call the Master Gardener Program info desk at 707-565-2608 or email mgsonoma@ucdavis.edu.

Learn to grow cannabis

The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek is hosting a webinar Feb. 13 on “Growing Weed in the Garden.”

Johanna Silver, a former garden editor at Sunset magazine who oversaw the creation of Sunset’s display gardens at Cornerstone Sonoma, will lead the live workshop from 10-11 a.m.

Silver also is a James Beard Award-winning author who writes mostly about plants and people. She published her first book, “The Bold Dry Garden: Lessons from the Ruth Bancroft Garden” (Timber Press) in 2016. Her second book, “Growing Weed in the Garden: A No-Fuss, Seed-to-Stash Guide to Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation” (Abrams) was published last year. She currently is a contributing editor at Better Homes & Gardens.

Cost for the workshop is $20, or $49 if you’d also like an autographed copy of Silver’s book “Growing Weed in the Garden,” which is available to pick up. You can arrange to have the book mailed for an additional $8 by contacting alice@ruthbancroftgarden.org. For $56, workshop participants also will receive a laminated copy of the pamphlet “Cannabis: A Guide to Common and Exotic Strains.”

Registration closes at 8 a.m. on Feb. 13, the day of the workshop. To register visit ruthbancroftgarden.org.