Sonoma Garden Park hosts winter pruning workshop

Get hands-on experience and training in the art of winter tree pruning, at a workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 17 at Sonoma Garden Park, This workshop provides a great experience for new and seasoned gardeners who want to get their hands working while they learn. The garden has apple, peach, fig and other trees that will be looked at and worked with in this always-popular workshop.

Workshop will be given by Paul Vossen, a UC Farm Advisor since 1981. He conducts a fruit tree, berry, and vegetable research and education program for commercial growers in Sonoma County, including production, pruning and pest management courses.

He also had a small-scale market-garden farm in Windsor for 10 years where he grew and sold, peaches, pears, apples, table grapes, plums, cherries, apricots, olives, cane berries, blueberries, and strawberries.

This workshop will cover all aspects of home garden fruit tree care and Vossen will demonstrate how to prune apples, pears, peaches/nectarines, feijoa, plums, olives, walnuts, and table grapes.

The Sonoma County Master Gardeners provide environmentally sustainable, science-based horticultural information to the people of Sonoma County. The volunteers staff an information desk at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Santa Rosa, where they answer questions, diagnose plant problems and give other assistance to home gardeners. They also work on special community horticultural projects, have information tables at farmers markets throughout the county and are a participant in the Sonoma County Fair. Master Gardeners also provide information and advice through workshops, lectures in the Sonoma public libraries, and plant clinics.

The cost is $15 for Sonoma Ecology Center members and $20 general. Registration and tickets are available online at brownpapertickets.com/event/1045300.

For questions, contact Lisa Quigley at Sonoma Ecology Center at 996-0712, ext. 107 or Lisa@sonomaecologycenter.org.

The Sonoma Garden Park is located at 19996 Seventh St. E., Sonoma,