Fall festivals, exotic orchids, rebel junk and more

The 365-acre farm in the Russian River Valley has been used as an agricultural field laboratory and teaching resource for students of the Santa Rosa Junior College for more than four decades.|

FORESTVILLE

Shone Farm Fall Festival

The Santa Rosa Junior College's Shone Farm is celebrating 45 years with a free harvest gathering Oct. 13. The 365-acre farm in the Russian River Valley has been used as a field laboratory and teaching resource for agriculture and natural resources students for more than four decades. Shone Farm offers students hands-on experience as they learn about conservation, viticulture and winemaking, among other things. Activities at the fall festival include picking pumpkins, apple pressing, wood milling demonstrations and compost demonstrations. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7450 Steve Olson Lane, Forestville. For more information, visit facebook.com/SRJCShonefarm.

SANTA ROSA

Popular Rebel Junk sale returns to county

The popular vintage popup Rebel Junk is returning to the Sonoma County Event Center Oct. 12 and 13 showcasing repurposed and upcycled home decor and antiques, among other finds. Look for Instagram-worthy scores from vintage farmhouse cute to rusty chic. The vendors include Jessica Clark of Jessies Find & Refind of Napa, who features home decor and handmade candles. Friday night Oct. 12 is available for early bird shopping from 6-9 p.m. Ticket holders who purchase online can get in even earlier at 5:30 p.m. A ticket includes admission on Saturday as well. Tickets will be sold at the door starting at 6 p.m. Cost is $10 for Friday night and Saturday. Saturday admission is $5. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Event Center at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. For more information, call 707-545-4200 or visit rebeljunk.com.

SANTA ROSA

Jail Industries plants grown with compost

You can expect a good selection of great plants for Sonoma County gardens at Saturday's Sonoma County Jail Industries Plant sale.

Succulents and Sonoma County Superstars selected by the Master Gardeners as great performing plants for local landscapes, will be for sale, among other finds. The plants include drought-tolerant shrubs, perennials, succulents, groundcovers, roses and trees. The plants are grown by inmates using compost and without fertilizer or pesticides. Prices start at $2.75 for a 1 gallon container. 9 a.m. to noon, 2254 Ordinance Road, Santa Rosa. Checks or cash only. For more information, visit scoe.org/jailindustries, or contact Rick Stern at 707-525-8310 or jailind@mcn.org.

WINDSOR

How does your landscape serve you?

With just a little shift in our focus, our landscapes can ease many of the ecological crises we are facing. That is the position of Daily Acts, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable communities. The group will offer a free talk on Monday about incorporating “functional, ecologically literate systems into landscapes so that they provide critically needed services to the environment.”

Rick Taylor will present and lead a discussion about the three main services your landscape can easily provide: cleaning and protecting water, providing habitat and sequestering carbon. He will go over specific techniques to manage runoff.

Sebastian Bertsch will cover how rainwater in our landscape links to our greater watershed and ecosystem. 6-8 p.m. Windsor Regional Library, 9291 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor. Free. For more information, call 707-789-9664.

SANTA ROSA

Free talk on exotic terrestrial orchids

The Sonoma County Orchid Society presents a talk, “Terrestrial Orchids of Western Australia - Dragons, Fairies, Spiders and other Elusive Creatures,” during its monthly meeting on Tuesday. Member Dale Martin's free talk is based on a trip to Australia that he and his wife, Lynne, took in 2015. Western Australia has more than 400 orchid species and dozens of subspecies and natural hybrids. The terrestrial orchids are unique to Northern California and to those commonly associated with Australia. There will be orchids available for viewing and buying. Martin is semiretired from the high-tech industry since 2014, allowing him more time for orchids. In the past few years, he has focused largely on paphiopedilums, although he grows many other species and hybrids. The meeting is open to nonmembers. 6:30 p.m., Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. For more information, visit sonomaorchids.com.

HEALDSBURG

Savor a rose sorbet

The Russian River Rose Company is hosting the “Russian Tea & Fragrance Festival” Saturday and Sunday.

Offerings include folk and gypsy music, tea leaf readings, rose sorbet and strolls through the gardens at the peak of autumn bloom. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1685 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg, For more information, call 707-433-7455 or visit russian-river-rose.com.

You can send Home and Garden news to Staff Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Send items at least three weeks in advance.

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