Gardening - Organic Gardening, Container Gardening, Perennials, Bulbs, and Landscape Garden Design


Mushroom Walk with Mycologist, Zaac Chaves - scroll down!


Gardening


Sleepy Time for Gardens: Putting Your Gardens to Bed This Autumn
Many gardeners in the past spent a lot of time in their gardens in the Autumn season, preparing them for overwintering. New Best Practices advise significant changes in the way we approach these tasks. If we follow these recommendations, we will be saving ourselves a lot of effort while providing wildlife a restful Winter during which they can complete their lifecycles and emerge in Spring! This class will explore the reasons for the new methods from the bottom (roots and soil)-up and from the top (canopy)-down. We will consider planting options for the cool of Autumn, including some specific shrubs, trees and perennials, as well as ground covers and determine why layering our property is a healthful strategy for the environment. Instructor, Jackie Algon is an Advanced CT Master Gardener and Gardening Lecturer, a Board member of the Pollinator Pathway. She has taught many classes in the CT master Gardener program and an adult class at Norwalk Community College on topics related to natives, invasive species, and the Pollinator Pathway.

1 Session $ 31 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 27)
Mon., 9/29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at East Ridge Middle School.


About Seeds for Native Plants in Your Garden
Seeds of native plants differ from seeds of vegetables or non-native perennials and annuals. They need very different conditions to germinate. In session 1, we will explore the history and nature of seeds, how they evolved and how types of seeds differ from the others. We will discuss how and when to collect them, how to prepare them for sowing and /or storage, and which requirements encourage their growth. If you have always bought packets of plant seeds from your local nursery and sprinkled them in your garden beds, you will find that native seeds are fascinating - and fun - to learn about and to work with. Session 2 will be a workshop. We will select seeds to plant and will get them ready for germination. All materials will be provided, including seeds. Finished products will go home to germinate on your patio or balcony and by summer you will have some small seedlings to either up-pot or directly plant into your garden! Based on your new knowledge, you will be ready to collect seeds for the following growing season and can propagate them yourself to expand your garden’s native plants at little cost to you and at great benefit to wildlife! Instructor, Jackie Algon is an Advanced CT Master Gardener and Gardening Lecturer, a Board member of the Pollinator Pathway. She has taught many classes in the CT master Gardener program and an adult class at Norwalk Community College on topics related to natives, invasive species, and the Pollinator Pathway.

2 Sessions $ 54 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 46)
Mon., 11/10 and 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at East Ridge Middle School.


Mushroom Walk


Mushroom Walk with Mycologist, Zaac Chaves
Grab a notebook and join Zaac Chaves on a mycologically focused ecological tour in Ridgefield on Sunday, October 19 at 3 p.m.. During this outing we will identify seasonal mushrooms. You will help us catalog species (including possibly rare sightings) and even help document increasing evidence of climate change locally. No experience required. Zaac Chaves works on species surveys for several sites and sometimes with organizations including Harvard University, the New York Botanical Gardens, and the National Parks Service. We have found several new species at many sites and are also helping recognize others which are rare and disappearing. He also serves as the chief editor of the Boston Mycological Club Bulletin, established in 1897.

1 Session $ 29 (Ridgefield Sr./Disab. $ 25)
Sun., 10/19 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Directions to class location in Ridgefield will be emailed prior to class.


Gardening


Organic Gardening - Vegetables and Flowers
How to grow organically a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, and other plants suitable for our climate. This 2 part course will cover everything you need to know about organic gardening - from creating gardens, purchasing seeds or plants, growing on, fertilizing, controlling pests. Instructor Eileen Burton, a long term gardening instructor, is a former Horticultural Manager for a large non-profit and currently manages a church garden that grows produce for Meals on Wheels.

2 Sessions
Wed., call (203) 431-2812 or email ridgefieldce@gmail.com to be on a notification list for spring 2026 dates from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at East Ridge Middle School.