Home Front Home Front (September 16, 2005)

PLANT EXCHANGE . . . There's plenty of time to dig up your extra plants and get ready for the annual Fall Plant Exchange, sponsored by the Garden Club of Los Altos and the Los Altos Recreation Department. The free exchange takes place on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hillview Community Center parking lot, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. The swap includes plants, seedlings, cuttings, bulbs, seeds, small trees and shrubs. Participants are encouraged to label what they bring, and please take something home. For more information call the recreation department at (650) 947-2790.

FRIENDLY GARDENING . . . Carol Cox will teach a class on "Companion Planting" tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to noon ($19), and "Composting" from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. ($21). The first class deals with making efficient use of garden space, enhancing productivity while balancing the insect population. The second offers an easy way to make compost, and includes a field trip to Hidden Villa to build a compost pile. Students should bring a five-gallon bucket of grass clippings, weeds and non-meat kitchen scraps. Both classes are offered at Common Ground, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. For information call (650) 493-6072 or visit www.commongroundinpaloalto.org.

GARDEN EVENTS . . .UC Master Gardeners will hold two free events tomorrow. In "Fall in the Ornamental Garden: Planning, Planting and Caring for Waterwise Ornamental Plants," from 10 to 11 a.m., Roberta Barnes will discuss evaluating plants, seasonal maintenance chores and making changes for next year. Master gardeners will hold a chili tasting, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring chilis grown in theme beds from Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, from sweet to hot. Both events are at the community garden in Eleanor Pardee Park, 851 Center Dr., Palo Alto. For information, call Sue Evanicky at (408) 398-2769 or (408) 266-3605.

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