All classes will be held on Saturday mornings, from 9 to 11, in our Fruit Garden, located at 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, Wa. All classes are free with current membership. Each class has a separate registration, which must be completed 7 days in advance of the class date for our planning purposes. Use this SignUpGenius link to register for one or all the classes To become a member of NW Fruit use this link Become a Member.
All classes meet in the Gazebo located in the Master Gardener area at 9AM. Note – if you have questions about any of the classes, contact Jake Jacobson.
Schedule:
March 22- Advanced Grafting with Larry Crum. Class over. Next class in 2026.
April 19- Top Working with Larry Crum. Top Working is done using bark grafting to add a scion of a different variety to an existing established tree. You will see a demonstration on how to perform this graft (different from a splice graft) and then practice doing the work yourself, under the team’s guidance. Bring your grafting knife. We suggest that you secure the scion wood varieties that you want to add to your home tree during the Winter Field Day and store them in the refrigerator at home until you are trained in the art. Do not bring them to the class. These scions are to be used on your tree at home after the training. Class is full. Next class in 2026.
May 31- Apple Thinning Guide and Apple Maggot Control in the Backyard Orchard with Scott Terrell, Jake Jacobson, and Jim Holt. We will show you how to thin your fruit to improve individual fruit growth, and then you will get to practice. Techniques for insect control in your home orchard will be discussed and include chemical spray, kaolin clay, sticky traps, fruit footies, wax paper sacks, and tree netting. We will then demonstrate, with your participation, the use of sticky traps, fruit footies and tree netting. Class size is limited to 25 members.
Aug 2- An eating and learning tour of the many fruits in the fruit garden with Sam Benowitz.
From Plums, Cherries, Pluerries, and Peaches to Goumis, Elderberries, Seaberries and Mulberries. We will walk through the 6 acre fruit garden, learning about lots of different fruits discussing the best cultivars and methods to use in your home garden. Class size is limited to 25 members.
August 9- Growing Figs in Puget Sound with Ned Garvey. The WWFRF Fruit Garden’s new fig planting is designed to help homeowners and growers identify productive fig varieties and favorable growing methods – to include pruning and winterization, for western Washington. Ned will discuss the varieties included in the planting and the growing methods we are planning to use. Class size is limited to 25 members.
Aug 16 Bud Grafting Class with Larry Crum – Bud Grafting, also known as chip budding or T-budding, is a type of grafting where a single bud is used as the scion, and is a method used to propagate fruit trees, particularly in late summer or early fall, before the trees go dormant. We will show how to select healthy, plump buds form the current year’s growth, how to prepare the scion and rootstock, insert the scion and secure the graft along with follow-up tips. Class size is limited to 12 members.
Sept 13- Summer Pruning with Bill Pierce – This class is a more in-depth exploration into summer pruning methods for fruit trees. Despite being considered “off season pruning”, summer pruning has its place in the home orchard. It may be necessary to repair damaged tree limbs, and summer pruning is also intended to encourage huskier growth in vigorously vegetative trees, discouraging long, weak, leggy growth. This also helps manage the tree’s overall size. Class size is limited to 25 members.
