Central Coast Chapter Meetings & Other Events
Our Newsletter Keeps Everyone Up To Date. Send Us Your Photos & Events! Let others know what's going on by sending your articles, photos, and event info to: crfgccnewsletter@gmail.com. Please submit your items by the 15th of each month for inclusion in the next newsletter.
July Meeting: Fruit Tasting In The CRFG Demonstration Orchard
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Event Details
​​​Location: CRFG-Central Coast demonstration orchard, Highland Drive (on the Cal Poly campus), San Luis Obispo, CA.
See directions below.
​
This is an annual event for our chapter, in which we visit the demonstration orchard during stone fruit season, and members bring fruit from their home gardens and orchards to share.
​
More information about the orchard and a map of the trees planted there can be found at https://www.crfg-central.org/orchard
​
The public is welcome! Bring a friend.
We will request that the restrooms be open, but there are no guarantees.
No pets.
​​
Bring
-
Your folding chair, water bottle, and hat.
-
Bring fresh, tasty fruit from your orchard or garden that is clearly labeled with your name, the variety, location grown etc.
-
If you don't have home-grown fruit, bring a snack to share.
-
Wear clothes and shoes suitable for walking in dirt.
​
Merchandise
Terri will have hats, shirts, aprons, and other gardening items for sale.
​
Name tags
This is the last meeting name tags will be brought to the meetings for attendees and the current name tags will be distributed and kept by each person. There will be a signup sheet for members to order their own new magnetic-backed permanent name badges for $15.
Guest Speaker Presentation:
Foliar Sprays for Bigger, Tastier Harvests
Theo Badashi, CRFG Central Coast Chapter Member
In this demonstration, hosted by Theo Badashi, CRFG member and co-founder of Teregen Ag, we explore the critical role of micronutrients in fruit development and simple methods to balance mineral deficiencies using compost teas and foliar fertilizers.
We will first explore the role micronutrients play in plant and fruit health, examining how addressing these specific deficiencies acts as the foundation for vibrant tree immunity and superior fruit quality.
The heart of the demonstration will focus on how to make and apply compost teas to fruit trees and the specific advantages of using foliar spraying to deliver nutrients directly to the plant for
immediate results.
Attendees will discover how this process helps address nutrient deficiencies in their soil and trees and why focusing on these essential minerals is an effective way to produce more robust,
high-quality harvests in their own gardens and orchards.
We’re sure there will be lots of interesting questions, so bring yours to add to the discussion.
​Schedule
(Note: all times are approximate and may change slightly due to actual time needed.)
​
12:00 - 1:00 Set up crew.
​
1:00-1:30: Socializing and refreshments. Share your harvest with other attendees, and bring home-grown fruit, if you have it, or a snack to share and your own water.
​
1:30: Chapter business meeting.
​
1:45-2:30 Presentation
​
2:30 - 3:00: walk through the CRFG Central Coast chapter’s orchard and sample whatever fruit is ready.
Location & Directions
​​​​
We will have signs out to help guide you.
​
Directions:
​
1. In San Luis Obispo, take Santa Rosa St. (aka Hwy 1) to Highland Drive.
​
2. Turn right onto Highland Drive.
​
3. Proceed until you see a CRFG parking sign on the right. Park in the dirt area along the fence, out of the way of the bike lane and foot path. This is the area marked in orange on the adjacent map.
​
4. Walk back up Highland Dr. to the orchard.
​
Other Future Chapter Meetings & Events
Please note that these future meetings are subject to change. Recheck this page closer to the date of each event.
More information about these events, including address details and times, will be provided here closer to each event.
All meetings are on Saturdays unless otherwise noted below.​​​
July 19th & 23rd, 2026: California Mid-State Fair, Paso Robles
We will be giving grafting demonstrations at the California Mid-State Fair at the Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles, CA. You will find us in the Floral Building on these days and times:
-
Sunday, July 19, 2pm - 7pm.
-
Thursday, July 23, 4 pm - 8 pm.
​
August 8, 2026 Meeting: Chapman Estate, Pismo Beach
More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
https://www.pismobeach.org/647/Chapman-Estate
1243 Ocean Boulevard, Shell Beach, CA
​
September 12, 2026 Meeting: Finley Family Nursery, Templeton
More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
https://www.finleyfamilynursery.com/
​
October 10, 2026 Meeting: Russee Parvin's Home Garden, SLO
More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
​
November 14, 2026 Meeting: Stardust Grove, Cambria
More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
​
December 12, 2026 Meeting: Annual Potluck & Plant Exchange
Members only.
More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
​
January 9, 2027 Meeting: Annual Pruning Workshop
Learn how to prune your fruit trees! Guest speaker followed by hands-on pruning experience in our demonstration orchard at Cal Poly. More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
​
February 27, 2027 Meeting: Annual Scion Exchange & Grafting Workshop
Grafting demos and scions of many types and varieties. Rootstock and grafting supplies for sale. More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
​
March 13, 2027 Meeting: Annual Propagation Workshop
Grafting and other types of propagation demonstrations. More details will be listed here closer to the date of this event.
CRFG Demonstration Orchard Workdays
Be sure to check here the morning of each workday for rescheduling or cancellations.
​
Orchard cleanups usually involve removing weeds, spreading wood chips, pruning trees, raking leaves, mending fences, cleaning the kiosk, reorganizing tools in the tool shed. It's also a good opportunity to chat with your fellow CRFGers, learning and sharing helpful hints for growing your fruiting plants.
​
Saturday June 27th, 2026: 9am - 12pm (cleanup for Annual Fruit Tasting Mtg)
Sat Nov 7th, 2026: 9am - 12pm (end-of-year cleanup)
Members:
We are seeking additional volunteers to support the effective operation of our chapter.
At present, a small number of individuals are carrying out many of the responsibilities required to sustain our activities, and we would like to to ensure that this workload is shared more broadly.
​
Please review the list of available volunteer positions and consider whether you might be willing to serve in one of these roles. We will provide all necessary information, training, and support to help you fulfill your responsibilities with confidence.
​
If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact Terri Monell at (805)-440-5818 or terrimo59@gmail.com.
We Have Pheromone Loops For Sale!!!
Pheromone loops are available and are plentiful! Codling moths are key pests of apples and pears. Pheromone loops deceive the male moth, thereby helping to disrupt the mating cycle. Place 2 to 3 loops in the top third of your apple and pear trees. Petals should be about 90% off and small fruit is setting before you loop your trees!
Please contact Terri Monell at 805-546-8981 (landline) or 805-440-5818 (cell) if you are interested. Terri is available to sell loops ONLY until April 24th and then again from May 1st on.
Meetings
Our meetings are usually held on the second Saturday of the month, with the exception of the February meeting which is held on the fourth Saturday. (The February meeting is the annual scion exchange and grafting workshop.) In general our group gathers initially for refreshments and socializing, followed by the meeting. This is not always the case though, so check this web page or our newsletter for details on each meeting.
​
Most of our meetings are open to the public. We encourage the public to join us and learn with us!
​
Please read our "meeting manners" below prior to attending. No pets at any meeting, please.
Our Best CRFG Manners While Visiting Homes, Nurseries, Growers, etc.
-
We never bring pets to meetings/tours and we never even ask if we may!
-
We do our best to use public facilities or our own restroom before the meeting.
-
We do our best not to ask to go inside the hosts’ home.
-
We never pick fruit, flowers, foliage, weeds, seed pods and we never even ask.
-
We do our best to car pool and park with great respect to our host and the neighborhood.
-
We never talk when our host is talking. We do our best to stay up close when given a tour.
-
We never “take over” the tour and tell everyone how we do it at our home!!
-
We have thoughtful questions but try not to ask questions that embarrass our host.
-
We do our best to help our host feel good, feel appreciated. We clean up our mess.
-
We stay on the path, with our host …and never go walking around on our own unless given permission by the host.
-
At the end of the tour, we make a special effort to thank the host. We “gather up” and have some sort of “closure” to the tour.
-
We even write thank you notes when we get home, especially if we asked a lot of questions, were impressed, were surprised, were treated well. We write thank you notes even when we are not the leader.