The UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center Demonstration Landscapes were the site for a new homeowner pilot program hosted by the partnership between Irvine Ranch Water District and University of California Cooperative Extension, Orange County. If successful, the collaboration between the two organizations will continue, reaching out to IRWD clientele and through future workshops.

The goal of the three-part Garden Design workshop series was to provide attendees with the basic tool kit to create a water conserving landscape whether on their own or with the help of a contractor. Major focus of the workshop centered on how irrigation, plants and growth, and living space come together.

Master Gardener and Landscape Designer, Kay Havens provided instruction for the landscape design portion of the work shop during class #1, while Darren Haver, UCCE, and Juan Garcia, IRWD, discussed irrigation, cultural practices, and hardscapes during class #2. The attendees were then given the homework assignment of going home and sketching out their landscape, irrigation, and come up with ideas they might like to incorporate.

Upon their return for the third class, attendees brought the maps they created. After a quick review of key points, they were asked to break into groups to discuss the pros and cons of their project while Kay, Juan, Tammy Majcherek and UCCE OC Master Gardener volunteers, offered assistance to any questions they had. Common issues between the groups included:

What to plant under trees?

Sources for natives.

How to look up plants in the Sunset Book and at RightScapeNow.com.

Kurapia for turf replacement.

Can plants be placed in pots temporarily?

What edible plants should you plant?

How to properly mulch around plants and the perimeter of the house.

How do you design with and care for succulents?

What can I plant in my 3' wide x 5' high bed on the side of my yard that does not need any care?

  

Reviewing the design process before working together to solve landscape issues and discuss common problems.

Hosted by UC ANR South Coast REC, Cooperative Extension, and the Orange County Farm Bureau, programs that provide agricultural education to an increasingly urban population, local high schools participated in workshops at the Center that were designed to acquaint the students with ag research techniques, careers in agriculture, and the importance of urban ag and water conservation in their daily lives.

UCCE Master Gardener volunteers assisted UC staff rotating the (64) Students and teachers between workshops focusing on ‘basic IPM and the issues with invasive species'; hands on tomato planting and potato harvest, vertebrate pest management and gopher trapping demonstration; as well as learning about strawberry breeding.

Following a barbeque lunch provided by OCFB and South Coast REC staff featuring potato salad and roasted potatoes prepped by the students, all the youth and teachers had the opportunity to bag up the fruits of the labor to share with their families.

Much fun was had by all: 

  

  

 

  

IRWD & UC Cooperative Extension OC Master Gardeners: Composting Workshop

Come and learn about traditional composting and vermicomposting (using worms).  Pre-registration is required, go to http://rightscapenow.com/events  for more information.

This is an outdoor event held at the UC ANR South Coast REC.

Opportunity drawings will be held during the workshop. Enter for a chance to take home a kitchen counter composter, compost turner, and/or a large outdoor composting bin!

A crowd of over (200) eagerly lined up to attend the South Coast Research and Extension Center Cherimoya Taste Test on January 13, 2017.  Through an open tasting, evaluators were asked to rate the (15) varieties using a basic one to five scale based on texture, flavor, and overall performance.

The cherimoya collection at the South Coast REC contains various cultivars that are not widely available, and sought after by avid fans of this fruit. The varieties that were evaluated included ‘Big Sister', ‘Booth', ‘Concha Lisa', ‘Deliciosa', ‘Ecuador', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Knight', ‘Lucida', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Oxhart', and ‘Pierce', ‘Sallmon', ‘Santa Rosa', and ‘Surena'.

As in past years, the harvest at the time of the tasting was limited due to the cold night temperatures and rain in December and early January.

While ‘El Bumpo' and ‘Orton' were top winners in previous years, this year's favorites included:

South Coast REC 2017 Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties
Rank	Texture	Flavor	Overall
1	Deliciosa	Pierce	Pierce
2	Pierce	Deliciosa	Deliciosa
3	Orton	Lucida	El Bumpo