#GivingDay is here! Thursday May 19 at noon through Friday, May 20 until 11:59 a.m., 2022 is UC ANR #GivingDay. If you've done any of the following:

• Called or visited the Stanislaus County UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Help Line and gotten information on what to do about a pest or gardening problem.
• Learned something new from a class at the Stanislaus Ag Center, Community Garden, Garden Club, Senior Center, local library or one of our online Zoom classes.
• Attended the Pollinator Garden Event last month, or a Farmers Market booth or the Stanislaus County Fair and spoken with a Master Gardener.
• Read our newsletter and gained helpful gardening and pest management information.

If you would like to give back to our program, you can visit this website http://donate.ucanr.edu/givingday. Click “GIVE” on the upper right of the fund and choose “Stanislaus County.” Once you do this, the icon for the Master Gardener program will appear. Choose this icon and then make your desired donation. We are a 501 c3 organization, so your donation is tax deductible.

Prize Challenge Awards 

Online gifts made between noon on May 19 and 11:59 a.m. on May 20 may help programs qualify for prize challenge awards! Donations can be made at http://donate.ucanr.edu/givingday. 

Checks Accepted 

If you prefer sending a check instead of donating online, please make checks payable to “UC Regents” and specify “Stanislaus County Master Gardener Program” in the check memo. Then mail to: UC ANR Gift Processing, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618. 

Your Support

In addition to helping our program create our public demonstration gardens, your donation helps us grow our program by purchasing materials needed for outreach and education. We thank you for your support! 

This week, from noon on May 19 to noon on May 20, the UC Master Gardener Program is launching an independent statewide giving day! It's called UC ANR GivingDay—and is a day to ‘dig deep' to support the program you care about.

Locally, our program gives classes at libraries, community gardens, garden clubs, our Harvest Hall facility at the Ag Center, and to senior centers. We also help answer questions in person, online, and by phone. We are currently working on two gardens that will act as outdoor classrooms. You may remember that we raised funds for them last year. Here is an update on their progress.

The Sensory Garden

Our Master Gardener Sensory Garden Committee has been busy researching which plants to use for the garden, and creating a landscape plan that includes water-wise plants. Recently, we used part of the donated funds to remove some of the original plants in need of replacement. Next steps are amending the soil to prepare for the installation of the drip irrigation system. Thanks to Hunter Industries for donating irrigation supplies!

By the end of the summer, the soil will be amended, the drip irrigation installed, and this fall, we will begin planting. Grover Landscape Services Inc. has generously agreed to donate plants for this space. The remaining funds we have will be used for a water feature and a few benches, however it won't cover all of this cost. In addition, so we are looking for funding for hardscapes, mulch, and amendments for this garden. 

The Pollinator Garden

This garden will not only showcase plants for pollinators, it will include a demonstration pollinator hedgerow. These  hedgerows will demonstrate to farmers how they can help provide food for pollinators, while at the same time use hedgerows as visual screens and windbreaks.  

Thanks to a generous donation from the West Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, we will have the funds to remove the turf in the area where we want to plant the garden. One of our Master Gardeners, Rhonda Allen, who created the La Loma Native Garden in Modesto, is creating the plan for this landscape. We plan to remove the turf in late summer, prepare the soil and irrigation, and be ready to plant in fall. Once we reach that step, we will work with Modesto Junior College Nursery to grow plants for this space. We are looking for funding for plants, hardscapes, mulch, and amendments for this garden. 

Our Program

By donating to your local UCCE Master Gardener Program and UC ANR, you help extend the knowledge and resources of the University to your community.

Mark your calendar, spread the word, and stay tuned for more details! Join us at noon and be the first to give—or visit us anytime during the 24 hour giving day. Make your gift then share your support on social media using #Giving Day or call a friend to let them know what's happening. We hope you will join us on May 19-20!

donate.ucanr.edu/givingday

Recently, we recorded two videos on growing spring vegetables. The presentation reviewed how to prepare your garden soil, choose the plants you'd like to grow, and how to grow plants from seed or transplants. The speakers also discussed how to care for plants, frequently asked questions, troubleshooting on common problems, and how to harvest.

We hope you will tune in to these videos and follow along! You can find the handouts to videos on our Classes and Workshops page at https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Classes/

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Recientemente, grabamos dos videos sobre el cultivo de hortalizas de primavera. La presentación da información sobre cómo preparar la tierra de su jardín, elegir las plantas que le gustaría cultivar y cómo cultivar plantas a partir de semillas o trasplantes. Los presentadores también hablaron sobre cómo cuidar las plantas, preguntas frecuentes, resolución de problemas comunes y cómo cosechar. 

 

 Special thanks to Jacqueline Vasquez-Mendoza for translating this post.

 Un agradecimiento especial a Jacqueline Vasquez-Mendoza por traducir esta publicación.