The UC Master Gardener Program completed a UC ANR statewide program review in 2022 covering 2011-2021. Interim Associate Vice President Deanne Meyer and I extend a thank you to the ad hoc committee for their time, commitment and data-driven approach in examining the program and providing recommendations to UC ANR's Program Council. The time and effort of UC Master Gardener Program Director Missy Gable and staff to provide information for the review are also greatly appreciated.
We recognize the program's accomplishments over the past 10 years. The program has grown considerably in numbers and in its responsiveness to critical issues impacting Californians regarding climate change and food insecurity. In 2022, more than 6,100 UC Master Gardeners donated over 370,000 hours extending research-based information in the areas of sustainable landscaping, pest management, improving the health and well-being of Californians, and growing food in home, community and school garden settings.
Today, UC Master Gardener volunteers are a trusted source of objective information for the public, leading to numerous impacts improving environmental, biological, societal, and individual health and quality of life. The efficacy of this program is a credit to the volunteers, community educators, academics and other staff who make it possible.
To guide the program into the future, below is a summary of the direction and next steps for the program to pursue. The committee made recommendations regarding funding for additional positions, some of which are already in motion due to an allocation of Laird Funding directed to the UC Master Gardener Program statewide office. A full-time impact and evaluation coordinator has been requested through the most recent budget call.
Future Directions for the UC Master Gardener Program
- The UC Master Gardener statewide office will require that the program's standardized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) materials and practices for volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention; project development; public education outreach; and partnership formation be used by all counties.
- The program's DEI and cultural competency training will be required in initial and continuing education training for volunteers.
- The statewide office should raise awareness of and explore the feasibility of expanding successful programs that address high-priority needs like improving DEI, such as climate-ready landscape trees and Grow Los Angeles Vegetable Gardens.
- UC ANR supports the program director's goal to produce a virtual (online) beginning UC Master Gardener class to standardize training across the state and close subject-matter gaps in counties lacking UC expertise.
- In future budget call processes, the statewide office should consider submitting a request for a full-time impact and evaluation coordinator position to support expanded UC Master Gardener Program evaluation efforts. Resources and processes created by this position should be shared broadly to assist other statewide programs with evaluation.
- The statewide office should participate in applicable UC ANR program team and workgroup meetings to the degree possible. This, and other efforts, should aim to strengthen collaboration among academics from diverse, yet relevant, disciplines to support developing and delivering statewide volunteer training resources.
- Strengthen connections between the UC Master Gardener Program and campus-based Cooperative Extension Specialists, UC faculty and Agriculture Experiment Station faculty.
- The statewide office should support and expand the pursuit of new funding opportunities at the local and statewide level, including shared positions and co-funded positions. The statewide office should continue to provide support to county directors looking to fund program coordinator positions through county budgets, partnerships and more.
- The program director should continue to work directly with and support community educators, who then in turn work to support and provide resources to volunteers.
- The statewide office should continue to uplift and spotlight the great work of local volunteers through the biennial report and other platforms and opportunities in collaboration with Strategic Communications.
- UC Master Gardeners have been actively working on pest detection, fire resilience, drought tolerance and more. To the degree that workforce development, urban gardens, school gardens, mental health projects, etc., are a good fit for the program and funding is available, the program should be open to considering such activities.
Future Directions for UC ANR
- UC ANR should support efforts to expand and enhance connections between the UC Master Gardener Program and campus-based specialists, UC faculty and Agriculture Experiment Station faculty.
- UC ANR will prioritize Informational Technology support to identify an off-the-shelf volunteer engagement software and virtual helpdesk software.
- Strengthen the partnership between Cooperative Extension Advisors, County Directors and all statewide program directors to support the program's content accuracy and overall delivery. Move toward having all statewide program directors be secondary supervisors and more consistently review all advisors with statewide program appointments (with rubrics for different roles: administrative vs. academic roles). This change will be developed with input from County Directors and Cooperative Extension Advisors and communicated widely.
I look forward to working with the UC Master Gardener Program as it pursues these and other opportunities that may arise. Best wishes for the ongoing success and growth of the UC Master Gardener Program!
Sincerely,
Glenda Humiston
UC Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
- Author: Missy Gable
[From the UC Master Gardener Program Statewide Blog]
Proper irrigation and drainage are critically important for the health of plants and trees. But what happens when Mother Nature throws an atmospheric river curveball, and your yard or garden is now under water from heavy rains or floods?
Good garden soil contains a network of pore spaces filled with water and air. Both are necessary for healthy roots and beneficial soil-dwelling organisms. When the pore spaces fill with water, air is no longer available to the root system, and the roots become susceptible to root-rot organisms. Understanding the effects of flooding on plant health and caring for them after a flood event is important to saving your plants and garden.
Once the floodwaters have receded, assess the damage to your garden and begin the recovery process. There are a few things you can do to minimize the damage to your plants from flooding:
- Remove any debris, such as mud and silt, that may have shifted and accumulated on your plants.
- If the soil is waterlogged, improve drainage by digging ditches or furrows to redirect water away from plants.
- Check the soil for compaction and loosen it up with a garden fork. This will help to improve drainage and make it easier for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your plants.
- Wait until the soil dries out before working with it in order to reduce additional compaction. Avoid walking on waterlogged soil to prevent compaction and further root damage. Stay off a boggy lawn!
- Inspect your plants for damage to the roots, leaves, and stems. Remove any damaged parts, and prune your plants back to healthy growth if necessary.
- Remove contaminated material. Consider that any garden produce touched by floodwater may be contaminated and discard it. While the risk of contamination is low in residential areas, runoff from septic systems, pastures, or industrial areas can carry potentially harmful microbes and chemicals.
- Monitor your plants closely for signs of stress, such as wilting or discoloration, and address any issues that arise as soon as possible.
- Once dry, start to water your plants gently and gradually to help them acclimate to the new soil conditions.
Connect with us!
Recovering from a flood can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but with proper care and attention, your garden can recover and thrive. The UC Master Gardener Program is available to help! For gardening questions and local county resources, click here to Find a Program. You will be redirected to your local county website and contact information.
Source: Flood: Plant Stress in Extreme Wet Conditions, https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/PROBLEMS/EXTREME_CONDITIONS/Flood/
- Author: Anne Schellman
Giving Tuesday is November 29, 2022! Please join us in this opportunity to give to your local UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardener Program. Your dollars are used locally to make our county a better place.
Thanks to generous donations from individuals like you, as well as in-kind donations and funding from sponsors, our Sensory Garden has been installed! In fact, the last landscaping step, adding mulch, will be done by volunteers on Giving Tuesday!
These photos show our Master Gardeners installing drip irrigation donated by Hunter Industries, and plants donated by Frantz Nursery.
Where can I see the Sensory Garden?
This garden is located on the east side of the Stanislaus Building, at the main entryway. The garden will be used
The Pollinator Garden
Thanks to a generous donation from the West Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, we are starting our Pollinator Garden. The Great Valley Seed Company donated milkweed seeds which will be planted in the garden, too. Next week, volunteers will be installing irrigation and planting.
How You Can Help
Any amount you can donate helps us grow our gardens and our program! The purpose of the gardens is to showcase low-water use plants the public can see anytime. In addition, the areas will be used as outdoor classrooms to teach topics such as drip irrigation, pollinator gardening, plant identification, low water use gardening, and more!
Our Goal
We are looking to raise $5,000 to help with irrigation installation, tools, seeds, and other needed materials. We are a 501 c (3), so your donation is tax-deductible. https://ucanr.edu/sites/givingtuesday/ This site allows you to give by credit card. (A fee is taken for the use of a credit card.) If you would prefer to give by check, make your check out to “UC Regents” and mail it to:
UCCE Master Gardener Program
3800 Cornucopia Way, Ste A
Modesto, CA 95358
Thanks for your support!
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>
- Author: Christine Davidson
Five groups of parents participated in a series of workshops from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Master Gardener (MG) and Master Food Preserver (MFP) Programs. The series was part of a grant for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). Twelve workshops per group were provided at the Victor Elementary School District Parent Resource Center (VESD) and Middle College High School. Four of the five groups conducted workshops in Spanish to reach under-served communities in San Bernardino County. Kits provided an opportunity to practice skills alongside the educators during workshops or afterward in their homes.
The EFNEP workshops consisted of a series of 9 lessons including topics such as reading the food label, food safety, MyPlate, stretching the food dollar, importance of exercise, limiting salt, sugar and fat. A kit provided ingredients to prepare Cowboy Caviar and Apple Salad recipes. The in person workshop included a live demonstration and kits to prepare Apple Salad. Virtual workshops included live food demonstration via Zoom while parents made the recipes in their homes. Graduates of the EFNEP program (n=37) received a cookbook and certificate of graduation.
MFP and MG workshops followed the EFNEP program alternating each week. Victor Elementary School District held an in person hands on activity making three tiered herb gardens. Participants received pots, soil, seeds, transplants and cuttings during the workshop. All participants went home with their new garden and tips on maintenance. The workshop was repeated virtually for the Middle College High School parents and VESD via Zoom. Parents received kits at their school sites and watched the live demonstration with time for questions at the end. The last MG workshop was Growing Cool/Warm Season Vegetables. Parents learned how to care for vegetables and which grew best in their home climate of the high desert or city of San Bernardino. They were given a binder with information about growing and maintaining vegetables, a pot, Popsicle sticks and a sharpie to label their vegetables, seeds for carrots, peas and radishes, and tote bag.
The Master Food Preserver program provided two workshops for parents. Each workshop emphasized food safety importance including proper storage of food, sanitation and hand washing. The first workshop, refrigerator pickling included a live demonstration walking parents through the entire process. Parents were given a kit containing carrots, jalapenos, garlic, pickling salt and spices, a container, a bottle of vinegar and the recipe to take home to replicate the demonstration. Options were provided to create the recipe either sweet or salty depending on preference. The next workshop consisted of making mixed berry freezer jam. The kit included a bag of frozen mixed berries, a container, sugar, pectin and recipe. Volunteers walked parents through the process and they took home their homemade jam.
All workshops reinforced food safety, saving money when food shopping, growing and preserving food. These topics addressed food insecurity, which is something families in San Bernardino struggle with. Parents were excited to participate in all workshops and share photos of making and growing food at home. Parents who attended all twelve workshops received a certificate of completion (n=18).
“I definitely enjoyed the nutrition classes and additional workshops. At my age, you reminded me the importance of building muscle and maintaining strong bones. I try to read the nutrition labels and have added more water to my diet. In addition, I have tried to implement certain habits to my daughters. I am also happy to report that two of my plants are still alive -lol. Not bad, I think. However, the sun and heat make it hard. I can go on... but I honestly enjoyed being a part of your class and workshops. I even shared your link with one of my cousins. The one with the jam and other tutorials.” – Participant
“I enjoyed the workshops very much! It was nice to receive all the information instead of having to look for it and being able to ask questions and of course, I loved the supplies that were provided. It made everything a lot easier!”
- Participant
- Author: Anne Schellman
- Soils and fertilizers
- Basic horticulture and botany
- Growing fruit and vegetables
- Water wise and sustainable landscaping
- Gardening for pollinators
- Integrated pest management
- Plant identification
And much more!
What's Ahead for our Program
Future Training Classes
Our program is modeled after the UCCE San Joaquin Master Gardeners, which train every-other-year. This means we will not have a training class for new Master Gardeners in 2023.
Schedule
Summer 2023 – Advertisement and Email to Interest List
Fall 2023 – Informational Meetings & Interviews
January 2024 – New Program Starts
Make sure you are on our interest list, and that you receive this e-newsletter, the Stanislaus Sprout, so you don't miss our training class announcement.
/h3>/h3>/h3>