- Author: Wendy Powers
I visited the Merced and Mariposa offices on Friday. It was a casual day without much of a schedule to be particular places at specific times. It was great! I learned so many things about the state, agriculture, and our work in those counties. Here are a few items I can't resist sharing. Perhaps some of these tidbits are new to even some long time residents, and will make for conversation at holiday gatherings.
- California produces a third of the world's tomato paste, that is then processed for ketchup (or catsup), pasta sauce, and pizza sauce.
- Grafting is not just for perennial crops and is now used in greenhouse production of annual crops with interest in exploring the economics of using grafting in outdoor production. UCCE County Director in Merced County, Scott Stoddard, can fill you in on the drivers behind this interest.
- California almonds have a soft shell whereas almonds from other places have a hard shell. David Doll @thealmonddoctor gave me a run down on the 8 different varieties and Cameron prepared some samples to help me better understand the intricacies.
- Merced County has one of the best places to grow sweet potatoes in California, due to the sandy soil. We didn't get into the finer distinction between sweet potatoes and yams. The Master Gardeners hooked me up with samples of the 4 different varieties of sweet potatoes that are most popular for the area.
- Persimmons just grow; we don't have CE Specialists or Advisors who are focused on increasing production and profitability of persimmon production. I find persimmons to be a bit bland but plan to try a persimmon and apple salad over the upcoming weekend based on a hunch that blue cheese and tart apples can carry the persimmons to a successful combination. Russ Hill tells me that a bit of lime or lemon juice helps as well.
- Mariposa County is one of the counties that has achieved parity in its 4-H program. When the President's Advisory Commission (PAC) for Agriculture and Natural Resources met on December 13, President Napolitano shared with her PAC how proud we are that, statewide, the 4-H program has achieved parity.
- In Mariposa County, Native American participation in 4-H is as important at Latino participation with respect to achieving parity.
- 65 Master Gardener volunteers in Mariposa County provide the education for what seems like it must take hundreds of volunteers! They have a large focus on use of native plants and include 3 additional modules in their training program in addition to the modules taught in Merced, making it a 17-week training. Lawns are not part of the Master Gardener program.
- Fadzayi Mashiri oversees a small but mighty team in Mariposa County who remain responsive to the aftermath of the Detwiler Fire, as evidenced by the UCCE Mariposa County homepage.
- Merced County is home to the tallest monument in the state. The facts surrounding the purpose of the monument were a bit sketchy but interesting to note nonetheless. However, no need to look up too far as it is a far cry from the scale of the Washington monument.
I can't thank everyone enough for their time and the conversations. And it was nice to see those I hadn't seen in some time (since Crucial Conversations for some) and meet many for the first time, including those that keep the research programs running.
It is very disappointing to hear that the fires are still raging in Ventura County. This won't make for a restful break for so many. And for Laurent Ahiablame, who will be starting December 18, 2017 as Water Quality and Management Advisor and San Diego County CE Director, it will no doubt be a bit of a whirlwind for the first few months. Please welcome Laurent and offer assistance where you can to help him settle into his new position.
The quarter-mile-long Mariposa Creek Parkway runs parallel to State Route 140 (Main Street in downtown Mariposa) on Stroming Road between Eighth and Sixth streets. Along the path, the Master Gardeners created the California Native Plant Demonstration Garden, which includes dozens of beautiful, drought-tolerant plants labeled for easy identification.
The path, which follows a short stretch of Mariposa Creek, was designed to increase appreciation for native flora and encourage Californians to consider “going native” in their own landscapes, said Kris Randal, coordinator of the Master Gardener program for UC ANR Cooperative Extension in Mariposa and Merced counties. Water shortages associated with the ongoing California drought are also driving interest in landscaping with native plants.
“Many natives are drought-tolerant, adapted to local soils, and rarely need fertilizers or pesticide treatments,” Randal said. “With some care and irrigation to get them started, they create a beautiful natural setting that brings pollinators and wildlife into your backyard.”
Randal was an advocate for native plants even before joining UC ANR. As a community educator for the Resource Conservation District in Mariposa County, she coordinated the transformation of a weedy parking lot around the district's building on the Mariposa Fairgrounds into a beautiful display of plants and wildflowers that occur naturally in the surroundings.
“After I planted native brush and wildflowers, it was a joy for me to watch diversity come into my yard. Plant it, and they will come,” Randal said.
Randal suggests growing California native plants, even over native plants from other parts of the world with Mediterranean climates – such as Australia, Chile and South Africa – which also are often recommended because of their low water needs.
The California natives, she said, support local wildlife and pollinators, have historical and cultural importance, and save time and expense while adding beauty and ecological health to the environment. Native plants attract native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and provide seeds, nuts and fruits for other native birds and wildlife. Native plants promote soil health by supporting flora and fauna that flourish underground.
“There's all kinds of magic going on under the soil,” Randal said.
As a first step toward converting to native landscaping, Randal suggests finding a natural area close to home and visiting it every few weeks to see what is growing, and what is blooming. Take notes and consult a plant guide or the Internet to identify the plants.
“It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not,” Randal said. “It's fun.”
This task is particularly convenient for Mariposa County residents, where the UC ANR Master Gardeners planted a wide array of beautiful native plants in one place.
In early spring, one of the first deciduous shrubs to leaf-out on the pathway is California buckeye. The leathery, pear-shaped fruits contain seeds that are easily sprouted, or they can be used in dried flower arrangements.
Along the trail, visitors will find California fuchsia, known by many as a natural hummingbird feeder. Blue elderberry, columbine and manzanita also attract hummingbirds to the demonstration garden.
Randal points out soap root, which looks like a grouping of long spindly leaves growing from the ground. Native Americans used pulp from the bulb to make a soapy lather, and they used the fibrous and hairy husks of the bulb to make small brushes to whisk out acorn shell debris from grinding holes.
One of Randal's favorite natives, she said, is a low creeping sage. The fragrant plant forms a low mat as big as 10 feet across with blue-violet flowers May to June. “This is great in a pine forest where it will get afternoon shade,” Randal said.
A lovely shrub known as Ceanothus blue jeans produces profuse powder-blue clustered flowers. The tall evergreen provides a colorful show of flowers with no care or irrigation. Western redbud explodes with magenta blossoms in the spring. Native Americans used the branches for basket weaving and made a red dye from the bark. Red Twig dogwood produces beautiful white blooms in early summer, and its bright red branches are a unique display in the winter.
“Growing native plants help you appreciate your surroundings and feel more connected to the natural world,” Randal said. “It attracts more life and that's why many of us garden.”
An initiative to maintain and enhance healthy families and communities is part of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Strategic Vision 2025.
Author: Jeannette Warnert
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Mariposa County UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program got a shot in the arm Saturday when the Merced Sun-Star ran a lengthy feature about the extensive gardens of one of the program's 50 volunteers, Elna Philbert.
Philbert's one-acre "Tannenbaum Forest" got its start 22 years ago with a Colorado blue spruce she received in memory of her late husband, the article said. Each year since, she purchased a living Christmas tree and planted it in the yard.
In time, the retired teacher added a Japanese maple grotto, grasslands, a presidential rose garden and a 49er corner, decorated with rusted shovels, buckets and gold pans she found on her property. Philbert told reporter Debbie Croft the garden is her pride and joy.
The article went on to describe the active Mariposa County Master Gardener program, noting that Mariposa volunteers have contributed more than 25,000 hours since 1995 to extend gardening information to their neighbors. The group helped start Merced's Master Gardener program three years ago. Five recent graduates received their certification, bringing Merced's total to 42, with more than 3,000 hours of service completed.
"We don't solve everyone's gardening problems," the story quoted Master Gardener Betty Johnson. "We assist county farm advisers by providing research-based information to the community."
![Yarrow and California poppies growing in the Mariposa MG demonstration garden. Yarrow and California poppies growing in the Mariposa MG demonstration garden.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/7315.jpg)