One of the ways the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County serve our community is through their School Gardens Program. Currently this program serves four schools, reaching 300 children a month in a total of twelve first-grade classrooms. (Before the Camp Fire, the program served eighteen classrooms).

The School Gardens Program is headed by Master Gardener Vicki Wonacott, in collaboration with Master Gardener Candice Boggs. It began in 2013 when Wonacott, a recently retired elementary school teacher, designed four basic lessons about plants to share with children who were visiting the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at the Patrick Ranch Museum on school field trips. Those initial four lessons focused on seeds, plant parts, soil, and the history of Patrick Ranch. Children learned that they were touring property which in the 19^th century had been the ranch family's “Safeway Store,” because back then, they raised what they ate.

The Master Gardeners' School Garden Program has since grown into a collaboration between the UC Master Gardeners, local elementary schools, and CalFresh, part of California's Nutrition Education Program. Plant starts are provided by local community-supported agriculture farm GRUB (Growing Resources Uniting Bellies), and previously also were supplied by the Plant Barn nursery. All of the schools involved are defined as “underserved” and many, if not most, of their students qualify for reduced or free lunches. It is important to note that the Master Gardeners' School Garden Program is just one of many local programs focusing on bringing agricultural knowledge and hands-on experience directly into schools.

What is the ultimate goal of the School Garden Program? Wonacott hopes to instill within these children a love for and connection to the earth; to teach them that they can grow their own food; to lure them away from electronic screens; to engage them, delight them, and show them how fun science can be through teaching how plants function; and to encourage in each child a sense of self-direction and empowerment.

When Wonacott wanted to expand from teaching kids at Patrick Ranch to bringing her lessons into classrooms (and schoolyards), she tweaked her materials to ensure they complied with California's educational standards. Initially, the Master Gardener School Gardens Program team worked with first-graders at Oroville Elementary School. In quick succession, they introduced programs to first grade classrooms at Little Chico Creek Elementary School and Citrus Elementary (both in Chico), and Paradise Elementary School. Among the multitude of devastations wreaked by the Camp Fire was the destruction of an extensive outdoor garden and classroom already in place at Paradise Elementary School; it included tables, benches, and 20 raised garden beds, 15 of which were equipped with timed irrigation equipment. Wonacott and Boggs, in collaboration with the staff of Paradise Elementary, have plans to rebuild a state-of-the-art school garden and outdoor classroom in Paradise. Currently, the School Gardens program serves Paradise first-grade children at Paradise Ridge Elementary school, and in Oroville, the program works with first-graders at Stanford Avenue Elementary School.

The lessons are designed specifically to “hook” the kids – grabbing their attention, and appealing to their imagination and as-yet-unjaded sense of wonder. To do this, lessons are age-appropriate, clear and simple, fast-paced, and often entertaining (for example, the performance of the “Wormy Wiggle” song and dance is unforgettable!). Master Gardener volunteers visit each classroom for one hour every month and get the kids outdoors to plant, grow, observe, harvest, prepare, and eat nutritious food.

CalFresh shares these goals. This state-sponsored nutrition program helps provide healthy food to low income families, with an emphasis on fresh and locally-grown produce. Both CalFresh and the Master Gardener Program headquarters are housed at the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Oroville, and the two programs share a coordinator, Karina Hathorn. The School Gardens Program benefits from that relationship through access to funding for, or direct provision of, curriculum, books, and other garden education supplies. Each teacher who participates in the School Garden Program can obtain classroom supplies that fall within approved CalFresh lists. CalFresh provides curriculum and other resources to interested schools within their five-county service area.

Wonacott's love for the earth and its bounty was developed early in her life by her father, an amateur naturalist who loved to garden. Her own passion for gardening is infectious; she notes that the classroom teachers love the School Gardens lessons as much as she does, noting “We have to turn teachers away.” There is a core group of six or seven dedicated Master Gardener volunteers who work in the schools each month; most are committed to a particular school. Wonacott says the classroom visits require at least two volunteers (preferably three), plus an engaged and committed participating teacher to make each lesson engaging and worthwhile.

The carefully-devised science-based lessons are inspirational and impressive. Our next Real Dirt article will focus more squarely on the classroom lessons, along with Wonacott's ambitious goals for the future of the Master Gardener School Garden Program and for the bigger picture of all school garden programs in our area. Schoolchildren in our county are lucky kids indeed!

To learn more about UC Butte County Master Gardeners and their upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, call our Hotline at (530) 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.

Photo credit:  Bok Choy: JS [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Plummeting winter temperatures often lead to frost damage in plants. The damage occurs when ice crystals form within plant tissue, damaging their cells. Leaves and tender new growth are usually affected first. Initially, they will appear wilted. Then the wilted growth will turn brown or black and eventually become crispy. This means these affected parts of the plant have died.

It is tempting to remove frost-damaged plant growth immediately, but dead material should be left on the plant until the full extent of the damage is apparent in the spring. There are several reasons to wait. By allowing plenty of time for new growth to appear, the extent of any damage will be clearly apparent and it will be less likely that you will accidentally remove living tissue that survived a freeze. Additionally, dead material can actually provide an insulating effect and removing it too soon may expose additional tissues to future freezes. If you prune out dead material before another freeze hits, it is more likely that an even greater portion of the plant will be killed. In Chico and nearby areas of the valley floor, the danger of frost is usually over in late April, so it is prudent to wait at least until then, or later, before doing any pruning.

In citrus, if hardier growth (such as twigs or wood) has not been seriously damaged, it is normal for dead leaves to be rapidly shed. If the frost-killed leaves remain on the plant, this is an indication that twigs or branches have been seriously damaged. If larger branches or the trunk of a tree sustain cold damage, the bark will split and dead patches of curled, dry bark may appear. If a young citrus tree has been killed nearly to the ground, inspect it closely to determine if the damage extends below the union. The union is the junction where the fruit-producing part of the tree was grafted onto the rootstock. If new growth comes only from the rootstock, the tree will no longer be true to the type you originally planted and will usually be unproductive. In this case, the tree should be replaced.

The only thing that should be done immediately after frost damage has occurred to citrus and other woody plants is whitewashing. Whitewash should be applied to the trunk and exposed limbs. This protects the bark from sunburn, which is more likely to occur if a plant becomes defoliated. Frost-damaged plants are more susceptible to disease and insects, and sunburn increases this susceptibility. To make whitewash, mix equal parts of white interior latex paint with water. If the area to be painted is particularly rough and fissured, a thinner mixture can be applied for better penetration and coverage.

It is also important to note that frost-damaged plants are unbalanced: although their leaves have been reduced, they still have the same root system. This can result in extensive new growth over the entire plant.

To ensure that the plant reaches an acceptable balance between its leaves and its root system, the new shoots should grow at a moderate rate. It is recommended that little or no fertilizer be applied to these plants initially, and they should be irrigated less than usual until they have returned to a normal appearance. Too much nitrogen fertilizer, for example, can encourage sucker and water sprout growth, while too much water can damage roots.

Of course, it would be preferable to prevent frost damage from occurring in the first place. For specific information on frost protection, see our Real Dirt articles on this topic.

To learn more about the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. The Master Gardeners have produced a Garden Guide and Three-Year Garden Journal full of useful information specific to Butte County. It is currently available in Chico at Magnolia Gift & Garden, the Patrick Ranch gift shop, the UC Cooperative Extension office in Oroville and all Master Gardener workshops.

If you have a gardening question or problem, call our Hotline at (530) 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.

If you have school-age children, you may have noticed that something new is infusing science education in California classrooms. Curricula that explores environmental literacy is being introduced– an explicit acknowledgement of the deep bond between humans and our natural environment.

Strengthening this relationship and fortifying awareness of its importance to our current (and future) health and well-being are goals of the Next Generation Science Standards, California's Environmental Principles and Concepts, and the California Environmental Literacy Initiative. All of these new directives are intended to be fundamental components of K-12 science education. The UC Master Gardeners of Butte County share these goals. To encourage you to go out and explore nature with your children, we will occasionally be proposing activities and projects focusing on our local natural environment, beginning today with an activity for this time of year as the seasons change.

First, here is some brief background information. I spoke with Master Gardener Joyce Hill, a professional educator involved in local efforts to bring environmental curricula to regional classrooms. Our conversation centered on the critical need to know and experience the natural world, and how one can only do that by actually spending meaningful time outdoors. Our natural environment is a wonderland lying just beyond wooden doors and electronic screens, ripe for exploration and appreciation. The importance of interacting with nature was the subject of Richard Louv's The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (2006) which concludes that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) advocate that American science education explore and reveal the interconnected nature of science, technology, and engineering, and encourage kids to experience those connections in the real world. These standards promote learning about and interacting with nature so that students can be prepared “to address major world challenges such as generating sufficient clean energy, preventing and treating diseases, maintaining supplies of food and clean water, and solving the problems of global environmental change that confront society today.”

The five basic tenets of California's Environmental Principles and Concepts highlight the profound relationship between humans and the natural world. These tenets are the following (the full text can be found at www.californiaeei.org/abouteei/epc):

1. People Depend on Natural Systems: The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

2. People Influence Natural Systems: The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

3. Natural Systems Change in Ways that People Benefit From and Can Influence: Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter.

4. There are no Permanent or Impermeable Boundaries that Prevent Matter from Flowing Between Systems: The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both.

5. Decisions Affecting Resources and Natural Systems are Complex and Involve Many Factors: Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

The goal of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative is to educate every California student in, about, and for the environment. Hand in hand with the tenets of NGSS, the Initiative states that “it is our responsibility to empower our students with the knowledge, support, and skills they need now to face their future. As educators, we must work alongside students to ensure access to clean air and water, healthy food, and safe schools in every community.”

It's no secret that people learn best when the subject is one that is relevant to their lives, so it is critical that the connection between individuals, their communities, and the natural world be made clear. As Stanford professor Dr. Nicole Ardoin writes, “Environmental education imparts more than knowledge,” it has “helped produce effective problem solvers, lifelong learners, and thoughtful community leaders and participants.”

And here is where our own local challenge comes into play. Families (whatever form they take and however you define them) can be vital partners in helping our Next Generation build a deep connection to, and appreciation of, the natural environment. Over the following year, the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County will offer periodic suggestions, exercises, and activities to help you and your young ones engage with what's outside, beyond the doors and screens.

Here's your first one: What happens to trees in the fall? Take your child, grandchild, friend's child, niece or nephew outside to observe, predict, and explain what is happening to our local trees as we head in to the latter part of autumn. Which trees have lost their leaves? Which trees have not? Which trees are experiencing changes in leaf color? What might cause that to happen? What happens to the leaves once they fall? Why do some trees lose their leaves and others do not? Collect examples of leaves – different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Look at what else grows on trees besides leaves: cones, berries, seed pods or balls. What can this tell us about the role these trees might play in the environment? For example, are they providing food for squirrels or other creatures? Do they create habitat for insects or animals? See what you and your families can find and discover in this big, beautiful world of ours!

Here are some helpful websites on nature exploration:        

Children & Nature Network

The Beetles Project (Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing)

Natural Start Alliance (A project of the North American Association for Environmental Education)

To learn more about the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. The Master Gardeners have produced a Garden Guide and Three-Year Garden Journal full of useful information specific to Butte County. It is currently available in Chico at Magnolia Gift & Garden, the Patrick Ranch gift shop, the UC Cooperative Extension office in Oroville and all Master Gardener workshops.

If you have a gardening question or problem, call our Hotline at (530) 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.

An alley of sage plants; an area devoted to California natives; a courtyard plaza for reflection and relaxation; raised beds for vegetables; arbors and trellises covered with berry and grape vines.

All of these are included in the plans for the Edible Garden in the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden on the grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum. The design for the Edible Garden has been completed, and planting should begin in the near future. Meanwhile, the plans themselves provide plenty of inspiration for those looking to add more edible components to their own home gardens.

Over thirty types of plants will be featured, from trees and shrubs to herbs and grasses. At least one part of each of these plants is directly or indirectly edible, in the form of fruits, flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, or stems. While this garden will include obvious choices like fruits and berries, it will also feature less apparent species such as redbud, which has edible flowers and seed pods; and purple coneflower, which has leaves and roots that can be used to brew medicinal teas.

The Edible Garden is designed to demonstrate what an average homeowner can accomplish in a backyard setting. Hardscape components will be easy to make or purchase. The arbors will showcase different styles and materials. The trellis supports for grapes and berries will illustrate the main trellis types used by home gardeners.

This garden comprises a variety of areas separated (or joined) by paths, fences, focal points, and structures. The hardscape elements and focus plants will draw the eye and the visitor into and through the garden. For readers familiar with the layout of the Demonstration Garden, the planned Edible Garden flows northeastward from the existing classroom area, and includes additional teaching space.

A large amount of hardscape has been built into this garden to demonstrate sustainable design strategies that can be employed by the home gardener. For example, paved and graveled paths reduce water use and facilitate the maintenance and harvesting of edibles.

The mastermind behind the garden plan is local landscape architect Eve Werner. Her design for the triangular space allotted to this garden incorporates concepts of balance, contrast, and harmony, while taking into account the angle and intensity of the sun; the plants growing in the surrounding gardens; and maintenance and irrigation requirements.

Let's take a brief tour of the proposed Edible Garden. We begin by standing at the northeast end of the existing classroom space, facing northeast. The Master Gardeners' office is to the right, and the maturing Espalier Garden is to the left. Behind us is Glenwood Farmhouse and, in the front distance, the Midway running north to south beyond the wheat and pumpkin fields planted each year by the Patrick Ranch Museum.

Edible Annuals: Directly in front of us, beyond the crusher dust paving used to extend the teaching area, are the graceful curving arches of the edible annual garden. Separated by a pathway, these arches mirror each other, and contain an assortment of colors, textures, and heights for seasonal interest and staggered bloom times. The plant list includes: agastache, daylily, common and lemon varieties of thyme, hummingbird sage, bee balm, lemongrass, dwarf rosemary, and tarragon.

Grapevines and Arbor: two grapevine trellises echo the curves of the edible annuals, and are separated by an arbor, which will be planted in annual vines. Grape varieties include Champanel, Niabell, Red Flame Seedless, Glenora, Golden Muscat, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Because grapes require a fair amount of maintenance, and the Master Gardeners are a volunteer organization, varieties that mature at different times have been chosen so that pruning and harvesting can be accomplished in bits and pieces.  

Mediterranean Plaza: The focal point of this relaxation garden is a fruitless olive tree, surrounded by a wide circle of either crusher dust or historic Patrick Ranch adobe bricks. A bench will be located near the tree. The southwestern border, and narrowest angle of the garden triangle, will be populated with plantings of Santolina (green lavender cotton) and more dwarf rosemary. The northeastern border of the plaza, abutting the edible annuals, is formed by moonshine yarrow and a larger rosemary variety.

Sage Alley and beyond: The long leg of the obtuse triangle forming the garden area runs northeast from the plaza. At its southern end lies Sage Alley, featuring shrub sages from California, Arizona, and New Mexico, sprinkled with blue grama grasses. Dr. Hurd manzanita forms the northeastern flank of Sage Alley, and stands at the southwestern side of the second arbor. The arbor itself will support another grape vine. A western redbud stands to the other side of the arbor, amidst plantings of purple coneflower, buckwheat, mahonia, coyote mint, more blue grama grass, and a salvia or two. The third arbor, which will be planted in an annual vine, begins here, and is flanked on the opposite side by a Fuyu persimmon.

Berry Vines: Along the top border of the triangle, trellises will support berries (varieties to be determined). The trellises will be bounded on each side by sages (“Black and Blue” and “Indigo Spires”). A pomegranate tree will mark the end of this edge of the garden.

Raised Vegetable Beds: Heading southwest, back toward the Espalier Garden and the classroom: an arc of five raised beds will demonstrate different building materials and styles. The three inner beds will contain vegetables, and the two outer beds will be planted in blueberries. The center of the arc formed by the beds will contain a flowering quince surrounded by daylilies, coneflower, and chard.

Asparagus and more: The final element of the Edible Garden plan is an asparagus bed situated between the raised beds and the grapevines. Marjoram, oregano, sunflowers, an artichoke in a pot, and delicately-scented German chamomile complete the plantings.

The garden is designed to have plenty of room for visitors to move between and among the different “rooms.” Although it's not yet planted, the designs and garden teams are in place, and when we are done, we will be happy to invite you in to our Edible Garden. In the meantime, there is already plenty to see at the Demonstration Garden, including the Butte County All Stars Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Berm Garden, Herb Garden, California Native Plant Garden, Backyard Orchard, Espaliered fruit trees, and examples of wildlife habitat plantings and groundcover alternatives to turf grass.

To learn more about UC Butte County Master Gardeners and their upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, call our Hotline at (530) 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.