- Author: Missy Gable
In April, we celebrate National Volunteer Month and Week (April 17-23), honoring all of the contributions that volunteers make in our communities. All week long, the UC Master Gardener Program will feature stories of exceptional volunteers, or Gardeners with Heart, making a difference in California's communities. This year we recognize our community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. The passion and support of UC Master Gardener volunteers have been and continue to be essential in the program continuing to serve our mission.
Please join me as we celebrate and share our Gardeners with Heart and their remarkable stories, projects, and impact. Today, we celebrate Gardeners with Heart who are community connection leaders. These volunteers pursue and build relationships with new audiences or community partners for the UC Master Gardener Program, focusing on increasing program reach and being inclusive of new and more diverse audiences.
Heather Holland
UC Master Gardener volunteer Heather Holland has chaired the School Gardens Committee for seven years for the UC Master Gardener Program in San Diego County. This is no small task as school gardens pepper the landscape all over the county, with hundreds existing from heavily populated south county to the northernmost rural communities. Volunteers in San Diego County currently consult in approximately 350 schools, with more than 800 schools served over the past 20 years. It takes a lot of volunteers to cover all of these locations, Heather leads a committee of over 80 volunteers and inspires them to bring life and learning into each garden site.
Amazingly, Heather personally volunteers in 31 school gardens across the county. She recently learned of an opportunity to get sheds, tools, irrigation supplies, plants and other items donated. She efficiently organized schools that needed the items, made multiple trips to gather the donations, and quickly distributed these great new resources to the schools that needed them the most. “This isn't unusual for Heather. She is always the first to volunteer when someone needs help,” says fellow San Diego volunteer Devonna Hall.
In doing this important work, Heather fosters a close working relationship with all of the schools served by the UC Master Gardener volunteers in San Diego. Because of her efforts and those of her committee, schools in the county are supported and students are connected to food and gardening. Heather's words, “the natural world is the best teacher.” Thanks to this ingenuity, follow-through, and strong commitment, more schools and students are involved in growing food, eating it, and learning about climate change.
Ron Antone and Penni Parsons
Community events such as farmer's markets and Earth Day are held at this location; it serves as a community learning center for all ages. With construction complete, the UC Master Gardener propagation house will offer training for youth and adults on how to propagate plants sustainably. Farms of Amador, an organization Ron is closely connected to, will bring student field trips to the site to learn about propagation, supporting both skill and career development.
By creating this important space for gathering and education, Ron and Penni are inspiring a love for gardening throughout their community. Says Penni, “my love for gardening began when I was a little girl, my dad always had a garden. Knowing that I can plant a tiny seed and that in time it will grow and produce food is both nourishing my body and soul.”
To get their project off the ground, Ron served as construction lead for the project. He drew up plans, the budget, organized materials and worked with partners on permissions for the construction of the propagation house. Penni worked on the plant sale committee, providing leadership and sweat equity that raised more than $5,000 to fund the propagation house. She also built a team of volunteers to work with her and Ron, and together, they built an incredible space to bring the community together and support education.
Emy Shibukawa
Emy became a UC Master Gardener as a member of the first online class for San Bernardino County. She was an Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) class participant, and through the UC Master Gardener/Master Food Preserver/EFNEP partnership program, she was exposed to the excitement and opportunity of UC Master Gardener training.
Immediately upon starting her training, Emy saw what an important and needed service the program provides to the community. Today, Emy is instrumental in gathering community needs and marrying those needs with the services that Cooperative Extension programs provide. She has been particularly impactful in her local San Bernardino/Muscoy/Highland area, matching community needs with UC Master Gardener volunteers and projects.
One example is Operation New Hope, an organization dedicated to underserved youth, mentoring and educating them in life skills and pathways to success. Today, UC Master Gardener volunteers are working with Operation New Hope's San Bernardino location to add gardening spaces indoors and out, bringing in student and staff educational support from not only UC Master Gardeners but UC Master Food Preservers and EFNEP educators as well.
“In addition to projects [Emy] is bringing to the program to expand our outreach she supports our talks, our community and school garden committees and more!” says Maggie O'Neill, program coordinator. “Emy is very dedicated to bringing education and the University into our communities and neighborhoods. By leading this work connecting the community and the programs and services of Cooperative Extension, she is practicing the community-engaged extension work that we know is significant, impactful, and responsible for lasting change.”
Roxana Prince
Roxana Prince is relatively new to gardening and a great example of how you don't need to be a lifelong gardener to make a significant and impactful difference in your community through gardening education. “[Roxana] is an inspiration to others who might want to become a Master Gardener. They don't need to know it all or be lifelong gardeners to be an invaluable part of the UC Master Gardener team,” says Maggie O'Neill, program coordinator. “She is a sponge when it comes to learning and is great at seeking out reputable research to learn more when she has questions!” Roxana's inquisitive nature is one of the reasons she is so great at what she does in her volunteer role. She is relatable and shares her home gardening journey in a way that empowers and inspires everyone she connects with.
Roxana is bilingual and combined her commitment to community and education to get monthly UC Master Gardener classes offered in Spanish. She took the initiative, translating PowerPoints, marketing classes to Spanish-language audiences, giving talks, and answering questions. This impactful work has dramatically expanded the reach in a county with over 700,000 Spanish speakers. “She is a great example of not only a UC Master Gardener who only supports our regular activities throughout the county, but she also finds activities close to home in her community and brings what she has learned there,” says O'Neill.
The latter is one of many examples of Roxana's great work. Additional projects include working with the Mexican Consulate to add gardening classes taught in Spanish, working with Music Changing Lives Community Garden to create a food forest, and much more. Her efforts are grounded in supporting the community and successfully connecting UC Master Gardener outreach with those who might not otherwise have come across the program. “The UC Master Gardener class provided infinite possibilities and options for my family and me and provided another tool under my belt to better serve the community I work, and live in,” says Roxanna. “Especially my gente (people), the Spanish speaking community, where now I can share evidenced-based gardening tips in Spanish too!”
Barbara Kiernan
“Barbara Kiernan is organized, creative, energetic, and an effective leader. She is sought out for her community garden and composting skills, programming perspectives, and institutional knowledge embodying everything desirable in a great UC Master Gardener volunteer,” says advisor emeritus Janine Hasey. Barbara has a passion for teaching gardening skills for growing food and years of experience partnering with local agencies, schools, and organizations to share this knowledge with Sutter-Yuba residents. The list of projects Barbara has started or coordinated that benefit her community and the UC Master Gardener Program in Sutter-Yuba is impressively long.
For six years, Barbara taught vegetable gardening at Leo Chesney's woman's prison garden program. The women grew their own vegetables, taking pride in their accomplishments and finding purpose and recreation in the garden. The resulting fresh fruits and vegetables harvested saved the county thousands of dollars a year and provided a healthy and nutritious addition to the food being provided to the women. The project inspired one inmate to pursue UC Master Gardener training after release. Barbara has also played important connector and educator roles with the Yuba County Jail and Probation office, coordinating impactful gardening programs and connecting the UC Master Gardener Program with a traditionally underserved community.
Barbara plays a key leadership roles as a co-coordinator of community and community gardens outreach. In this role, Barbara coordinates with the city to create the Marysville Community Garden, where gardeners have access to raised beds, city water, on-site compost bins, gardening tools, and more. The garden was located close to a bus route and a bike trail, a thoughtful consideration that has enabled more community members to benefit from the garden. She was also instrumental in establishing the Artisan Community Garden located in Yuba City. All of Barbara's work serves to deepen local connections between the community and the programs offered by Cooperative Extension. Says Barbara, “being in the garden teaches us to be humble and learn.”
During National Volunteer Month (April 1 - 30), the UC Master Gardener Program celebrates its 6,216 incredible UC Master Gardener volunteers and their contributions to California communities. Throughout the month, we will feature stories of special volunteers or Gardeners with Heart from across the state who use their skills to improve program delivery. Gardeners with Heart are volunteers nominated by their local county leadership as community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for National Volunteer Month and Week!
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener Program coordinators Tracy Celio (Amador) and Maggie O'Neill (San Bernardino), advisor emeritus Janine Hasey (Sutter-Yuba) and volunteer leader Devonna Hall (San Diego) for their contributions to this story.
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
In April, we celebrate National Volunteer Month and Week (April 17-23), honoring all of the contributions that volunteers make in our communities. All week long, the UC Master Gardener Program will feature stories of exceptional volunteers, or Gardeners with Heart, making a difference in California. This year we recognize our community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. The passion and support of UC Master Gardener volunteers have been and continue to be essential in the program continuing to serve our mission.
Please join me as we celebrate and share our Gardeners with Heart and their remarkable stories, projects, and impact. Today, we celebrate Gardeners with Heart, who are harvest helpers who empower their community to grow food at home, in school and community gardens—connecting gardeners with resources, knowledge, and support to have a successful food garden harvest and improved access to nutritious fresh produce.
“Becky Bednar is an example of a UC Master Gardener who fully embraces the program's mission, teaching others how to grow their own food,” says Maria Murrieta, program coordinator in San Luis Obispo. “She continually encourages others to go out to the community – to meet people where they are – to provide gardening information.”
Becky transferred to the UC Master Gardener Program of San Luis Obispo County from Los Angeles, where she was introduced to the ‘Grow LA Vegetable Garden Initiative' training. As a beginning gardener, she participated in the workshops, which inspired her to join the program and start teaching food gardening workshops.
Realizing there was a need in her new county, Becky led the effort to start a Victory Garden project in San Luis Obispo County. “The Victory Garden project is a way of bringing gardening to the community. I enjoy helping beginning gardeners learn the basics of edible gardening using hands-on methods. With a little encouragement and hand-holding, the Victory Gardeners become enthusiastic gardeners, hungry for more gardening knowledge,” explains Becky. “I enjoy hearing about their gardening projects and seeing their progress. We encourage participants to continue to work together informally by volunteering at the Victory Garden and donating harvest to the local food bank. We also hold monthly workshops with featured topics of the month as a way of staying in touch.”
After great success with the first Victory Garden location, Becky identified a second location in the town of Oceano to offer food gardening classes where the program had not previously had a presence. Thanks to Becky Bednar's positive energy and initiative, the UC Master Gardener Program has had an opportunity to improve and expand outreach to make resources accessible to more county residents.
Christy Gray joined the UC Master Gardener Program eager to learn more about gardening and make a difference in her community. Over the past five years, Christy has been involved in many important projects in San Bernardino County. “She was instrumental in establishing our Seed Library program,” says program coordinator Maggie O'Neill, “which has a major focus on education around growing food from seed and learning all about seed saving.” Since then, she has continued to support fellow UC Master Gardener volunteers and projects across the county, taking on a leadership role at many of the program's community gardens. Christy has long been a community garden advocate and supported several community gardens in the inner city San Bernardino area.
In addition to being a UC Master Gardener, Christy completed a farmer-training program run by a local community garden. She wants to take what she has learned to help the county residents address food insecurity by working with several community gardens to help expand their outreach and grow food on a larger scale that can be shared with people in need.
Christy has a passion for helping elevate others and is dedicated to helping teach people about growing their own food at home and in community gardens. She is amazing at highlighting not just the food growing aspects but also the mental health aspects of growing food and how places like community gardens can be a hub where building and collaboration can happen.
Tobi Brown
moved to Sonoma County after teaching in elementary and middle schools in Gilroy, Calif. for 30 years. She lives with her husband on a property in unincorporated Santa Rosa that the family lovingly calls ‘The Farmstead' where they grow vegetables, fruit trees and berries with their 12 laying hens and a border collie.
Tobi Brown joined the UC Master Gardener Program and quickly got involved in the leadership of its food gardening specialists project. Food gardening specialists provide advanced training in sustainable food gardening to UC Master Gardeners, host public education at several demonstration gardens, conduct workshops, and offer consultations to schools and community groups interested in food gardens across Sonoma County. The food gardening specialist group created a monthly Zoom event called ‘Veggie Happenings through Tobi's leadership.' Each installment is a one-hour video packed with useful, science-based, and timely information with demonstrations on current food gardening topics, all oriented around the seasons.
In her other role, Tobi collaborates with community partner Harvest for the Hungry, a non-profit that provides food for food pantries. “Tobi's knowledge and her eagerness to reach out and teach Sonoma gardeners to grow food is epic,” says UC Master Gardener Anne Haddix. “Her friendly guidance is always focused on the best sustainability practices.” We're grateful for the passion Tobi brings to all of her UC Master Gardener volunteer efforts. Her energy is infectious and results in new food gardeners far beyond Sonoma County!
Hillie Salo
Hillie Salo encourages every gardener she meets to “plant seed, save seed, share seed.” Hillie has focused her volunteer efforts with the UC Master Gardener Program in Santa Clara County on helping people learn how to grow their own food and save seeds. When the pandemic broke out, access to plants, seeds and gardening supplies became challenging to find. Inspired to help her neighbors, Hillie gathered seeds and put them in a box on her street to share. A neighbor's letter expressing their gratitude motivated Hillie to bring the idea of a more permanent seed share to Martial Cottle Park, a public park dedicated to showcasing local agriculture.
A Seed Share is a centralized location or place where the community can share seeds and gardening knowledge. In early 2021, UC Master Gardeners partnered with the Santa Clara County Parks, Slow Food South Bay, and the Boy Scouts of America to bring a Seed Share to Martial Cottle Park. Hilo shepherded the project for almost a year, seeking approval from the program's steering committee and Martial Cottle Park. “Sharing seeds is a wonderful opportunity for a community to build resilience around growing and sharing food. Sharing seeds builds diversity and adaptability into local seeds; strengths needed in the face of climate change,” says Hilo. “Seed Shares bring a risk-free opportunity to new and low-income gardeners.” With the success of the Seed Share in Martial Cottle Park, the goal now is to build a network of Seed Shares at all of the program's demonstration gardens.
It has been a year now since the Martial Cottle Park Seed Share has found a home greeting its visitors as they enter the UC Master Gardener Demonstration Garden. Halo is looking forward to repeat customers at the seed share, where those who had success last year are returning to both contribute and acquire something new. “More often than not in the modern garden, plants we grow are harvested at maturity and people never see the full life cycle of a
plant,” explains Hillie, “What does a plant that has gone to seed look like? You might be surprised. Seeds grown in the Full Life Cycle Garden find their way into the Seed Share and quarterly seed swaps, creating new opportunities.”
During National Volunteer Month (April 1 - 30), the UC Master Gardener Program celebrates its 6,216 incredible UC Master Gardener volunteers and their contributions to California communities. Throughout the month, we will feature stories of special volunteers or Gardeners with Heart from across the state who use their skills to improve program delivery. Gardeners with Heart are volunteers nominated by their local county leadership as community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for National Volunteer Month and Week!
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener Program coordinators Maria Murrieta(San Luis Obispo) and Maggie O'Neill (San Bernardino) and volunteer leader Hillie Salo (Santa Clara) for their contributions to this story.
To see additional Gardeners with Heart - Harvest Helpers, view blog post: National Volunteer Month: Gardeners with Heart – Harvest Helpers (Part 1)
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
In April, we celebrate National Volunteer Month and Week (April 17-23), honoring all of the contributions that volunteers make in our communities. All week long, the UC Master Gardener Program will feature stories of exceptional volunteers, or Gardeners with Heart, making a difference in California's communities. This year we recognize our community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. The passion and support of UC Master Gardener volunteers have been and continue to be essential in the program continuing to serve our mission.
Please join me as we celebrate and share our Gardeners with Heart and their remarkable stories, projects, and impact. Today, we celebrate Gardeners with Heart, who are harvest helpers who empower their community to grow food at home, in schools and in community gardens. Connecting gardeners with resources, knowledge, and the support they need to have a successful food garden harvest and improved access to nutritious fresh produce.
As a UC Master Gardener, Barbara Searles is most deeply involved as the co-chair of the School & Community project team and is on the Help Desk steering committee for Marin County. Barbara shares her gardening knowledge and enthusiasm for growing plants as a garden committee leader at the Mill Valley Community Garden, connecting with gardeners of all ages. In addition to her work with community gardens throughout Marin, she shares valuable resources and expertise with a growing number of senior residential community gardens. Recently, the Cities of San Rafael and San Anselmo received insight from Barbara on best practices for community gardens.
During National Volunteer Month (April 1 - 30), the UC Master Gardener Program celebrates its 6,216 incredible UC Master Gardener volunteers and their contributions to California communities. Throughout the month, we will feature stories of special volunteers or Gardeners with Heart from across the state who use their skills to improve program delivery. Gardeners with Heart are volunteers nominated by their local county leadership as community connection leaders, harvest helpers, and environmental stewards. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for National Volunteer Month and Week!
Special appreciation to UC Master Gardener Program coordinators Maggie O'Neil (San Bernardino) Yvonne Rasmussen (Napa) and volunteer leader Jeannette Perez (Marin) for their contributions to this story.
To see additional Gardeners with Heart - Harvest Helpers, view the blog post: National Volunteer Month: Gardeners with Heart – Harvest Helpers (Part 2)
- Author: Lauren Snowden
During the holiday season many plants, cut flowers and flowering bulbs are used as decoration and given as gifts. Many of these items can be poisonous to both humans and pets with long-term negative effects to one's health. Plant poisoning can range from simple rashes and blisters all the way to organ damage and in severe cases death. Be safe this holiday season by being mindful of what plants and flowers you are either giving, receiving or decorating with. Common holiday plants that pose a toxic risk are; Amaryllis (bulb portion), Chrysanthemums, Holly (berries), Mistletoe (berries and leaves) and Poinsettia.
Simple steps can be taken to help minimize the risk that poisonous or toxic plants cause when brought into the home:
- Know what plants you have in your home and the health risks they pose
- Place poisonous plants out of reach of children and pets
- Teach children not to put any part of a plant in their mouth
- Discard plant leaves and flowers in a safe way so that children and pets cannot get to them
- Use protective gloves and clothing when handling plants that may be irritating to the skin
- Wash your hands after handling plants
- Don't garnish food trays or tables with poisonous plants
Signs of poisoning range from dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or stomach cramps. Some plants cause irritation to the skin, mouth and tongue and immediate burning pain. The signs of poisoning may not appear immediately so if you suspect that someone has been poisoned by a plant, telephone your doctor of the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. If you are advised to go to an emergency room, take the plant or a part of it with you (take more than a single leaf or berry). Take the label, too, if you have it. The correct name can result in the proper treatment if the plant is poisonous. If the plant is not dangerous, knowing the name can prevent needless treatment and worry.
Resources:
To view a list of safe and toxic plants for humans please visit: http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/
To view a list of safe and toxic plants for animals please visit: http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/Plant_Toxicity_Levels_523/
Sources:
http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/
Pittenger, Dennis. California Master Gardener Handbook--2nd Ed, Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2015.
- Author: Melissa G. Womack
Learn and celebrate Healthy Soils Week with the UC Master Gardener Program and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Dec. 6-10! Healthy Soils Week is full of resources, virtual activities, and at-home projects to check out.
Soil quality is critical to healthy plants and is a vital part of our living ecosystem. Soil is alive with organisms that slowly grow or change depending on what is added, how the soil is used, and environmental conditions. Soil health, much like our own, is best improved gradually over time so focusing on regular or constant improvement helps achieve and sustain soil health. Adding certain practices into your gardening routine, such as incorporating organic matter, can be a great place to start.
For more UC ANR information about healthy soils for a healthy California visit: ucanr.edu/sites/soils.
2021 Healthy Soils Week Event Highlights
The California Department of Food and Agriculture and its many partners have teamed up to highlight healthy soils activities on the farm and at home. Find a full list of partners participating in Healthy Soils Week and a calendar of this year's online activities at: cdfa.ca.gov/healthysoilsweek.
Monday, Dec. 6:
- NRCS Rainfall Simulator Demonstration - Hosted by California Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). The Rainfall Simulator provides a demonstration of how practices such as no-till farming, cover crops, and prescribed grazing benefit soil health and improve the water cycle on cropland and rangeland. Presented by Dr. Kabir Zahangir, NRCS Regional Soil Health Specialist. This demonstration includes discussion of topics such as soil structure, aggregate stability, and infiltration.
Tuesday, Dec. 7:
- Soil Health Connection – Topic of the Day: The Soil Health Connection is a collection of videos on soil health and related topics. Liz Harper from Colusa County Resource Conservation District and Sarah Light, a UC ANR Farm Advisor, have put together a series of interviews with individuals who are actively involved in improving soil in the Sacramento Valley and beyond. A new video will be featured each day of Healthy Soils Week.
Weds., Dec. 8:
- A Walk Through the Soil Tunnel: Hosted by California NRCS. The Soil Tunnel is an educational tool designed to teach and promote the importance of soils and soil health. It illustrates through the use of images, the important functions of the soil. Through this interactive soil exhibit, audience of all ages can view the world below the ground by walking through the Tunnel. Presented by Luis Alvarez, California NRCS Soil Scientist. This video takes the audience on a walk through the soil tunnel to “unlock the secrets in the soil”.
Thurs., Dec. 9:
- Composting for At-Home Gardeners: Here's a tip for gardeners! By using compost and organic matter, you can reduce plant water needs by as much as 30 percent. Learn more about what compost can do for urban and home soils with the Save Our Water campaign.
Friday, Dec. 10:
- Soil Ribboning with Mikie McDonnell: California Rangeland Trust Stewardship Specialist, Mikie McDonnell leads us in a soil ribboning activity. This kid-friendly activity will teach participants more about what makes up the soil around them. Grab a cup of soil and get ready to get your hands dirty!
Ask your local UC Master Gardener
Growing and supporting soil health is something all of us can contribute to whether we have a full landscape to work in, a small patio, or a community garden plot. For more gardening help and local county resources, click here to Find a Program. You will be redirected to your local county website and contact information. UC Master Gardener volunteers are available to help answer questions for FREE about your gardening zone, pests, composting, and the soil in your area.
Follow us on our Facebook or Twitter channel, or by using the hashtags #HealthySoilsWeek2021 #HSW2021.
