- Author: Amanda Crump
To provide continuing education for Master Gardeners, the Statewide Master Gardener Program provides regional trainings. An example is the Advanced IPM Training being offered next week in Davis, CA. Trainings like these are always popular and serve as a place for Master Gardeners to learn new things, refine their skills, interact with University of California scientists, and meet other gardeners. By promoting activities where Master Gardeners learn together, the Statewide Master Gardener Program ensures that Master Gardeners are up-to-date with the most recent research recommendations from the University of California.
The next set of regional training sessions will be the Edible Landscaping series. In this training, Master Gardeners will learn the ins and outs of incorporating edibles into their landscapes. The training includes planning and design, policies, maintenance, harvest and storage, and food safety. Attendees will then be certified to teach others in Edible Landscaping practices - a skill that is in high demand.
Master Gardeners might recall attending the Sustainable Landscape Train the Trainer series two years ago. The Statewide Master Gardener program surveyed the people who were subsequently trained by Master Gardeners and we found some wonderful things! For example, 77% of the people who did not compost at the time of training indicated that they had started composting after three months! That is a significant change in their behavior that definitely leads to a more sustainable California. In addition to composting, over 40% more people began leaving portions of their gardens undisturbed for wildlife, 20% of those surveyed began using better irrigation techniques, and just over 10% planted drought tolerant plants. These examples are just a handful of the practices that were influenced by the Sustainable Landscape classes.
Together, through these classes, the Master Gardeners and the Statewide Master Gardener Program are making a difference! See you soon at one of the Edible Landscape Training sessions!
- Author: Sam Foushee
The next conference will be in 2014. The results of a statewide poll are now in, and the preference for location was heavily in favor of the Tenaya Lodge near the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. The Tenaya is a beautiful facility in a gorgeous location, and I'm certainly looking forward to spending a few days there when 2014 rolls around! 
What are some of your favorite memories from past conferences? Will you attend Master Gardener Conference 2014?
- Contact: Pam Geisel
- Author: Sam Foushee
This is the first of a series of short articles about the 
Of the many benefits that can be credited to the state office and coordinator, I think the one that has directly impacted me and all ACMGs the most has been the creation of the Volunteer Management System (VMS). There are still a number of us who remember what it was like pre-VMS. It seems now that our previous recordkeeping system for hours and contacts, our ability to schedule events and activities and our ability to commuicate with one another was like something out of the Stone Age. And the VMS, thanks to our statewide office, keeps improving to meet our needs even better. Currently they are working on version 3.0, which should be done in the next 3-6 months.
Anyone else remember our Stone Age past? Are you looking forward to the new VMS system?
