- Author: Chris M. Webb
The UC Master Gardeners will be busy this summer with outreach and education events throughout Ventura County. Some of their efforts will include:
The Master Gardeners have prepared a free educational speaking series this summer at the Goebel Senior Center. The Goebel Senior Center is located in Thousand Oaks next to the Grant R. Brimhall Library. You do not need to be a senior to attend the classes.
- All About Roses – Saturday, June 23rd
- Orchids – Saturday, July 28th
- Sustainable Garden – Saturday, August 28th
- Wildlife, Birds, and Butterfly Gardens – Saturday, September 22nd
On Saturday August 18, the Master Gardeners will hold a Home Garden Workshop. This event will be held in Santa Paula, at the beautiful UC Hansen Agricultural Center. The theme of this workshop will be “Planning and Growing A Cut-Flower Garden, and Creating Beautiful Floral Arrangements”. There is a $25.00 fee to attend the workshop.
The Master Gardeners will also be at the Ventura County Fair. You can find them in the landscape design section of the fairgrounds. Their booth will be staffed several hours per day.
The Master Gardener Helpline is staffed Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00. This is a great opportunity to get one-on-one assistance. The helpline provides gardening support to the public by phone at 645-1455, by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu, or in person at 669 County Square Drive, Suite 100 in Ventura. If planning to come by in person, you may want to call first to verify a Master Gardener is available.
Other gardening resources can be accessed through this page of our website.
Check out the UCCE Ventura County Master Gardner websiteoften for other local events!
- Author: Chris M. Webb
UCCE Ventura County is celebrating Garden Month by expanding gardening outreach and education. Gardening is great exercise and can be a lot of fun.
Ornamental plants and trees add beauty to our communities. Food gardens can also be a source of beauty while providing fresh and highly nutritious food. Whatever type of gardening you enjoy, we are here to help.
- The homepage of our website currently features resources for the home gardener.
- UC Master Gardeners have many garden classes scheduled
- Our office has a display, stocked with many gardening resources, at the Ventura County Government Center Hall of Administration through the end of April. Master Gardeners will be available at the display Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm to answer questions.
- The Master Gardener helpline is staffed from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays to answer your questions. You may see them in person at 669 County Square Drive, Suite 100 in Ventura. You can also call them at 805-645-1455 or email them at mgventura@ucdavis.edu.
Happy Gardening!
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Our UCCE Master Gardeners have several education opportunities scheduled throughout the county. Most classes are offered at no cost. All classes require registration.
There will be a series of free classes held Wednesday evenings at the Camarillo Library from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
- April 4, Growing Vegetables in the Garden
- April 11, Steps to Sustainable Yard & Garden
- April 18, All About Tomatoes
- April 25, Seed Collection
At the ARC-Ojai Enrichment Center you can learn about The Science of Soil on Saturday, April 14 from 9:00 to 11:00 am. There is no cost to attend this event.
On Saturday May 19 from 8:15 to noon, join UCCE Master Gardeners at the beautiful UC Hansen Agricultural Center. Scheduled topics are “Growing Terrific Orchids” and “All About Succulents". There is a $25.00 fee to attend this Home Garden Workshop.
The Simi Valley Senior Center will hold a series of free gardening classes. (You do not have to be a senior to attend.) Classes will be held on Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
- May 1, Introduction to Gardening
- May 8, California Natives & Waterwise Gardening
- May 15, Mysteries of Gardening
- May 22, Tomatoes
- May 29, Container Gardening
- June 5, All About Roses
- June 12, All About Citrus
The Goebel Senior Center in Thousand Oaks will hold a free All About Roses class on Saturday, June 23 from 9:30 to 11:30 am. (You do not have to be a senior to attend.)
Please remember all education events, regardless of cost, require registration. Registration is easy and can be completed by following the link for each class. Space is limited, so please register early!
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The 2011 UC Master Gardener Vegetable Demonstration Garden Project has recently finished. A group of certified Master Gardeners and trainees spent time each week from January 27 through December 15 learning vegetable gardening techniques through hands-on experience.
They documented their project so that they could impart lessons learned throughout the2011 project. This article is the eighth, and final, in a series to share this knowledge.
Seed storage:
Saving and storing seeds can provide additional fun and learning opportunities to vegetable gardening.
- Be sure that seeds being used are not beyond their expiration date.
- Consider saving seeds from plants with superior characteristics (e.g., hardy during cool temperatures).
- If you plan to save the seeds from your corn plants, you need to take steps to avoid cross-pollination from other corn plants. To keep heirloom corn pure, you have two options: 1) bag the ears and tassels, and hand pollinate, or 2) arrange it so your corn blooms earlier than any other corn around you.
- The female flowers of each crop can be fertilized only by pollen from male flowers of the same species. Cross pollination, however, can occur between varieties within a species. When crosses occur between members of the same species, we do not see the effect of the cross the first year. However, if the seeds are saved and planted, the plants will produce fruit that will be different from either of the parents.
- There is no reason to soak zucchini seeds in water prior to storage since the pulp can readily be separated from the seed. The pulp on tomato seeds, however, is tightly attached to the seeds making it necessary to soak the seeds for a few days. Once the pulp begins to ferment, it is easily separated from the tomato seeds.
- After soaking tomato seeds in water for two or three days, the viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the container. Dispose of the tomato seeds that float to the surface.
- The way to tell if zucchini seeds are viable is to look for plump seeds. Small flat zucchini seeds will most likely not germinate or will be of poor quality. Since viable zucchini seeds will float in water, the float test used to differentiate poor quality tomato seeds from viable seeds should not be used.
Questions on gardening? Please contact our Master Gardener helpline at 645-1455 or contact them by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The 2011 UC Master Gardener Vegetable Demonstration Garden Project has recently finished. A group of certified Master Gardeners and trainees spent time each week from January 27 through December 15 learning vegetable gardening techniques through hands-on experience.
They documented their project so that they could impart lessons learned throughout the2011 project. This article is the seventh in a series to share this knowledge.
Plant protection:
Necessity in protecting plants from vertebrae pests varies depending on location.
- Seedlings should be protected from animals with cages once planted in the soil.
- When constructing cages for plants, design them so they can be easily removed even if the plants become overgrown. Otherwise, the plants may be injured as the cages are removed.
- Be sure to bury the frame of the frame of the cage to prevent mice from crawling under it.
- Small grocery paper bags make nice collars for corn plants.
- Plants placed in soda bottles for protection from critters will eventually grow out of the bottle making them vulnerable to pests. Cages may provide better protection from rabbits and other grazing animals.
- Don’t leave cages on the plants too long. As the plants outgrow the cages, they will become difficult to remove. Also the stem of the plant will be weak since support provided by the cage does not allow full stem development.
Questions on gardening? Please contact our Master Gardener helpline at 645-1455 or contact them by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu.