FOOD GARDENING
What is Food Gardening?
The Fresno County Master Gardeners mission is to provide science-based horticultural information and to teach home and community gardeners how to grow food sustainably.
When you grow food sustainably you nurture and protect the soil; use compost and organic amendments to feed the soil organisms that, in turn, feed your plants; use mulch to cover your soil, prevent weeds and conserve water; practice minimum soil disturbance; plant the right plant, in the right place, at the right time; include flowers that benefit the vegetables and that attract good insects; and avoid using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
The Fresno County Master Gardeners have specialized food gardening training and experience. In addition to their horticultural knowledge and interests, they are all passionate food gardeners—many with years of first-hand experience growing crops in the Central Valley.
Questions? Send an email to mgfresno@ucanr.edu
Including photos is helpful. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Microgreens
Microgreens are seeds you start in trays. They are ready in 10 to 20 days to be eaten
Just about any vegetable can be grown as a microgreens. This is similar to growing alfalfa sprouts, but the variety is huge. For example, the fastest are radish seeds, but you can grow raw sunflower seeds that have a nutty taste, garbanzo seeds that are sweet, mung beans, corn, and others. Radishes are super fast and ready to eat in about 7 days. You just cut the top growing part and mix with a salad. They have a peppery taste
Most YouTube videos about growing microgreens use potting soil as the growing medium. Composed coconut husk can be used too, and it can be ordered on-line.
In videos you may see large amounts of seed being sprouted in large trays. In the YouTube video 'This Old House' on microgreens. the person uses smaller containers. Plastic clam-shell contains, like those the hold strawberries, work well.
Microgreen seeds can be ordered on-line, but they are expensive. Try local stores that have bulk bins. You can buy raw sunflower, mung beans, garbanzo seed, raw peas, and others Local home improvement stores may have large one-ounce packages. For each small plastic clam shell you need about one teaspoon
After you grow and consume the microgreens you can start again. It's fun, quick, and inexpensive.
Urban Farm
It means different things to different people (See our working definition here). From backyard chicken-raising and beekeeping, to small-scale commercial farming on the edge of cities, urban agriculture is increasingly popular and is often in the news.
Plant a Row for the Hungry / Fresno
Thinking of ways to make a difference in the community? Planning a Spring Garden and have a little extra room in your garden? You could donate food to our local food banks.
Plant a Row for the Hungry: Nationally sponsored by the Garden Writers’ Association, Plant-A-Row encourages gardeners to grow a little extra to donate to food banks. You can also donate any surplus of fresh garden produce, even it it wasn’t planted for donation!
Plant a Row for the Hungry website for more information on this project.
Fresno Master Garden Par Group
Fresno Master Gardeners joined in 1999 as a joint effort between the UCCE Master Gardeners and the Central California Food Bank. Find out more about how Fresno Master Gardeners support PAR.
Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative
LA Victory Garden Initiative
The Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative helps new gardeners start their own gardens quickly and easily in a container, in the backyard or at a community garden. Classes are held at various locations in the Los Angeles area. Find out more about the program here
Download the LA Master Gardeners Vegetable Gardening Handbook for Beginners in English or Spanish.
Take a look at their helpful gardening articles.
Grow Oakhurst
UC Master Gardener program / Sonoma Couty
UC Master Gardener program / Sonoma County
The Sonoma County Master Gardeners have good articles about food gardening here. Check out their A-Z list of vegetables, herbs, and fruit.
Food Gardening Articles from A to Z.
Great job Sonoma Master Gardeners.