Riverside County’s Project on the Soboba Cultural Garden Wins Grand Prize!

Congratulations to the UC Master Gardener Program of Riverside County on winning first place in the 2023 UC Master Gardener Search for Excellence competition. Their work within the Soboba Cultural Garden stood out as an extraordinary testament to the power of gardening in honoring cultural heritage and nurturing a vibrant community.  The Search for Excellence competition takes place every three years and allows UC Master Gardeners to showcase their projects for a chance to win recognition and a cash prize. After careful consideration by the judges, three winners were selected with Riverside County taking the top prize, winning $1500. 

The synergistic relationship behind this wonderful project all started with a simple misunderstanding. The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians had reached out to the Riverside University Health System for help with their garden. In return, a team was sent to the tribe's meeting. The Soboba tribe was surprised when they found the UC Master Gardeners of Riverside County at their meeting instead of the 4-H volunteers they had been expecting. Despite this misunderstanding, Joseph Ontiveros, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, asked the Master Gardener, MG, team for their help on the garden, and they enthusiastically agreed to join the project.

Thurman Howard, Master Gardener (left), discussing cover crop of daikon radishes with Joe Ontiveros, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. (right)

The goal of the Soboba Cultural Garden was and is still “To develop a cultivation system that is grounded in traditional tribal knowledge and connection to the land, while promoting food sovereignty and providing accessibility to health and wellness for its members.” Not only was the goal to provide food for the community but also to honor native plants, as well as medicinal herbs. The tribe had been gardening for countless generations here but needed some assistance getting back to the large crop yield they once had. 

To help the garden reach its full potential, the MG team joined in on the project. Jessica Valdez, a tribal archaeologist, and cultural resources specialist, and Eloyd Rodriguez, the Cultural Garden Specialist, became two invaluable members who joined the MG team in the project. While being mindful that they were guests and needed to integrate tribal traditions into the plan, the MG team got to work. The crew conducted weekly visits to the garden and kept journals to record progress and make seasonal planting goals. To meet the tribes' goals, the team had to first revitalize the garden's soil. During this process, the Master Gardeners taught the tribe as they implemented different healthy soil techniques such as soil tests, compost, manure, and vermiculture. The next step was updating the water system to not only save water but also to increase hydro percolation.

UC Master Gardeners supervise unloading of 20 tons of compost

To ensure the protection of crops once they had grown, several Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices were implemented in the garden. The team decided to bring in natural predators to reduce plant pests and use more effective trapping techniques. Just as the tribe had requested, the MG team emphasized sustainable and organic gardening practices that coincided with the tribe's traditions and would benefit the garden in the present and future. 

Marilyn Howard, UC Master Gardener (left), teacher Eloyd Rodriguez, Cultural Garden Manager (right), what to look for in a new crop of lettuce.

The results of the hard work at the Soboba Cultural Garden are astounding. Crop yield has increased almost three times since plan implementation, and more than one ton of produce is available to the tribe every year. This produce is given to the community with an emphasis on elders and also provides lunches at their preschool. The increased crop yield is a direct result of the now healthy soil in the garden where Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphate have all increased. Due to the new irrigation system, the garden has reduced its water usage by more than 56%. Most importantly, as was the goal of the tribe, the garden is currently 100% organic. Joe Ontiveros, the Garden's Administrator stated that “the technical assistance and guidance [Master Gardeners] give is the best” when asked about the impact of the team. The MG team has also learned much from the Soboba tribe including the observation of the land's pests and predators. Through pest and predator observations, the tribe learned to plant corn in late June since by then the squirrel population had been depleted by coyotes.

Vegetable harvest from the Cultural Garden ready to be delivered to Preschool Chefs for lunches for students and Elders.

This wonderful partnership has not only resulted in improved garden yields but also resulted in the first application from a Soboba tribe member to become a UC Master Gardener volunteer in Riverside County. The improved garden has become a vital element of the celebration of Soboba Earth Day and receives visitors from all over trying to learn better gardening techniques. Cultural Garden Specialist, Eloyd Rodriguez says the success of this project makes him “feel very blessed and honored to be a part of [the] teamwork.” SFE judges were wowed by the wonderful story behind the project “From an accidental meeting to a bountiful harvest both in the food and relationships built.” Many members of the tribe have since been inspired to start home gardens of their own. The impact of this project is sure to inspire countless generations of not only Soboba tribe members but the greater gardening community.

Once again, congratulations to the UC Master Gardeners of Riverside County on this well-deserved recognition. We celebrate their remarkable work within the Soboba Cultural Garden and commend their unwavering commitment to excellence.

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