The Latest Dirt - March 2023
Ask a Master Gardener Wants You in 2023!
By Laura Brainin-Rodriguez
AAMG kicks off its 2023 season in April. We can’t wait to get out to our 14 Farmers Markets and Our Garden tables, as well as at single-day events, including the Great Tomato Plant Sale where you get to interact with county residents and hear their gardening queries and concerns.
Our season runs from April-October. Most markets are once a month. Our Garden is every week to reach those attending the weekly garden talks. San Ramon City Center is twice a month, and Shadelands is every other week.
To make it possible for AAMG volunteers to join our tables we release the next month’s VMS postings on the 15th of the prior month and have a dedicated slot for the 2023 UC Master Gardener graduates. March will be different, since we have our kickoff event, in person, on March 20, 2023. We will send a Collaborative Tools message to the AAMG roster, and you can sign up on VMS.
What makes all this possible is the commitment and engagement of our stellar cast of AAMG leads: (in alphabetical order by farmers market) Neal Hoellwarth (Brentwood), Anne Sutherland, new in 2023, (Concord), Anne Diggins and Bob Archer (Danville), Brian Kerss, new in 2023 (Kensington), Paul Borenstein (Martinez), Robert Nagel and Sue Andersen-Berger (Moraga), Brian Kerss and Dan Lent (Pinole), Stephanie Hargrave (Our Garden), Greg Doyle and Terri Takusagawa (San Ramon City Center and Dougherty Station), Jon and Bonnie Dwyer (San Ramon City Center and Dougherty Station), John Fike (Shadelands and San Ramon Dougherty Station), and Keith Silva (Walnut Creek).
We are seeking a Co-Lead for the Kensington Farmers Market. This is one of only two farmers markets in West County. It is a well-attended and vibrant market, reaching 75-100+ county residents each time we table. Please let us know if you are interested. We provide support and orientation to any new leads.
We continue to implement our Table Lite model, with a greater reliance on pictures to draw the public in. We use QR codes to reduce the need to produce and hand out information on paper. Our clients have embraced the use of this technology, which we consider it more sustainable as well.
We hope you will be inspired to join our fun, interactive and busy tables in 2023. AAMG is a great and quick way to get your volunteer hours. Our friendly and supportive AAMG leads look forward to meeting new and returning volunteers. The friendships you build and the knowledge you acquire are priceless.