The Latest Dirt - Jan 2024

Project Leads Welcome New Volunteer Trainees

Photos by UC Master Gardeners

In this month's The Latest Dirt, we present the New Volunteer Trainees bios, photos, and a message from NVT Co-Leads John Fike and Dorothy Abeyta. Here, Executive Committee Project Leads extend a warm welcome and describe the many opportunities available to the UC Master Gardener Trainees.

Communications

Hello from the Communications project! Remember us? We're the ones who do all the announcing, posting, and reaching out to the county and the world to share the good works of the amazing Contra Costa County UC Master Gardener Volunteers. Want to join us? We always need writers for our excellent newsletters, The Latest Dirt and News to Grow By. We would also LOVE another video editor or two for our YouTube channel. And if you like to be behind the camera, we'd welcome you. Just think of all things electronic and jammy jobs you can perform 24/7 from the comfort of your home. Email Lori at loripalmquist@gmail.com if you're interested.

News to Grow By

My name is Hedwig Van Den Broeck, and I am reaching out to you on behalf of the editorial team of our external newsletter, News to Grow By, published quarterly and reaches 8,500 Contra Costa residents. The team meets 1 to 1.5 months before the intended publication date to brainstorm about insightful articles on various gardening topics. Our Spring issue will come out shortly before the Great Tomato Plant sale and consequently will focus on growing tomatoes and other vegetables. Writers also contribute articles on California native plants, taking care of trees, gardening in our wildfire-prone state, gardening in small spaces, pests and diseases, and so much more.

We seek enthusiastic writers and editors who share our commitment to educating and inspiring fellow gardeners. We are excited about the possibility of working together to create informative and engaging content that will benefit our community of UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County. Feel free to check us out during one of our next brainstorming sessions on Zoom. You can reach Project Lead Hedwig Van Den Broek at hedwigvdb@gmail.com.

The Latest Dirt

Welcome New Volunteer Trainees! My name is Simone Adair. I'm the Editor of The Latest Dirt. The newsletter that you are reading now. We publish every other month and focus our content on internal news, including articles about UC Master Gardeners, news from Project Leads, and other articles that interest our members.

We would love you to join us as writers and editors. And please don't worry about being a perfect writer. Our editors will work hard to make your writing shine. Feel free to contact me at studioadair@gmail.com.
I look forward to working with you. And congratulations on joining the ranks of the UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County.

Community Gardens

Community Gardens needs you! As the program grows, it requires more resources and support. Although we have wonderful teams of UC Master Gardeners in various locations, more glue and support are needed to keep everything humming. Please consider sharing a lead position and helping to create an even better experience for our gardens and gardeners.

Where are we, and what do we do?
Community Gardens with active UC Master Gardener participation (Last updated11/5/2023)

Central County
Lafayette Community Garden, Lafayette – Lead: Meb Philips
Monthly garden meetings with UC Master Gardeners and the Community Garden team. Participation in Harvest Festival and special events twice a year with about 100 participants.
Monarch Garden, Rancho Laguna Park, Moraga – Lead: Robin Harper
Provides materials, classes and support to garden club and special events.
Adaptive Learning Center, Concord – Lead: Karen Maggio
A twice-a-month program combining UC Master Gardener and CalFresh Healthy Living for 10-12 participants
Gehringer Community Garden and Native Demonstration Garden, North Concord – Lead: Phil Quinlan, Team: Karen Goodwin, Liz Whiteford, Allison Thomas, Robin Harper
Gehringer is our most extensive community garden, with over 100 gardeners. The demonstration garden is located outside the fence along the sidewalk, attracting community interest. We are planning a public ribbon-cutting event for the spring upon garden completion.
Roger's Ranch – Marian Woodard
UC Master Gardener participation happens during special events with an information table. About 10 UC Master Gardeners participated this year.

East County
Ambrose, Pittsburg - Neal Hoellwarth, Anne Sutherland, and the Jardineros team
UC Master Gardener participation happens during festivals and special events.
Family Harvest Farm, John Muir Land Trust, Pittsburg – Jack Cortis, Kim Overaa, Shawna Anderson, Karen Maggio, Allison Thomas, Suzanne Miller, Jan Manns, Rae Cecchettini, Katherine Wilson, Lawrence Moglia
This is the site of the newest demonstration garden, which is 2000 sq ft. There are weekly work parties, monthly UC Master Gardener programming, and CalFresh Healthy Living classes. Twenty UC Master Gardeners and about eight JMLT staff and interns are active at this site.
Wolwonja Ecocultural Garden, Cal State East Bay – Laura Fairbanks, Joni Stickney, Anna Wendorf, Alice Burns, Meb Phillips This site is currently on hold pending funding. This garden could be an exciting and busy project in 2024.
Healthy Hearts Farm (Ray Harts) Pittsburg – Kim Overaa
This is an active farm.

West County
Discovery House, Martinez – Molly Weden, Judy Clayton, Darlene DeRose
We meet at least twice monthly and provide UC Master Gardener programming for about 20 participants.
Mira Flores (Eden House), Richmond – Vicki Lee, Fletcher Oaks, Titania Buchholdt
Hana (Eden House), El Cerrito – Pam Austin, Fletcher Oaks
Pending evaluation of UC Master Gardener participation upon expiration of Memorandum of Understanding in 2024. There is low participation.
Veteran's Administration Hospital – Martinez – Denece Dodson
This UC Master Gardener program reopened this year to serve outpatients.
Casa Ujima, Richmond – Lead: Katherine Wilson
The program at Casa Ujima combines UC Master Gardener programming and CalFresh Healthy Living classes. CalFresh has lent raised grow beds to assist in this UC Master Gardener partnership. Classes are every two weeks with 8-10 participants.

We had the pleasure of meeting you at our November presentation to the class and look forward to welcoming you all to our program this coming year. I'm adding your contact information to our Community Garden collaborative tools roster, and you should receive communications from the team very soon. You can reach Project Lead Karen Maggio at kjmaggio@gmail.com.
Garden as though you will live forever - William Kent

 

Continuing Education

Hello, Trainees of the 2024 Class!

I'm enjoying getting to know all of you in the classroom this year, and I'm so impressed with your thirst for knowledge, collaborative spirit, and enthusiasm! These traits will serve you (and the program) well once you become certified UC Master Gardener volunteers in March. We are all looking forward to that time! The upcoming team presentations will be another significant accomplishment for you. The Continuing Education (CE) project always seeks those interested in contributing to a future CE workshop. Your team presentations will provide an excellent opportunity to practice teamwork and presentation skills and, perhaps, develop a topic that could be adapted for a future CE offering. All in good time, though; no pressure! In any case, I am looking forward to your involvement in the CE project as "consumers" of our educational offerings. All the best to you! You can reach Project Lead Terri Takusagawa at t.territ@comcast.net.

 

General Equipment and Materials

Jon Dwyer is currently filling in for the Project Lead of General Equipment and Materials. This Project needs a new Lead if you think you might be a good candidate. "You don't need to be a 20-year UC Master Gardener to do this job," Dwyer said. The only need is a pickup truck. Many GEM program activities support the Great Tomato Plant Sale (GTPS). For example, many green crates and folding tables move from the storage area to Our Garden and back after the sale. Also, Ask A Master Gardener supplies like pop–up tents and easels are stored and repaired when needed or replaced. You can reach Acting Project Lead Jon Dwyer at jon_dwyer@yahoo.com.

 

Help Desk

Hello to the class of 2024! As part of the class, you visited the office where our physical Help Desk operates in December. This is where we answer questions by email, chat with clients on the phone, and see clients in person. Our job is translating UC's science into a language accessible to the public. The Help Desk is a great place to expand your knowledge and become comfortable researching and looking for answers. The Help Desk team will host a Zoom session where you can meet the team and get questions answered. After graduation, you can join us
for training with a mentor. We're looking forward to having you join our team! You can reach Project Lead Susan Heckly at sheckly301@gmail.com.

 

Low Water Garden

The Low Water Demonstration Garden is near the library in the Richmond Civic Center, off MacDonald Avenue. It is a public garden, open 24/7. Its stated purpose is to demonstrate the use of low-water California native and Mediterranean climate plants and make a garden appealing year-round. UC Master Gardeners have spent 5+ years successfully transforming it, but it is still in process like all gardens. People are still needed to do the usual, like weeding, planting, and pruning, as well as the special projects and needs that face any public garden. In addition to the garden and the work there, we have access to a conference room at the library to give classes, and we need people interested in coordinating that and arranging other events using the garden. We work there every Friday from 9 to 12 noon. You can reach Project Lead Brian Kerss at bkerss@comcast.net.

 

Our Garden at Walnut Creek

Hello to the class of 2024 - I look forward to meeting you all soon! I believe you've all visited Our Garden, our wonderful demonstration edibles garden in Walnut Creek. Once you've graduated, you can volunteer by showing up at the garden around 9 am any Wednesday; no sign-up is necessary. We'll introduce you to the crew, the layout, and how we do things - we'll then find something for you to do! Also, in February, we'll start propagating for the Great Tomato Plant Sale, which means we'll be sowing seeds in flats, moving those seedlings into pots and putting together a watering team. Those efforts will continue through the first part of April. We'll post opportunities with dates, times, and locations on VMS and send out an email letting you know when sign-ups have begun. If propagation is your thing, you'll want to sign up quickly as it's a popular activity, and the dates fill up. On behalf of the Our Garden crew and the GTPS propagation team, we look forward to welcoming you into the fun! You can reach Project Lead Janet Miller at janet.miller99@gmail.com.

 

Rivertown Demonstration Garden

Greetings, Class of 2024! Welcome to the UC Master Gardener family. Rivertown Demonstration Garden is nearing the end of its heavy construction phases (just a few heavy-lifting projects – installing our new Sink/potting area, installing the Ruin Garden parts, and graveling our garden path). Work is ongoing at RDG, and we have been sincerely trying to make 'demonstration' the focus of this Project. There are still areas to develop and fine-tune, and RDG needs additional hands and minds to accomplish the tasks ahead. We even have a potential 'jammy job' if someone is interested in behind-the-scenes documentation and representation of RDG. See us any Tuesday Morning in Antioch; work starts at 10 am. We would love to connect with you and give you a chance to help provide your flair for the garden design at RDG. We look forward to seeing you. If you have any questions before your visit, please get in touch with Project Lead Lisa Bramblet at lisa@bramblet.net.

 

 

Speakers Bureau

Welcome, Class of 2024 UC Master Gardeners! I look forward to meeting you soon and enjoying your upcoming class presentations. The Speakers Bureau delivers educational talks, both in-person and via online webinars, to the public interested in horticulture knowledge. You may have attended one of the Wednesday morning talks under the oaks at Our Garden or joined a Tuesday evening webinar presented in cooperation with the Contra Costa County Library. If so, you already know these Speakers Bureau talks are fun and educational, and we have a steady following of inquisitive budding gardeners. When you complete your training and start to volunteer, the Speakers Bureau has several interesting roles for people who enjoy sharing their knowledge or coordinating events. Please consider joining a fun and dynamic team. You can reach Project Lead Gail Burt at gail_burt@hotmail.com.

 

Volunteer Support

Jon Dwyer and Virginia Saifer are Co-Leads for Volunteer Support. They are responsible for several "back office/administration" activities that keep the Contra Costa County UC Master Gardener program running smoothly. These include Recruitment, mostly done through the News to Grow By newsletter that goes out to the gardening public. This is one of 12 subcategories under Volunteer Support. "We want to make sure that candidates know that they'll be responsible for 18 classes in the New Volunteer Training, as well as 25 volunteer hours and 12 CE hours each year after their initial year," Dwyer said.

"As an engineer, I like a job's black-and-white aspects. For example, with the re-appointment process each year, 80% gets done like a hot knife through butter. For the rest, there needs to be follow-up. "I'm sympathetic with members who haven't gotten all their hours in," Dwyer added, "but getting CE hours done is so easy."

Other subcategories include ensuring members have their badges. As members input their hours, they are eligible for special gardening pins and badges when they reach different levels. "We also have VMS Administrators who help members navigate the system, like needing help with their passwords," said Dwyer. "There's always interesting things to do." You can reach Project Lead Jon Dwyer at jon_dwyer@yahoo.com.