TLD Staging
Editor’s Note: A Warm Welcome to Our 2025 UC Master Gardener Trainees!
Dear New Volunteer Trainees,
Welcome to the Contra Costa County UC Master Gardener family! The Latest Dirt Team, including the editors, writers and technical support, is thrilled to have you join us on this rewarding education, outreach, and stewardship journey. This year promises exciting opportunities for learning, hands-on experience, and community impact. As you embark on this path, you will find yourselves in a community of passionate, dedicated volunteers who share a love of gardening and a commitment to sustainable practices.
Before we dive into the year ahead, I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to The Latest Dirt this year. Your efforts have made it an invaluable resource, helping us stay connected, informed, and inspired. Every article, project update, and bit of shared knowledge has enriched our community, and it has been an absolute joy for me to work with all of you. I am incredibly grateful for your time, creativity, and dedication.
In this issue, our Project Leads share a few words highlighting their team’s accomplishments over the past year and describe ways for you to get involved. They’ve worked tirelessly to bring meaningful projects to life and are excited to welcome fresh perspectives and new energy as they share their plans for the year ahead, but they can't do it alone. We hope you take a moment to read through these amazing articles to see if there might be a job or two that sounds appealing.
We hope you feel inspired by these dedicated individuals and their visions for the coming year. Each Project offers a chance to expand your skills, make new friends, and contribute to impactful gardening initiatives across our community. Let’s continue to grow together, learning from one another and making a difference, one project at a time!
With deep gratitude and warmest regards,
Simone Adair, Editor
The Latest Dirt - November 2024
-
2025 New Volunteer Training Welcome
by Dawn Kooyumjian
I want to extend a warm welcome to our new trainees – the soon-to-be Class of 2025! It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know everyone. I see the wide range of experience, excitement and energy -- and, of course, snack talent --that you bring to the program. I can’t wait to see everyone certify! Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the training so far as much as we’ve enjoyed developing and delivering it. You’ve had just a taste of the wonderful opportunities to come.
-
Welcome Class of 2025! A New Journey Begins
by Lisa Bramblet, ELT Member at Large, Rivertown Garden Co-Lead
Greetings and welcome aboard to the UC Master Gardener Class of 2025! You have chosen to embark on a wonderful journey of discovery and as a resource for the community in Contra Costa County. As you do so, I hope you will drink deeply of the streams of knowledge and expertise you have access to through your training. You would use your newfound botanical and horticultural powers to improve our gardening in Contra Costa County, reaching out to the youth and our lesser-served communities. Nothing heals, sustains and brings joy like gardening!
Let me take a moment to introduce you to your Executive Leadership Team.
-
Welcome to the Class of 2025 New Volunteer Trainees
by Dorothy Abeyta and John Fike, NVT Project Leads
Leading a project like New Volunteer Training has myriad aspects associated with it, ranging from challenge to fun. This year, we are fortunate to have all in-person sessions at the UC Master Gardener Program offices in Concord at the Bisso location. The interactive sessions with the trainees have been educational for both the trainees and the NVT Team.
The training philosophy focuses on a “So what?” philosophy, which involves distilling science-based information into bite-sized pieces that can help the public address complex garden problems. The expertise and background of this trainee class are well-suited to this approach. Each trainee is highly motivated to become an excellent UC Master Gardener volunteer.
-
Join Growing Gardeners and Be an Agent of Change
by Ann Ramirez
Change! It is that time of the year when our spring efforts in the vegetable garden end and a new fall garden emerges. Many trees show beautiful colors before they lose their leaves, and our homes start to have seasonal changes.
Growing Gardeners has had many changes. Historically, we moved from an in-person platform to all Zoom presentations when COVID forced us to change our delivery to keep everyone healthy. As the restrictions were lifted, we changed to add an in-person class that we continue today. The change to Zoom allowed us to reach almost 60 students per course vs. 25 when we met in person. The instructors can present from their homes, Alaska or the Sonoma coast. The students appreciate the time savings of not needing to drive up to 45 minutes to attend the classes.
-
Jardineros is Expanding into the Community
by May Coleman
Our newly approved Jardineros project emphasizes the growing importance of community-based connections, particularly between the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa and the large Spanish-speaking community in the county.
in the last few months we have started three new educational gardens: Pueblos Del Sol, First Five Pittsburg Children’s Garden and First Five Monument. We have also taught several classes, collaborated with many school programs and conducted workshops and webinars in collaboration with the UCCE Expanded Food Nutrition and Education Program.
-
Join the CoCoMG Speakers Bureau and Make a Lasting Impact!
by Hedwig Van Den Broeck
In the previous The Latest Dirt, we shared that the Speakers Bureau was in jeopardy of not having 2025 Webinar Programming, and several other critical in-person programming due to a lack of volunteers. We held several information sessions for volunteers to learn how to help out with both types of programming.
It has been wonderful this past month to see the number of UC Master Gardeners who stepped forward to fill these vacant spots.
We want to thank the following Master Gardeners who have stepped up!:
-
Join Our Digital Garden: Communicate Create Connect
by Lori Palmquist
The Communications project serves the public AND UC Master Gardeners proudly and directly. Our work is electronically focused. So, if you join us, you can put away those gloves, pruners, and trowels.
Our reach is far, and our message clear. It’s our job to announce the good works of our wonderful UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County.
-
Help Spread the News!
by Hedwig Van Den Broeck
“News to Grow By” is more than just our seasonal newsletter with nearly 8,500 subscribers—it’s a vibrant, welcoming platform that connects us with our community. With each issue, we aim to inspire, inform, and empower gardeners of all kinds, whether you have a sprawling backyard, a small garden, or simply a cozy patio.
Our dedicated editorial team crafts timely, seasonal articles designed to encourage residents to embark on or continue their gardening journey, all with a sustainable touch.
-
Gardening Sustainably: Richmond’s Low Water Demo Garden
by Dan Lent and Brian Kerss
The Richmond Low Water Demonstration Garden showcases water-efficient gardening, featuring six distinct areas with low-water and drought-tolerant plants. Inspired by East Bay Municipal Utility District’s award-winning book, Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region, this garden demonstrates the principles of resource-efficient landscaping in the Bay Area’s dry climate.
-
Sweet or Astringent? Solving the Puzzle of Your Persimmon Tree
by Sara Hoyer
Client’s question:
I have a persimmon tree, but I’m unsure what type it is, and this has puzzled me for a few years. It turned orange a few weeks ago, while my Fuyu is still turning color. It’s not Fuyu. It’s shaped like Fuyu, perhaps slightly bigger.
I tasted a few last year. One was extremely astringent, and one tasted good like Fuyu. One was half astringent and half good tasting, all around the same time. The ones we tasted this year, despite being deep in orange, are very astringent. Some are brown inside, and some look more orange inside.
I couldn’t get any answers from local gardening groups, so I thought I’d contact you to see if you have thoughts on what I may have.
-
Water Conservation Garden News
Matthew Dwinell completed his Eagle Scout Project! Come and check out our new beautiful garden shed. Liv Imset and Vivien Williamson painted it a glowing golden color. Now, we finally have a safe and dry place to store garden tools and equipment. For the past two years, we’ve been like nomads, dragging our tools with us. We now need a team of UC Master Gardeners to equip the shed’s interior with shelves and pegboard.
-
December Volunteer Recognition Potluck
by Susan Domanico
Be sure to sign up to attend the December UC Master Gardener Volunteer Recognition Potluck Dinner on Monday, December 9, 2024! The event will be held at the Pleasant Hill Community Center from 6 to 9 pm.
It’s an excellent opportunity to see your favorite UC Master Gardeners, reconnect with classmates you might not have had a chance to work with recently and meet members of the new volunteer training class of 2025.
