How Does A Community Garden Grow?

Denise Cottrell and Stephanie Myers, UC Master Gardeners, Yolo County

Photo by Stephanie Myers, adapted

Gardening is often thought of as a solo undertaking, working by oneself, planting, tilling, raking, dead heading flowers, yet eight years ago, UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County were instrumental in creating The Winters Community Library Teaching Garden (located at 708 Railroad Avenue). Lead by UC Master Gardener Stephanie Myers and accompanied by the dedicated work of UC Master Gardeners, volunteers, and local organizations the site became a garden for the community.

Recently, the Winters Community Library Teaching Garden was selected as one of the forty plus tour gardens on the 13^th Annual Gardens Got Natives Tour coordinated by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). This year’s tour is on Saturday, April 18th and Sunday, April 19th from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. So how did this garden “grow up” to be a designated site for the Gardens Got Natives Tour?

The vision began in 2018 when Stephanie Myers was asked by Winters Friends of the Library (WFoL) to rejuvenate the underutilized plot next to the library and create a teaching garden. They envisioned a garden which provides learning opportunities on low water use plants, plants that provide year-round habitat for pollinators, a space where visitors can sit and enjoy the garden, educational opportunities for school groups, a space to train community members in ongoing garden maintenance, and a place to hold...

Monarch butterfly. Image by Eveline de Bruin from Pixabay.

How City Parks Can Contribute to Conservation

Diana Herrera, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

When I began working in regional and city parks two years ago, I started to look at parks differently. I had always enjoyed seeing stretches of freshly cut lawn dotted with trees. I associated that with being outdoors in a space that was well cared for. As I began to take care of those spaces, I realized how problematic many of our landscaping practices are, especially for agencies like parks which often promote values of sustainability and conservation. While I love my job and working for agencies that provide open, green spaces for the public, I believe that we could do better in providing spaces that are also welcoming to the flora and fauna that keep our ecosystems whole and healthy.

What I have noticed in parks is a lack of diversity in plants, an abundance of invasive species, and an overreliance on irrigation, herbicides, and pesticides. Although grass is terrific for picnics and sports, it creates a food desert for wildlife, and it is resource-intensive when it comes to water and labor. The chemicals that are sprayed to control the grass, weeds, and pests pose further issues for the health of the environment. Around the time I started my first park job, I also joined a local conservancy that taught me about habitat restoration. I started wondering: How could I change the way we landscape parks to celebrate our amazing native plant diversity? What could I do to inspire people to reimagine what a...

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas, adapted, from Pixabay

NUTS! That’s a Lot of Bees

Greg Wessels, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

Small Bees, Big Industry

Last year, I attended the Almond Conference in Sacramento. Immediately upon entering the rather plain-looking double doors, I was struck by the scale of the floor space. Exhibitors represented a wide range of services, from insurance to heavy-duty farm equipment and technologically advanced sorting machines. As I was strolling around, I saw a particularly interesting piece of equipment. It was an AI-assisted robotic bee box designed to monitor and support a hive. It helps the bees warm up in the morning, allowing them to get a head start on the day. It also has a mechanism that can lift frames out of the hive while a camera scans the brood and adult bees to check for parasites. Any issue can be communicated directly to the operator, who can then respond or apply treatments remotely. If a pesticide application is about to commence, the boxes can be closed to limit contact between the bees and those pesticides. And if that's not enough for you, they are solar powered as well.

Needless to say, I was impressed. I always had this idea in my head that beekeeping was a very traditional business. I imagined people in those netted hats holding a smoke can and puffing smoke around the bees before lifting a frame out and inspecting it in the sun. This really sparked my curiosity about how pollination is managed in modern agriculture. I realized that for equipment like this to even be developed and deployed, the scale of managed pollination must be significant. I had to know more. So I spoke with...

Ask a Master Gardener

This column is written by the Master Gardeners of Yolo County each month. It provides answers to selected questions recently asked by Yolo County gardeners..

This two question article previously appeared in the Winters Express and Davis Enterprise.

Have a gardening question? Send it to jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu, with “Ask MGs” in the subject line. Include as much detail as possible and pictures if you have them.

April Vegetable Planting Guide

Peg Smith, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

April is a transition month between cool season and warm season crops. As soon as the soil is warm enough transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. Transplants will have enough time to produce healthy vegetative and root growth before the summer heat and fruit production. With warmer temperatures...

13^th Annual Gardens Got Natives

April 18-19 9:30am – 3:00pm

Free self-guided event featuring forty plus California native plant home, business, and school gardens in the Sacramento region.

The tour gardens are comprised predominantly of California native plants in the urban landscape. These gardens feature a variety of ways in which native plants can flourish in a garden. Some are professionally designed while others are more functional and are a mix use of natives, food production, and living spaces. You will find delightful and sustainable gardens that harness water, create habitats, and add a sense of place. All native plants in the gardens will be labeled with a plant list available in the tour brochure. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask garden hosts about their choices and challenges. We will again have several vendors out at the gardens selling plants: Mother Natives, Find Out Farms, Miridae Mobile Nursery and a discount available at The Plant Foundry. Details of locations will be posted as that information becomes available.

After registration you will receive the map and tour brochure information the week before the tour begins. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Contact: gardensgonenative@gmail.com

For more information see the Native Plant Garden Tour Webpage or on FB/insta: gardensgotnatives

UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County / WCC Spring Plant Sales

Location: Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road, Woodland

April 4 - 9am to 1pm

April 11 - 9am to 1pm

Drought-tolerant ornamental garden plants (bulbs, California native plants, perennials, and succulents) and many varieties of tomato plants (several heirloom tomato varieties) will be available. Watch for the official announcement and plant list in late February and in the March Yolo Gardener Newsletter.

UC Davis Arboretum Plant Sales

Location: UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery, 1046 Garrod Drive, Davis

April 11 - Members 9am to 1pm / Non-members 10am to 1pm

May 2 - Public Sale 9am to 1pm

May 16 - Clearance Sale (open to everyone) 9am - 1pm

Master Gardeners of Yolo County will have a table at these sales to answer questions you might have.

Click here for more information.

UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County / Grace Garden Annual Plant Sale

Location: On the back patio of Davis United Methodist Church, 1620 Anderson Street, Davis

April 11 - 9am to 11am

The plant sale will be followed by a free Master Gardener talk on “Gardening for Year-Round Meals” from 11am to noon. Two great events in one day!

Winters Spring Plant Sale

Location: Winters Community Library Teaching Garden, 708 Railroad Ave, Winters, CA

April 18 - 9am to 1pm

This event is a partnership of three community organizations, UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County, Winters Friends of the Library, and Winters High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) whose sales support the high school program and greenhouse.

The sale will feature plants from Morningstar Herb Farms of Vacaville in addition to plants propagated by UC Master Gardeners-Yolo and community volunteers The proceeds from the sale benefits the maintenance of the garden cared for by Master Gardeners and community volunteers. The plants offered for sale provide habitat for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and will include a variety of dwarf butterfly bushes, lavenders, ornamental sages, culinary herbs, and various California native plants.

The Winters Community Library Teaching Garden will also be included in the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society's 13th Annual Gardens Got Natives Tour (see details and registration link above) on April 18th from 9:30am to 3pm. Make sure to take advantage of both events at the same location!

University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program

The Yolo Gardener Newsletter is a monthly publication and the events posted here are based on information available at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date information on our events CLICK HERE.

University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR) is an equal opportunity provider.