If you need volunteer or Continuing Education hours - please reach out to Jill Tyler while there's time to complete them.

Ventura Botanical Gardens - VCMG Event!

Join us for a docent-led tour of Ventura Botanical Gardens. Certified Master Gardeners will earn 1 hour of CE for participating. The gardens burned in the 2017 Thomas Fire, and after having been rebuilt, are bigger than before. We will see a vast array of spring flowers, along with beautiful views of the ocean, city and islands. 

Our tour involves walking up a hillside on a switchback trail. Please wear sunscreen, hat, comfortable shoes, and bring water.

Thank you to Camille La Fredo for organizing this event!

Date: Friday, May 19 - THIS FRIDAY

Time: Arrive at 1:00 pm (Tour will begin promptly at 1:30pm after everyone is signed in).

Cost: FREE (Donations to the garden will be appreciated; it’s normally a $7 entrance fee)

Address: 567 S Poli St, Ventura, CA 93001



Directions: From Poli Street, enter the Ventura City Hall parking lot, and keep driving uphill to the second parking lot which is for the Botanical Gardens.

Register with this link:

https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40410

Buzzzzzing with Excitement!

We have a lead and need a few volunteers to help at our booth. We'll share horticultural information and help attendees make beeswax candles. This will be a popular community event and great opportunity to help educate the public!

Please Sign Up to join in the fun:

VC Master Gardeners: Pollinator Palooza @signupgenius.com

Narrow Leaf Milkweed Giveaways

SAMO Fund will be giving away thousands of Narrowleaf Milkweed plants (For Free!) this Spring and Summer, perfect for supporting local Monarch Butterfly populations! Thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Fund, we will visit various spots in L.A. and Ventura Counties over the next few months, handing out five milkweed plants per registered household.

The only way to guarantee plants for yourself is to register! Find details and register at this link.

We'd love it if you passed the word to a friend, a neighbor or anyone looking to support local pollinators. Thanks in advance for helping us restore Southern California one local milkweed at a time! For questions or to help organize a giveaway in your community, email us (antoniosanchez@samofund.org)

Matilija Poppy Festival

Thank you to our Master Gardner speakers, Dani Brusius and Bill Dobner, for their willingness to share their expertise at this festival. It's the perfect time of year to visit the Conejo Valley Botantic Garden, and see all the work our fellow Master Gardeners have done at this demonstration site!

Attend this event and earn Volunteer/CE hours!

3rd Annual Oxnard Insect Festival

You are invited to see, touch, buy, and even taste a variety of insects at this free event hosted by the City of Oxnard.

The family-friendly event festivities include:

• Tasty Treats: Ever tried edible bugs? Sample foods such as garlic fried grasshoppers and chapulines quesadilla.
• 20 Insect-Themed Vendor Booths: Learn about monarch butterflies and other bugs, or even take some home!
• Free Activities: Stop by various insect educational booths and enter the Kids’ Zone to experience bug-oriented arts and crafts.
• Free Live Music: Entertainment includes a Beatles cover band – Beetlemania – playing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Special Panel of Tasting Edible Insects: Watch Oxnard’s Councilmembers, Fire and Police Chiefs, and other special guests experience tasting edible insects!

When: Saturday, June 3

Time: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where: Plaza Park, 500 S B St Oxnard, CA 93030

Sign Up below to help at our booth:

VC Master Gardeners: Oxnard Insect Fest (signupgenius.com)



On Tuesday, Master Gardener volunteers will plant the first Rosie the Riveter™ roses to establish the Rosie the Riveter Memorial Rose Garden at the California Veterans Home in Ventura.

In conjunction with the ceremony, Rosarian and Master Gardener - Peggy Black - will teach about roses with a planting demonstration and Q&A session.

One of the Rosie the Riveter™ rose bushes will be dedicated to the mother of long-time Master Gardener, Pat Coffman. If you have family members who were Rosie’s during WWII, we can make a dedication to them at the memorial. Contact Roanna Prell or Susie DeWeber.

When: Tuesday, May 16 - TOMORROW

Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am

Where: California Veterans Home, 10900 Telephone Rd, Ventura

Please let us know that you'll attend:

https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40603

All About Seeds!

Learn the biology of a seed, their parts, and what they do. 



You’ll also learn what kind of soil is best for planting, the best time to plant, and how to take care of your freshly planted seeds. We will also talk about various diseases and how to prevent them.

In the second part of class, you will have fun getting your hands into the soil and planting seeds in 6-packs to take home. Taught by Suzy Palmer and Lynn Propes. 

When: Wednesday, June 7 - Last Class at HAREC

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Where: HAREC (HOPE Shed) 278 S. Briggs Rd, Santa Paula

Register in advance:

https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40663

Retirement Party!!!

Let's Celebrate Dr. Downer

Date: Wednesday, June 21

Time: 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Oxnard Historic Farm Park, Oxnard

The main courses will be catered BBQ and veggie tamales. We'll provide side dishes and desserts.

Contact Nicole Vanole about contributing to a gift - [email protected]

RSVP by May 20:

https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40348

The Yin and Yang of Compost

Click for a new blogpost by Dr. James Downer.

"In this blog I turn my attention to compost–a subject that is almost universally cherished by gardeners, gardening groups and horticulturists.

Unfortunately there are a lot of misnomers about compost."

The VCMG Insider's Newsletter is sent on the first

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If you'd like something included, please send it

to [email protected] by the Thursday prior. Thank you!

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