UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

University of California

UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

October in Sonoma County

Special Announcement
Given the current crisis in Sonoma County, and the fact that many of our master gardeners are displaced, or sadly have lost their homes, we are cancelling any educational programs that we had scheduled for the weekend of 10/14 thru 10/28. We are rescheduling the Sudden Oak Death Blitz results meeting that was scheduled on 10/20 at the UCCE office; stay tuned for a new date in November. Once the crisis has passed, we will endeavor to get our educational outreach programs back on track. Stay safe!

Food Gardening

Nurture and Protect the Soil

As part of the Food Gardening Specialists' series on Sustainable Food Gardening, Master Gardener and Food Gardening Specialist Karen Guma describes the wondrous world of life underground, the symbiotic relationships soil organisms have with our plants, the actions we can take to nurture and protect the soil and how our gardening practices impact the health of our crops as well as the environment. Read more.

GardenSense - On-site WaterWise Garden Consultations

Sonoma County residents wishing to schedule a garden consultation can click here.

Sonoma County Master Gardeners are partnered with the Sonoma County Water Agency on a project called GardenSense. The project is intended to help local gardeners further improve their water conservation practices. A free on-site consultation by a pair of GardenSense Consultants will demonstrate to residents how to easily conserve water (and save money) by creating a climate-appropriate garden that is healthy, environmentally sound, and most of all – beautiful!

Master Gardeners participating have received special training enabling them to become specialist Consultants to advise Sonoma County gardeners how to improve the water efficiency of their gardens.

Topics covered in consultations include advice on lawn removal, low water use plants appropriate to your site, conversion of sprinklers to drip irrigation, an irrigation assessment including overall suggestions for improving water efficiency, and sustainable garden practices.

Growing a Thriving Vegetable Garden with Less Water

The Food Gardening Specialists (FGS) of the UCCE Sonoma Master Gardeners are excited to present water-wise food gardening strategies. Given our hot, dry summers along with the prediction of extended drought, we can’t afford to waste a drop. This video demonstrates how home and community gardeners can grow a thriving vegetable garden with less water. In addition, this video is complemented by a planting scheme and a drip system instruction and shopping list that reflect the 4x8-foot demonstration vegetable bed in the video. Click here for these documents along with additional helpful documents for food gardening with less water.

Ask a Master Gardener
Questions and Answers from the Helpline

Fight Invasives!

Master Gardener-staffed Help Desks are located
at Sonoma County Farmers' Markets and Fairs

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by the UC Davis Cooperative Extension.

Sonoma County Master Gardeners will provide environmentally sustainable, science-based horticultural information to all of Sonoma County’s population. We strive for diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization.

UCCE Farm Advisor: Paul Vossen

SCMG Coordinator: Mimi Enright

Workshop Calendar

Event Name	Date
CANCELED: Getting Your Food Garden Ready for the Winter - Bayer Farm	10/21/2017
CANCELED: ALISTANDO SU HUERTO PARA EL INVIERNO - Bayer Farm	10/21/2017
CANCELED: Supermarket orchids Survival Class - Sonoma	10/21/2017
CANCELED: The Wonderful World of Vines - It’s Alive -Rincon	10/28/2017

View More Events

Find links to workshop handouts under Resources/Workshop Handouts.

Sundays with Sue

By SCMG Sue Lovelace
Updated: October 15, 2017

It hardly seems possible or even real to think of the havoc and destruction this County has endured and is enduring since I last wrote a week ago. I keep trying to find the correct, appropriate words (if there are any) to convey the shock, fear, and utter disbelief I felt when I first looked North from our porch, early Monday morning, and saw the bright orange glow of fire burning in Santa Rosa, to learning that so many have been threatened, and or evacuated, while others have lost their homes and even their lives. I think it’s safe to say that this County will never be the same. However, from what I see of the way this community has been bonding and helping each other, there will be a new “normal”. I hear it all the time that neighbors were helping each other flee, acting as first responders in many cases, from unrelenting flames occurring all over the County. Then, there are those that opened up their homes to evacuees, their pets and their livestock and centers, schools and churches that created a protective space for many others. I was at a local big box store when I saw a lady purchasing dozens of pillows for evacuees at Analy High School and witnessed businesses like Aztec Dahlias giving all their week’s revenue to aid the County effort and Pier 15 in San Rafael, who sent their entire staff to help out. I heard of a wine retailer, K&L Wines, who raffled off a couple bottles of wine and the response was close to a $100,000 in a day. Even evacuees who still have their homes have taken up collections of gift cards at local food stores for other evacuees when they come back home and for those who do not have a home to come back to. Community at its finest!

The courage, the humane response, the professionalism and the nurturing we have all witnessed from our local fire fighters and first responders will be forever remembered and appreciated. Service organizations, as well as elected officials have rallied their communities to be vigilant to identify those that need help and also, those that can offer help, as well. Almost immediately, our own Mimi Enright and Phyllis Turrill (UC Sonoma Master Gardener coordinator and board president) reached out to find members who were evacuated and or lost homes (12 Master Gardeners, so far) and find those who could offer refuge for them and their animals. The communication put forth by neighborhood groups, alert systems like Nixle, and local fire officials have kept us well informed.

Camaraderie, friendship, love, support and resilience sits side by side with terror, sadness, hardship, heartbreak and loss; an unplanned partnership, brought together so quickly.

No talk about the garden today, just warm, deep, heartfelt thoughts to all effected and strong wishes that this nightmare will soon diminish. I invite you to share acts of kindness in the days following the North Bay Fires, or, really, anything you wish.

“We feel so much love and kindness around us. Thank God for this amazing community.” Linda Simmons, UC Master Gardener of Sonoma County

Master Gardeners in Print

The Garden Doctors
Dana Lozano & Gwen Kilchherr, The Press Democrat

Got gourds? Garden Docs tell you how to treat them

Getting to the root of problem with rhododendron

Webmasters: Kim Roche, Stan Pawlak

Food Gardening Editor: Stephanie Wrightson

Staff Photographers and Videographers
Cie Cary
Electra de Peyster
Coby Lafayette-Kelleher
Laura Salo Long