UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

University of California

UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

June in Sonoma County

Save the Date for #Big Dig Day!

Save the date: June 5 for the Big Dig Day of Giving

On June 5th, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC Master Gardener Program launch our independent statewide giving day! We call it Big Dig Day—a day to ‘dig deep’ to support the program you care about. We invite you to support our mission to extend sustainable gardening practices in thousands of community, school and demonstration gardens across California.

Now more than ever we know the value of community, outreach, and science-based information. In times of crisis—and beyond, we are here.

By donating to the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County you extend the knowledge and resources of the University to your community. Mark your calendar, spread the word, and stay tuned for more details!

Join us at midnight and be the first to give—or visit us anytime during the 24 hour giving day. Make your gift then share your support on social media using #BigDigDay and #DigDeep or call a friend to let them know what’s happening.

We hope you will join us on June 5th!

A Beautiful Sonoma Garden

Join us on a virtual tour of a beautiful Petaluma habitat garden. The Master Gardener who designed, planted, and maintains this garden is devoted to our insect friends—the bees and butterflies that pollinate and propagate so many of the beautiful plants we live amongst. Suzanne's garden is a dazzle of flowers that delight the eyes and the wonderful musical hum of the insects her plants attract. Enjoy!

Food Gardening

What Do Melons and Okra Have In Common?

They are both heat-loving crops that are happy to be planted in the June food garden. Both are delicious and nutritious and have a lovely flower in anticipation of the fruit. Otherwise, one is a vining fruit, the other an upright vegetable, and it's highly unlikely that there is a recipe combining the two. One or both crops would be a great addition to your summer food garden. Read more.

COVID-19 Update

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and in compliance with county orders, we have adjusted our services accordingly:

All in-person events, including library talks, are suspended
We are not currently accepting walk-ins or specimen drop offs at our Master Gardener Information Desk at the UCCE Sonoma office. Please send an email with your inquiry to mgsonoma@ucanr.edu. Our Information Desk team is checking the emails regularly and will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

Thanks for your patience during this time. We will inform you when the library talks resume.

Interesting new posts are frequently added to our Facebook Page. Check it out! And please check our Food Gardening page, and Food Gardening Articles for help in starting, upgrading, or extending a veggie garden.

Protect Our Birds: Bird Nesting Season is Here

Bird nesting season is March 1 to August 31. It is important not to clear brush and trees during this period in order to protect our bird populations. University of California Master Gardeners of Sonoma County, the Sonoma Ecology Center and the Habitat Corridor Project, have joined forces to produce an excellent and informative article on the nesting habits of some of our favorite native birds that might visit your property, and how to manage fire safety requirements while protecting the birds."

Ask a Master Gardener
Questions and Answers from the Helpline

Watch to Learn What Master Gardeners Do

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.

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: Stephanie Larson, County Director

SCMG Coordinator: Mimi Enright

All in-person workshop events are suspended.

Workshop Calendar

Find links to past workshop handouts under Resources/Workshop Handouts.

Sundays with Sue

By SCMG Sue Lovelace
May 31, 2020

I think the best, most satisfying, part about having a food garden is the simple guidance it lends to meal planning. Whether it’s part of a main dish, a side dish or a feature on its own, deciding what to eat based on what’s ready to pick is truly a joy. It’s especially so right now, when little gems magically appear on the plants of warm season crops, tempting us with their much waited for appearance. Pretty soon, our time will get involved and somewhat demanding, when constant harvesting is needed to keep crops producing. For now, the slow production is just right for the slow pace of this current time. After seeing a couple young squash (a Crostata Romanesque and a Yellow Crookneck) on two plants, I decided they would make very good additions, along with onion, garlic and fresh parsley, to cooked rice. The color, the aroma, and the taste really got me excited about the cooking and eating that is yet to come with our summer bounty.

How about the high temps we had earlier this week?! I hope everyone’s garden survived the long days of intense sun. Erecting sun barriers with shade cloth and row covers, using umbrellas, and employing a bit of evening water seems to have kept most of our plants intact. A few years ago, I planted a dwarf fig in a northwest corner of one of my raised beds. The shade we acquire in the late afternoons has been really helpful to crops, mostly greens, planted in the adjoining bed. Another bonus of this small tree is the shade it casts on a patio near the raised bed. Because annuals are hard to plant under this tree, this has become the bed for perennial herbs and flowers. I refer to it as my “hedgerow bed” as one of its residents is an old Mexican oregano that attracts a multitude of bees and beneficial insects. Ranoculas, Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima) and hitchhikers like nasturtiums and poppies also occupy the bed at various times.

As we wait for the fruit to grow and develop on our many fruit trees, it’s nice to have blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to munch on. What a delightful adventure food gardening is! I see the berries as little treasures to be discovered and enjoyed as we work in the garden and when grandchildren come to visit. Our reliable dwarf Alberta peach in the front yard will be one of the first to bear fruit. The tree never fails to impress with the sweet abundance of juicy peaches. The kumquat tree, also in the front yard, has had one more surge of fruit, another treasure!

Tomorrow will be the first day of June and there are several pots of eggplant waiting for the garlic to be harvested so that they can occupy the space. I pulled a few garlic plants up yesterday with the hope of at least small developed cloves and found that a few had not even started to develop. The Italian Red, which is reported to be an early garlic had started to form its cloves but really could be in the ground a bit longer. So, perhaps my plan needs amending and the eggplant should go somewhere else? Extra space in the raised beds is hard to come by right now and I’ve already used parts of the front yard for squash, beans and tomatoes. This may mean filling some large pots with good potting mix, planting and hooking up to irrigation. Gardeners need to be flexible!

A current update on our warm-blooded pest issues is that the rodents seem to be leaving the veggie garden alone. Maybe they are also waiting for the tomatoes! On the other hand, gophers are devouring certain plants in the front yard. Yesterday, an artichoke and a phormium (New Zealand Flax) bit the dust! Not to be defeated, I am continuing to cage the roots of future plants before planting. Salvias, both native and Mediterranean, Calamintha, Agastache and Gaillardia are the next hopefuls in the pollinator garden. I’m still working around self-seeded poppies which are spread out like never before. The bees love the poppies, so I’m being judicious about pulling them out.

If it sounds like I spend a lot of my waking moments in the garden; I do! Luckily, I have a supportive husband who helps out with the heavy lifting as well as indoor maintenance. We have seen the results with limited trips to the grocery store and with the fresh food we eat every day. Just being outside lifts the spirit in so many ways and for so many different reasons, this is what I wish for you. Have a good week and take care.

“Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.” Raphael Waldo Emerson

Master Gardeners in Print

La Voz
Ani Weaver
Usted puedo cultivar su propia comida. Siembre un jardin. 5/2020

Press Democrat
Meg McConahey, Sue Lovelace
Victory gardens are a growing trend during the coronavirus crisis 4/18/2020

Fast Company
Alice Waters, Missy Gable
How to grow a vegetable garden, according to legendary chef Alice 4/7/2020

The Garden Doctors
Dana Lozano & Gwen Kilchherr, The Press Democrat
Get the most from your kitchen scraps to create compost 4/3/2020

Webmasters: Kim Roche, Stan Pawlak

Website Editor: Penny Fink

Food Gardening Editor: Open, please apply!

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