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UC Master Gardener Program

@ucmastergardeners

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We love gardening! The UC Master Gardener Program is a public service & outreach program bringing research-based gardening knowledge to California. 🌱

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Wondering how much time it takes to be a UC Master Gardener? Here's the honest answer.

In exchange for education and certification, UC Master Gardeners volunteer a minimum of 50 hours in their first year and 25 hours each year after that.

Those hours go right back into the community. As Lynn Friedman of Orange County told us:
“This is an invaluable program that improves the wellness of our community.”

Comment "Master Gardener" to learn more!

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #VolunteerOpportunity #BecomeAMasterGardener

Photo credit: Marcy Sousa

Photo description: Two women work together tying twine to a trellis in a garden bed under a clear blue sky. Two women kneel at a garden trellis tying green twine to support wires, one wearing sunglasses and a lavender shirt, the other wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a lanyard reading "UCCE Master Gardener." A man in a straw hat and dark shirt stands watching in the background. by @ucmastergardeners

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a day ago

Next spring's wildflower show gets its start in the next few weeks.

The UC Master Gardener Program Statewide Blog recommends waiting until temperatures are consistently cool later this month. Then:

Choose a sunny spot and clear out weeds and grasses.
Mix organic compost into the soil to help it hold moisture.
Scatter seeds evenly, rake them in lightly and top with a thin layer of compost.
Water well, then wait for spring color.

Comment "October" to get a link to all our October Gardening Tips

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #CaliforniaWildflowers #FallPlanting

Photo credit: Barbra Braaten

Photo description: Bright orange poppies bloom around a gray boulder beside a dirt path, with trees and blue sky behind. California Poppies blooming in clumps around a gray rock with a bright blue sky and trees in the background. by @ucmastergardeners

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3 days ago

You don't have to be an expert gardener to become a UC Master Gardener.

Applicants are considered regardless of gardening experience. Once accepted by a local UC Cooperative Extension office, trainees receive at least 50 hours of training from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources over 16 weeks, then share what they learn with their communities.

That sharing makes a difference. Melanie Pellegrino of Stanislaus County put it this way:
“Based on my observations, there are a lot of people, especially young children and retirees, that these programs bring a lot of joy to and help foster ongoing learning and community interaction that significantly improves a person's quality of life.”

Comment "Master Gardener" to learn more!

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #Volunteer #BecomeAMasterGardener

Photo credit: UC Regents

Photo description: Two women stand together outdoors near a garden trellis, one pointing up at a climbing vine while the other looks on smiling. Raised planter beds and greenery fill the background. A woman in a gray head covering and denim jacket stands beside a woman wearing a white sun hat, sunglasses, and a light blue polo shirt with a nametag reading "Arlene," who points upward at a climbing vine with green leaves and tendrils. Raised garden beds and a shade structure are visible behind them. by @ucmastergardeners

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8 days ago

At the Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City, you can walk in for a book and leave with seeds. 🌱

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the library needed help relaunching its community seed library, and the UC Master Gardener Program of Nevada County stepped in. With $300 in seed funding and a vintage Dewey Decimal System card catalog donated by the library, volunteers reopened the seed library in July 2024.

Since then, the volunteer team has tripled, more than 6,000 seed packets have been shared, and the program has helped more than 1,300 residents grow fresh food for themselves and their families. Visitors can pick up to five packets of vegetable, herb and flower seeds per visit, year-round.

“Seed saving gives individuals the power to grow their own food, build agency, and learn on their own,” says UC Master Gardener Judy Nichols.

Comment "Blog" to get the full story!

If your library lent seeds, what would you check out first?

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #SeedLibrary #SeedSaving

Photo credit: UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County

Photo description: A group works together at a table covered in envelopes, containers, and small craft materials inside a library, with book stacks and a service desk in the background. Five people sit around a round table in a library, assembling small items from coin envelopes, containers, and craft supplies spread across the table. Bookshelves and a "Foothills Compassionate Care" sign are visible in the background. by @ucmastergardeners

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Few crops are better suited to a California fall than kale.

Kale grows best in the cool season, and frost actually sweetens it, according to the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County. Summer heat and strong sun can turn the leaves bitter. For something striking, try 'Lacinato,' a tall variety with crinkly, blue-green leaves.

Harvest tip from the UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County: Pick the lower leaves once they reach 8 to 10 inches long. Smaller leaves tend to be more tender.

Comment "Kale" to get the kale growing guide.

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #Kale #CoolSeasonCrops

Photo credit: Adobe Stock/Olha Afanasieva
Photo description: A cluster of crinkled, blue-green kale plants fills the frame in a garden row, with bare soil visible in the background. Close-up of dark green, blue-tinted leaves with deeply crinkled, bumpy texture growing in dense upright clusters in a garden row. by @ucmastergardeners

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12 days ago

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15 days ago

September is coming to an end, and we are getting closer to that lovely fall weather! How are your gardens doing? Share in the comments!

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #GardenCheckIn #falltransition

Photo credit: Barbra Braaten
Photo description: Two pink cosmos flowers are in sharp focus in a garden, with red flowers and a person in the background out of focus. Two pink cosmos flowers with yellow centers bloom in close focus among green foliage. Red flowers and a person in a blue hat stand blurred in the background. by @ucmastergardeners

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17 days ago

Fall is here, and so are fall pests. 🍂

The UC IPM Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist has a few simple ways to protect your garden this September:

🍋 Check citrus for Asian citrus psyllid and leafminers
💧 Adjust irrigation as the weather and your plants' water needs change
🌱 Avoid overwatering and improve drainage to prevent root rot
🌼 Plant California natives suited to your site
✂️ Prune evergreen, summer-flowering shrubs
🍎 Clean up fallen fruit, nuts and mummies so they don't attract pests
🍁 Add fallen leaves to your compost, then turn it and keep it moist

Get the full list of tips from UC IPM's Yulie Velez: https://ucanr.edu/blog/pests-urban-landscape/article/september-pest-management-tips

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #FallGardening #PestManagement

Photo credit: UC Regents
Photo description: Native California Poppies surrounding a rock with trees and blue sky in the background California Poppies with trees and blue sky in the background by @ucmastergardeners

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19 days ago

The days are getting shorter. Your instincts might be telling you that means less watering. Ignore them.

🌡️ California can still throw real heat waves at us through September, and shrubs are usually the first to show it when they dry out — leaves curling, edges browning, the whole plant just looking tired. Keep watering, especially anything you planted this year, until the heat breaks for good.

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #WaterWise #GardenTips

Photo credit: Adobe Stock
Photo description: A landscaped garden bed with a rock-lined dry creek bed is filled with clusters of yellow, purple, and white flowering plants and grasses. A dry riverbed of smooth rounded stones runs through a garden bed planted with yellow daisy-like flowers, purple and white blooms, and ornamental grasses. A brick-edged sidewalk borders the bed, with a stucco wall and potted plants on a rooftop ledge behind it. by @ucmastergardeners

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22 days ago

Seeds can grow more than gardens…
At the Madelyn Helling Library, UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County turned a small seed library into a year-round community resource. What began with $300 in seed funding and a vintage card catalog has grown into a thriving program that has shared more than 6,000 seed packets and helped over 1,300 residents grow fresh food.

The program offers more than free seeds. Volunteers also provide seed-saving workshops, gardening education, and practical information to help residents grow their own food.

Discover how a community partnership, dedicated volunteers, and a simple idea are helping strengthen food resilience in Nevada County.

Read the full story: https://ucanr.edu/blog/uc-master-gardener-program-statewide-blog/article/seed-library-grows-food-skills-and-community (or the link in our bio)

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #NevadaCounty #EducationalGardening #SeedSaving

Photo Credit: UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County
Photo description: UC Master Gardener volunteers, Nikki Duncan and Judy Nichols, proudly display the vintage card catalog turned seed library. Two smiling volunteers standing next to a wooden seed library cabinet with colorful labels on the drawers, located inside a public library. by @ucmastergardeners

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24 days ago

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Most of the country closes up the garden in September. California gardeners get a plot twist instead: a second full growing season. 🥦 Broccoli, kale, and beets go in the ground now, and plenty of gardeners will tell you they come out even better once the weather turns cooler.

What's making the cut for your fall garden?

#UCMasterGardeners #CaliforniaGardening #UCANR #FallCrops #PlantNow

Photo credit: Adobe Stock
Photo description: Garden bed filled with different fall vegetables. Vegetable bed filled with rows of fall vegetables including swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage and kale. by @ucmastergardeners

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