Master Gardener Projects
Master Gardeners volunteers work in a wide a variety of approved projects throughout Contra Costa
Examples:
Help Desk The Master Gardener "Help Desk" is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to noon to answer your questions on home gardening and pest control. This service is free of charge and is staffed by experienced gardeners, highly trained to answer your questions. For advice call (925) 646-6586 or write to 75 Santa Barbara Road, Second Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. Samples of insects, weeds and diseased plants may be taken to the office for diagnosis.
Plant Diagnostic Guidelines
Accessible Gardening Located in West County. Volunteers provide consultations, in home or over the telephone, to those with physical limitations which make it difficult for them to garden in the ways they did previously. Referrals are received from senior centers, garden clubs, and handicapped assistance programs.
Carquinez Horticultural Center (CHC) This is a restoration nursery being built at the Carquinez Horticultural Center. A series of beds demonstrate the effectiveness of natives and plants suited to our summer dry climate. The nursery is used to educate local youth and the surrounding community and the plants are used in restoration efforts to the San Pablo and Carquinez Strait Watersheds.
CC County Fair Master Gardeners host an information table for the duration of the fair. This is a once a year event and takes place in June. 2008 schedule is Thursday 5/29 Sunday 6/1
CCMG Garden Walk Annual public tour of CCMG gardens. This is a major fundraiser for the Association and takes place every year or every other year.
CCTV Develop a monthly TV program relating to the Master Gardeners' mission in educating the public.
Cherry Buckskin Survey Inspect ripe cherry trees in East County for signs of cherry buckskin disease in May- June.
Community Garden - Antioch Fairgrounds Assist with the children’s garden at Mangini Museum located at the Antioch Fairgrounds in East County. This is for special events only.
Community Garden - Bruns Amphitheatre Native plant garden at the Bruns outdoor Shakespeare theatre in Orinda. MGs perform garden planning, renovation, and maintenance. Weekly from early spring to October.
Community Garden - Forest Home Farms Located in San Ramon. Volunteers work with children and perform education duties, garden restoration and maintenance. Special events include the Harvest Festival and Sheep Shearing Day.
Community Garden - Heather Farm Located in Walnut Creek, it has extensive rose gardens, IPM demonstration site, and children's education garden. Volunteers perform docent duties, children's education, propagation, pruning, composting, and other general garden maintenance. Tuesdays is propagation, Wednesday is pruning and Thursdays is composting.
Community Garden - John Muir Historic Site Historical garden located in Martinez. Volunteers assist the National Park Service to maintain the grounds and for special events, give demonstrations to the public on pruning, IPM, etc., Garden maintenance weekly on Monday.
Community Garden - Lindsey Museum Located in Walnut Creek. There are a number of demonstration gardens. Volunteers perform general garden maintenance as well as provide horticultural/IPM information at special events.
Community Garden - Markham Arboretum 16 acre park located in Concord. Volunteers work with the Arboretum staff offering education programs for the public. Also volunteers perform propagation and garden maintenance. Ongoing.
Community Garden - Pleasant Hill Adult Education Water conservation demonstration garden using natives and low maintenance gardening practices to be used for educational and recreational purposes for school and community uses
Community Garden - Ruth Bancroft Garden Public gardens located in Walnut Creek. Volunteers perform docenting, garden maintenance, propagating, preparing for and working at plant sales, etc.
Community Garden - San Damiano, Danville San Damiano Retreat Center, located in Danville. Meets two work days a week on average maintaining an organic garden.
Community Garden - Tao House Located at 1000 Kkuss Road, Danville. Volunteers work in courtyard the first and third Thursdays of the month for about 3 hours. Tao House has tours on Thursdays from 10:00 to Noon so the public is able to see the MGs at work.
Community Garden - Tilden Botanical Garden Native plant botanical garden located in Tilden Park, an East Bay Regional Park, in Berkeley. Volunteers perform educational outreach, propagation and staff plant sales.
Community Garden - UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Public gardens located in Berkeley, on the grounds of the University of California. Includes plants from all over the world. MGs perform docent duties, garden maintenance, and propagation.
Composting Workgroup Workshops presented in conjunction with Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (CCSWA). Presentations require advanced training provided by the Authority. Workshops are scheduled and coordinated by the CCSWA.
Continuing Education - General This is not a project per se - but is a line item where one can report their continuing education hours. Continuing ed can be the monthly speaker, MG advanced training class, research, hort class, etc. For a detailed description of what constitutes continuing education look in the newspaper/publication section of the website.
Continuing Education - Research Research horticultural information for the writing of publishable papers on horticultural issues in Contra Costa County.
DVC Adaptive Horticulture Assist with the Adaptive Horticulture Program at DVC in Pleasant Hill
Farmer's Market - Concord Information table answering horticultural questions from the public. Located at Todos Santos Plaza, Willow Pass and Grant St. Held year-round Tuesdays, 10:00am-2:00pm. Further information can be found on our website at www.pcfma.com
Farmer's Market - Orinda Information table answering horticultural questions from the public. Located at Avenida de Orinda & Orinda Way. Held Saturdays, May-November 9:00am-1:00pm.
Farmer's Market - Richmond Information table answering horticultural questions from the public. Located at Civic Center Plaza Dr. & MacDonald Ave. Held Fridays, all year, 11:00am-5:00pm.
Farmer's Market - San Ramon Host an information help table answering horticultural questions from the public. Located Forest Home Farms in San Ramon every Saturday from 9:00am-1:00pm May through October
Farmers Market- Brentwood Staff an information table answering horticultural questions from the public. Located on First St. between Oak and Chestnut and is held every Saturday from 8am-12noon from May through October
Firescaping Workgroup Speak to community groups on how to landscape for fire protection
Habitat for Humanity Provide landscaping information for new homeowners.
Help Desk Answer phone calls at the CCMG helpdesk M-F from 9-12.
Horticultural Therapy Located at Aegis Assisted Living on Oak Grove in Pleasant Hill. Provide horticultural therapy for the residents.
IPM Program Evaluation for CCC Provide supplemental research and report writing evaluating the Contra Costa County IPM program for County property. The final product will be a public report on the state of the IPM program along with recommendations for improvement. CCMGs will conduct interviews of County personnel, provide written reports of interviews, and provide information on the progress of the project at various public meetings.
IPM Workgroup This is a joint venture with Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. Volunteers provide workshops on Integrated Pest Management throughout the county. Speakers must have completed advanced training by Central San.
Lafayette/Orinda Presbyterian Church Volunteer landscape coordinator. This job entails coordinating the planting and organizing of the landscape to be more water conserving.
Mangini Ag Center - County Fairgrounds in Antioch Replant area in front of the office as a thank-you for using their facilities for the new MG Class of 2008. Construction is now complete.
Newspaper Articles Writing articles for the CC Times on various horticultural subjects.
Open Space Wildflower Walks Docent tours of Contra Costa Open space, identifying wildflowers
Pinole Senior Center Consulting and helping with an adaptive garden at the Center. Al Del Simone is providing guidance to the seniors in establishing their adaptive garden.
Powers Hedge Row Local grower/olive oil and wine producer wants to install a hedge of insectary plants. He has funds but needs MG's plant knowledge to complete project. His goal is to use the hedge to demonstrate benefits of using natural predators.
Program Admin. - Executive Committee This group of Master Gardeners oversees the program, approves projects etc. Activities for this project include everything that supports the administration of the program.
Program Admin. -Training & Mentoring Assist with the development, set up, coordination, and/or presentation of advanced training or mentoring program.
Public Website Management and oversight of CCMG public website.
School Garden - Athenian School Teachers asked for MG advice to rejuvenate a neglected small vegetable garden and greenhouse. Goal is to establish an organic garden to be run by students and resident faculty
School Garden - Cambridge Elementary Cambridge Elementary School, 1136 Lacey Lane, Concord. On-site after school program awarded a $2,500 Calif. Instructional School Garden Grant. Garden is to be used for curriculum stressing healthy eating & Nutrition, environmental stewardship, science etc.
School Garden - Charlotte Wood Middle Located in Danville. Guide students in the planting, maintenance, and harvesting of an organic garden Weekly and ongoing.
School Garden - Diamond Terrace Diamond Terrace
School Garden - Garden of Learning Located on the grounds of St. Perpetua in Lafayette. Volunteers perform garden maintenance.
School Garden - Harding Elementary Provide advice to parents involved in after-school gardening project at the school. The emphasis is on vegetables. Need advice on what to grow, soil, fertilizing and non-toxic ways of dealing with disease and insects. There are 20 students participating in the after-school program.
School Garden - Homeschool Harvesters 400 Diablo Lane, Brentwood. Oversight & Planning of 1 acre school garden.
School Garden - Miramonte High Located in Orinda/ Moraga with both a natural habitat and organic garden. Volunteers will perform propagating and general garden maintenance.
School Garden - Orinda Intermediate Located in Orinda. There is both a natural habitat and organic gardens. Volunteers will perform general garden maintenance.
School Garden - PH Middle School Pleasant Hill Middle School garden, working with Leslie Stiles and a parent group
School Garden - Wagner Ranch 18 acre preserve in Orinda owned and operated by Orinda School District. Volunteer activities include propagating, planting, and maintaining the preserve.
Sick Plant Clinic Located at the Berkeley Botanical Garden. Assist Dr. Raabe with the monthly plant clinic that is held on the 1st Saturday of every month.
Speaker's Bureau - Public Education Speak at various public functions on a variety of horticultural issues as requested. Does not include IPM workshops.
Symposium - October 11, 2008 "The Joy of Gardening" - open to the public at Diablo Valley College. Public outreach event with topics on various gardening subjects, IPM, landscaping, trees, veggies, soils etc.
Watershed Restoration - West Stege Marsh Located at the UC Richmond Field Station. Volunteer activities include watershed restoration only, does not include any public educational component.
Watershed Restoration - Alhambra Creek Located in Martinez. Friends of Alhambra Creek work to restore the watershed. There are various clean-up and restoration campaigns through out the year. Ongoing restoration with monthly meetings.
Watershed Restoration - Kellogg Creek Located in East County. Volunteers assist in various activities associated with creek restoration.
