The Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County recently celebrated its most successful Tomato Extravaganza to date – due in large part to the generous support of its donors and the community.

Despite 110-degree temperatures, a record 400+ visitors showed up to sample dozens of varieties of tomatoes and basil, view fruit-tree grafting, worm-composting demonstrations and gather tips for growing healthy, sustainable gardens.

While this annual event is free to the public, proceeds from tomato and basil plant sales help support the Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden currently being developed in San Luis Obispo.

We’d like to thank the following organizations for contributing to our “edible” festival:

Achievement House

Cal Poly Organic Farm

California Rare Fruit Growers

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden

 

Special thanks go to Tutti Frutti growers for supplying most of the tomatoes for the tasting.  Many thanks to The Tribune, Journal Plus Magazine, New Times, and the Santa Maria Times for publicizing our event.

 

And for those already planning next year’s garden, the winners of the tomato and basil taste tests included Dona, Red Zebra and Sarah Black tomatoes; and Anise, Lime and Thai basil.

 

If you have any gardening questions that can’t wait until next year’s Tomato Extravaganza, feel free to contact the UCCE Master Gardener Helpline at 781-5939.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Nell Wade

President

Next class is scheduled for Saturday, November 14th!
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:  follow this link to register!

http://ucanr.org/sloworm

Another fun vermiculture workshop was held this past weekend in San Luis Obispo.  This is our 3rd class and has been a really positive experience!  Our instructor, Alice, is teaching people how to use red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) to break down kitchen scraps into valuable, rich compost (and compost tea!) for the garden.  
Sadly, Californians dispose of 5.6 million tons of food each year, using 16% of our landfill space.  In our county, the local schools started composting their cafeteria waste a few years ago, with the help of the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority.  They have a school based education program that encompasses all types of composting, including vermiculture.  UC Davis and UC Berkeley also are participating in vermiculture to reduce campus cafeteria waste.  If you are interested in finding more ways to reduce the amount of food that goes to the landfills, check out this link:http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/foodwaste/

Our worm composting class is 2 hours and includes setting up your own "Wriggly Wranch" worm bin, (which is made of sturdy black recycled plastic), a nice little book (printed on recycled paper), recycled coconut fiber for bedding, a cup of worms and several years of advice.  Our instructor Alice has been "vermiculturist" for  years and always has a few more funny stories to share! 

Photos by Lee Olson






Some funny and important rules to worm composting , based on Alice's class and testimonials that I've heard! (and it's a treat to find someone else who has worms and you can share your experience, because your friends and family just won't get it!)
Here's just a few tips:

1. Don't open your mouth when opening your worm bin! (Remember fungus gnats love decomposing, moist organic matter!)  Thank you Alice!  That's the most important rule!
   
2. Don't over fuss with them- just let them be! (someone told me that they counted them often to see if they were reproducing..)
3. Don't put a ton of potatoes in it.  Rotting potatoes are horrid and Alice's worms weren't putting up with it.
4. Don't put in big pieces of broccoli (it stinks beyond words!)
   
5. Don't scream if you get something really gross (because your neighbors will think you are weird enough to have a box of worms out there to begin with).
6. Don't add bread or yeast products or dairy.
   
7. Don't add lemons and oranges (too acidic).
   

Send me your favorite tips for worm composting and I will add them!


Here's how the worm composting boxes work:

• The bottom box is for catching "tea" (the moisture falling from the castings and decomposing organic matter)  It has a spigot for easy access.
• The second box up has holes in the bottom, which the tea can exit.  This box is where you start with your coconut fiber bedding, worms and fresh food.
• Add food, coffee grinds, crushed egg shells, etc..  Most people group the same foods together, so the worms can move into the areas that are ready to be eaten and then, if they for some reason do not like it, you can easily remove it later. Keep your lid on this box until it is full.
• As this box becomes full to the top, you may sit the next box right on top and start adding food.  This is also a time you can incorporate some shredded or torn up paper (soy based newspaper inks).  The worms will eventually all leave the second box and go into the top box.  This takes a while! You will eventually find that the bottom box is all castings and very few worms.
• Removing your compost from the box:  if you gently tilt your box of worm castings and brush them off, any remaining worms in the box will burrow deeper (they burrow away from light).  When you have a few inches left at the bottom, you will notice that any worms that were there had all gone to the bottom of the bin.  You can incorporate this small amount back into your other working bin.

Have more questions?  email us at mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu

Aquatic Gardens, Not Aquatic Pests: How To Practice Responsible Water Gardening (ANR Publication 8369), has now been published online and is available FREE at the ANR CS Web site at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8369.pdf.

To view the catalog listing for this title, go to this URL: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/InOrder/Shop/ItemDetails.asp?ItemNo=8369. Let us know if you have any trouble viewing, downloading, or printing the publication.

Many gardeners are looking for aquatic plants that will not be a problem in the local streams and creeks.  This publication provides beautiful alternatives to many of the aquatic or bog plants that are considered invasive species. 

So excited!  Here's the truck backing in with the delivery of the garden shed.  We were so fortunate that Susie got a great discount on it from Oak Country Lumber and Ranch Supply in Santa Margarita because it was one of their samples in the store.  At this point I'm wondering how on earth we will unload this thing!

What a relief- it's on a pipe and one man used a rope to let it down slowly from the lift bed.  They made it look really easy!

It was moved into final position by two boards with a pipe in between.

The delivery guys- who made it look easy!

 

A beautiful coat of green paint was applied!

The final project for the day was planting iris around the rock.

The kids were proud, happy and tired by the end of the week!