Treasure Found: Monterey County Garden Network (and 8 Summer Gardening Tips)

June 21, 2024 – The living, breathing splendor of a garden – from fungi, bacteria, and soil to roots, twigs, and flowers, to bees, butterflies, and birds – has long been celebrated with all kinds of breathless prose.

But in the end it can be summed up quite simply: It is a network.

It is therefore quite poetic that there is a counterpart to this, a relatively new super tool for the earth workers of the region.

The Monterey County Garden Network isn’t complicated—even if its produce proves to be robust, healthy, and edible—and neither is joining the group.

All you need is a quick email to mcgardennetwork@gmail.com and you will be added to the list server.

You have simultaneous access to:

• virtual Zooms on the third Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (including share-outs and learning sessions on topics such as vermicomposting and pollinator-friendly plants);

• Quarterly in-person meetings/demonstrations (like this weekend’s meeting at Rancho Cielo);

• An ongoing dialogue around resource sharing and exchange of tips (including seed sharing, vegetable seedling distribution and grant opportunities).

The Garden Network emerged from a working group of the Monterey County Food Systems Coalition, which I joined on behalf of Edible Monterey Bay.

It also began by focusing on school and community gardens, and is supported by Blue Zones Project Monterey County, which we celebrated here for its work promoting health in everything from diet to the workplace, and by the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County, a nonprofit, grant-funded, non-regulatory government agency whose goal is to conserve natural resources in everything from smart farming to watershed sustainability.

The inspiration: Gardeners will garden and by comparing notes you can gain a lot of knowledge. And nothing, including Chinese cabbage and knowledge, grows in a vacuum.

Soil scientist Laura Murphy, co-chair of the group, explains this in more detail.

“There were a lot of community gardens, school gardens and similar projects, but there wasn’t a lot of networking,” she says. “After talking to a lot of people, we decided to pool resources and create a place where people could connect – and the network has infinitely amplified the energy around what we’re all doing.”

One of these people was co-chair Tanja Roos of Blue Zones, who is herself a master gardener.

“One of the most endearing things about gardening is that we’re always learning from each other,” she says. “That’s the beauty of the network: There are so many resources and it helps everyone see the connections. It’s a really fertile environment for cross-pollination and there are so many benefits to having gardens thrive in a community.”

Like many in-person meetings, the Summer 2024 MCGN meeting, taking place this Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, includes a tour of a thriving property, in this case the Rancho Cielo garden, which serves as the energy source for Drummond Academy’s popular weekly dinners.

It also responds to a repeated request for a tutorial on pest control cages for raised beds and offers the opportunity to bring your own lunch in the inviting space where students study soil science and grow winter and summer crops.

Julie Lorenzen, a certified master gardener and compost master at the University of California, manages the Rancho Leadership Garden, which last year produced 3,599 pounds of vegetables for the Drummond kitchen and take-home baskets for student families and staff.

“For them, it’s a quiet place where they can put their hands in the soil, sit in the sun and socialize with other students,” she says, citing other activities such as tomato taste tests. “The children are so far away from the area where their food comes from. Here they see where it comes from. It’s a beautiful place. I love this garden.”

She is also a member of an MCGN network, where her passion for leading workshops falls on fertile ground.

“Whatever I learn, I want to share with other people because gardening is a wonderful part of my day and my life,” she says. “It’s my thing.”

Her innate enthusiasm, she adds, is given additional momentum by the network.

“When you get together with a group of gardeners, they get really excited,” she says. “Maybe it’s because they’ve got a bunch of red earthworms for the compost or someone saw an orange aphid. Not every group of people is going to like that sort of thing. If you’re on the Garden Network, you’ll find your people.”

Zoe Curcio is a program assistant at RCD and has helped organize the network’s growing Google Group, which has 200 participants as of this writing. She also led the discussion at yesterday’s virtual meeting, which included a preview of the Rancho Cielo meeting, links to helpful webinars on YouTube, and a catalog of summer gardening tips (see below).

“So many gardeners bring so many different experiences and it’s always interesting to hear what they’re doing,” says Curcio. “And there’s always more to learn.”

For more information, visit the Monterey County Garden Network website.

Connect it

This is a recent post on the MCGN mailing list by Co-Chair Tanja Roos, published here with permission and just in time for National Gardening Week:

With the “official” start of summer this week (solstice on June 20th) I hope you all get out and enjoy your gardens 😊

If you need encouragement, here is a great article that has been circulating recently about some of the benefits:

7 Benefits Gardening and Yard Work Have for Your Mental Health – Blue Zones

And some great tips from Grow Organic: plants, seeds, trees, organic gardening and farming supplies.

June is an exciting month for gardening because the warm weather provides optimal conditions for a variety of activities. This time of year is ideal for direct sowing summer vegetables because it ensures they receive the warmth they need for vigorous growth. Gardeners can also use the season to extend the growth of cool-season plants, harvest early-planted garlic, and enjoy important care practices for tomatoes and fruit trees. Enjoy National Gardening Week and our top tips for June!

Warm floor: Direct sow summer vegetables such as beans, squash, melons, corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, okra and sunflowers as soon as the soil is warm. Floating row covers can protect these crops from unexpected late frosts and pests.

Extend the shelf life of vegetables in the cold season: To prolong the growth of peas, leafy greens and lettuce, use shade cloth to reduce heat stress and extend the harvest season.

Garlic harvest: Remove the flower stalks or flower stems from garlic plants to encourage the development of larger bulbs. Harvest the garlic when the lower leaves turn brown and dry out.

Tomato care: Support tomato plants with stakes, cages or trellises. For indeterminate varieties, prune the suckers (the small shoots that grow between the main stem and the branches) to direct energy toward fruit production.

Thin fruit trees: Thin fruit on trees such as apple, peach and plum trees to prevent branch damage from heavy loads and to improve the size and quality of remaining fruit.

Leaf cover: Apply a layer of mulch around plants to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds and regulate soil temperature.

Cover crops: Plant summer cover crops such as buckwheat and cowpeas in garden areas that are not currently in use. These cover crops can improve soil fertility and structure.

Plant flowers: Plant summer-flowering bulbs and direct sow fast-growing flowers such as zinnias and marigolds to add color and attract beneficial insects to the garden.

June gardening is all about getting your hands dirty and having fun! By shoring up your tomatoes, thinning your fruit trees, and spreading mulch, you’re setting your garden up for success. Don’t forget to plant bright summer flowers and cover crops to keep things vibrant. These activities not only promote the health of your garden, but also add beauty and joy to your outdoor space. So dive in, enjoy the sun, and watch your garden thrive all summer long!

Mark C. Anderson is a Bay Area storyteller who is a member of the Monterey County Food Policy Coalition and won Best Magazine Column at the SF Press Club Awards. Reach him at mark@ediblemontereybay.com or @MontereyMCA on Instagram.