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

June 21, 2024 – The living and breathing glory of a garden—from fungi, bacteria and soil, to root, branch and blossom, to bee, butterfly and bird—has long been honored with all manner of breathless prose.

But in the end it can be summed up rather simply: It’s a network. 

So it makes some poetic sense that there’s a relatively new super tool for the region’s dirt diggers to parallel that.

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

All it takes is a quick email to mcgardennetwork@gmail.com, and you’re added to the list serve. 

You’re simultaneously tapped into: 

• 3:30pm third Thursday virtual Zooms (which include “share-outs” and learning sessions on things like vermi-composting and pollinator-friendly plants);

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

• An ongoing dialogue around resource-sharing and tip-swapping (which have included seed shares, vegetable start giveaways and grant opportunities). 

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

It also started with a focus on school and community gardens, and enjoys support from Blue Zones Project Monterey County, which we’ve celebrated here for its work in healthifying everything from diet to workplace, and Monterey County’s Resource Conservation District, a nonprofit, grant-funded, non-regulatory government agency that aims to conserve natural resources through everything from smart agriculture to watershed sustainability. 

The inspiration: Gardeners gonna garden, and there’s ample insight to be gleaned from comparing notes. And nothing, Napa cabbage and knowledge included, grows in a vacuum. 

Soil scientist Laura Murphy, who co-chairs the group, elaborates.

“A lot of community gardens, school gardens and related efforts were out there happening, but there was not a lot of connectivity,” she says. “Out of conversation with a lot of people we decided to pool resources and create a space where people can connect—and the network has infinitely amplified the energy around what we’re all doing.” 

Fellow co-chair Tanja Roos of Blue Zones, a master gardener herself, was one of those people.

“One of the most endearing things about gardeners is that we’re always learning from one another,” she says. “That’s the beauty of the network: There are so many resources, and it helps everybody connect the dots. It’s a really rich environment for cross-pollinating, and there are so many benefits when gardens are thriving in a community.”

Like many in-person sessions, the Summer 2024 MCGN Gathering 10am-noon this Saturday, June 22, includes a tour of a thriving plot, this one the Rancho Cielo garden that helps fuel the Drummond Academy’s popular weekly dinners.

It also answers a repeated request for a tutorial on pest-exclusion cages for raised beds, and the chance to share a BYO lunch in the welcoming space where students study soil science and cultivate winter and summer crops. 

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

“It’s a quiet space in their day to put their hands in the soil, sit in the sun, and have fellowship with other students,” she says, citing other activities like tomato taste tests. “Kids are so removed from where their food comes from. Here they see where. It’s a beautiful place. I love that garden.”

She’s also a member of a MCGN network, where her passion for leading workshops finds fertile ground. 

“Whatever I learn, I want to share with other people, because gardening is an amazing part of my day and my life,” she says. “This is my schtick.”

Her native enthusiasm, she adds, gains additional oomph through the network.

“When you get together with a bunch of gardeners, they get all excited,” she says. “It might be because they have a batch of red wrigglers for the compost or someone saw an orange aphid. Not every group of people is going to be into that. When you’re in the Garden Network, you find your people.”

Zoe Curcio serves as a program assistant with RCD and helped arrange the network’s growing Google group that eclipses 200 participants as this publishes. She also directed discussion at yesterday’s virtual meeting, which included a preview of the Rancho Cielo meet up, links to helpful webinars on YouTube, and a catalog of summer gardening tips (see below).

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

More at the Monterey County Garden Network website.

Networking It

This is a recent post on the MCGN’s list serve, from co-chair Tanja Roos, published here with permission, and right on time for National Gardening Week: 

With the “official” start of summer this week (solstice on June 20), hope you all are getting out and enjoying your gardens 😊

Here is a great article that recently circulated about some of the benefits, if you need encouragement:

7 Benefits Gardening and Yardwork Have on Your Mental Health – Blue Zones

And some great tips from Grow Organic: Plants, Seeds, Trees, Organic Garden and Farm Supplies.

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

Warm Soil: Directly sow summer vegetables such as beans, squash, melons, corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, okra, and sunflowers once the soil is warm. Floating row covers can protect these plants from any unexpected late frosts and pests.

Extend Cool Season Veggies: To prolong the growth of peas, greens, and lettuce, utilize shade cloth to reduce heat stress and extend their productive season.

Garlic Harvest: Remove the flower stalks, or scapes, from garlic plants to encourage larger bulb development. Harvest garlic when the bottom leaves turn brown and dry out.

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

Thin Fruit Trees: Thin the fruits on trees like apples, peaches, and plums to prevent branch damage from heavy loads and to improve the size and quality of the remaining fruits.

Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch around plants to conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.

Cover Crops: Plant summer cover crops such as buckwheat and cowpeas in garden areas not currently being used. These cover crops can improve soil fertility and structure.

Flower Planting: Plant summer-blooming bulbs and directly sow fast-growing flowers like 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 staking your tomatoes, thinning your fruit trees, and spreading mulch, you’ll set up your garden for success. Don’t forget to plant vibrant summer flowers and cover crops to keep things lively. These activities not only boost your garden’s health but also add beauty and joy to your outdoor space. So dive in, enjoy the sunshine, and watch your garden thrive all summer long!