ANR Visits the Elkus Ranch Master Gardener Research and Demo Gardens
Marcia Cohen, Peggy Lynch and Cynthia Nations led several members of the ANR leadership team on a tour of the Elkus MG Research and Demonstration Garden on August 23, 2024. The group was quite impressed by the demo gardens, with its native pollinator plants, drought tolerant plants, and espaliered apple trees. These beds have signs with descriptions of plants that do well in our climate zone and have been enjoyed by parents of children who visit Elkus, as well as the public on presentation days.
left to right: Augie Aguilar, Elkus Ranch Foreman; Beth Loof, Elkus Lead Educator; MG Cynthia Nations; Brent Hales, Assoc. VP for Research and Extension; Zeva Cho, 4H Statewide Program Mgr.; Amy Bono, Elkus Ranch Coordinator; Dr. Daniel Obrist, Vice Provost Academic Personnel & Development; Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Director for County Cooperative Extension; Dr. Igor Lacan, Environmental Horticulture Advisor / County Director; MG Marcia Cohen. Photo by MG Peggy Lynch.
The ANR leadership team were also very interested in the research beds at Elkus, especially since they demonstrate different uses and benefits of Biocontrol - using living organisms to reduce damage from harmful organisms –a key component of Integrated Pest Management. Our signage on the beds is helpful for the public who can see details about the methods we have used.
Cynthia Nations, Elkus MG Research & Demo Garden Co-Lead, discusses the garden bed projects while others look on. Photo by MG Peggy Lynch.
In the kale beds we demonstrate the benefits of companion plants or intercropping. We used green onions in the beds and calendula planted outside the beds. The leaves of onions have a strong smell that helps mask the smell of the kale from insect pests such as butterflies, flea beetles and aphids. Calendula has a strong fragrance that attracts beneficial predator insects like hoverflies, lacewings, and ladybugs to control aphids, thrips, and nematodes and grows throughout the garden. Although the study is not complete, we found very few aphids on the kale even when the weather got warmer.
Igor Lacan, Urban Forestry Advisor & Interim County Director adds to the discussion.
The also talked about the two tomato beds that have verticillium wilt and our plans to use crop rotation with the non-host, broccoli, as a method of reducing verticillium wilt. We are using a recently developed method of growing two successive crops of broccoli to determine if we can reduce the verticillium wilt in our beds. https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=44308
left to right: MG Cynthia Nations; Julie Hillborn, SMCOE Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Coordinator; Elizabeth Moon, UC ANR, Director of Workplace Inclusion & Belonging; MG Marcia Cohen; Francesca D'Amato, SMCOE Financial Analyst.
We have already cleared out much of the soil and added new compost to the beds, and will be planting broccoli soon.
Feedback from the ANR staff is that they were VERY impressed by our MG program and the MGs who assisted were very helpful both at Elkus and at the GEC! Excellent work by everyone!