PAST WORKSHOPS

Growing avocados 

Speaker: Linda Mullins, UCCE Master Gardener

Linda Mullins is a certified organic farmer in the Temecula Valley growing a variety of avocados and giant winter squash for restaurants and local grocers. She and her husband have been farming here since 2012 and have been certified organic since 2019. Linda has been a UCCE Master Gardener since 2015 and has taught the avocado session of the Master Gardener training classes in 2019 and 2020. The Mullins grow a wide range of fruits and vegetables on their farm for home and commercial markets.

Workshop Materials

Avacado PPT Presentation

Grow an edible bounty in containers

Saturday, April 10, 2021  |  10 a.m.  

Speaker: UCCE Master Gardener, Kathy Swanson 

UCCE Master Gardener, Kathy Swanson, will show you how to create an edible bounty in containers. With her proven techniques, all you need is a small space and a few various containers to be successful.    

Bees, pollinators and backyard wildlife

Saturday, March 13, 2021  |  10 a.m.  

The humming of bees is the music of a garden. Chris McDonald, Ph.D. will take us through the natural history of backyard wildlife including bees, butterflies, and birds and teach us how to attract more wildlife to your yard with drought-tolerant and native plants.

Speaker: Chris McDonald, Ph.D.

Christopher McDonald Ph.D. Natural Resource Advisor, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial Counties. University of California, Cooperative Extension. Chris is the Natural Resource Advisor for Southern California. His expertise is in managing plants in wild lands with an emphasis on managing difficult weeds. He conducts research on habitat restoration by reducing weed populations as well as actively increasing native plant populations. He also conducts research on early detection of weed species, sensitive species habitat restoration and management techniques, including chemical and mechanical control methods. He educates the public about using native plants in backyards and to increase pollinators, sustainability and wildlife. Chris has conducted research and outreach activities in the southwestern US for nearly 20 years working almost exclusively in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

Drought-tolerant plants

Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021  |  10 a.m.

Relax in your vibrant and lively water-wise garden instead of toiling in a traditional turf landscape. Lynn Coffman, UC Master Gardener, will take us on a world tour of Mediterranean plants that also thrive in the Inland Empire. Join us as we continue our landscape design series.

Speaker: Lynn Coffman, UC Master Gardener

Lynn Coffman is a 3rd-year Master Gardener and life-long nature enthusiast. She began her horticultural and design studies in earnest after her children went into high school by selling plants in a wholesale/retail herb specialty nursery in San Diego County. Lynn had no idea that years later, she would become Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certified and become a garden coach for homeowners looking to transform their water-thirsty turf landscapes into water-wise oases.

Webinar recording: Drought-tolerant plants (Passcode: 3=M^Az32)

Home landscaping design

Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021  |  10 a.m.  

Learn a simple process for creating a basic landscape plan Whether re-landscaping or updating an existing yard, you will learn to recognize unique conditions and apply design principles leading to your living work of art.

Speaker: Ralph Thompson, UC Master Gardener

Ralph and his husband, Jim, relocated to the Coachella Valley when they retired in 2016. Like many desert ‘transplants’ they soon discovered that their coastal gardening experience wasn’t directly transferable to the conditions of their new home. However, in the process of re-doing their new home’s landscaping, they realized that, while details may be different, the basics of plant care and landscaping are the same no matter the climate. Like many retirees, Ralph and Jim give back to their communities by volunteering with the Riverside County UC Master Gardeners, the Coachella Valley Plumeria Society, the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City, and the Cathedral City Senior Center. Their week is as busy in retirement as when working full time.

Workshop materials

PPT Presentation

Handout: 6 factors influencing yard layout and landscape design

Hydroponics: Gardening without soil

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020  |  10 a.m.

Join us to learn how to grow healthy hydroponically-produced foods using commonly available household items.

Speaker: Kelli Shaw-Hague, UC Master Gardener

Kelli Hague-Shaw, UC Master Gardener and elementary school teacher, is certified in hydroponics from the University of Arizona. With a United States Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant, and in partnership with her elementary school staff and students and with the City of Perris, she has provided fresh food for her school's lunch program. Presently, she is involved with the management of nine aeroponic towers—a type of hydroponics—and a commercial farm system.