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Chuck Ingels changed Sacramento's landscape

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 4, 2018

A memorial to Chuck Ingels is planned at the Fair Oaks
Horticulture Center, which he developed,
(Photos courtesy Tracy Lesperance)

Memorial in the works for go-to UCCE adviser who created Fair Oaks Horticulture Center

Chuck Ingels was one of the best friends Sacramento gardeners ever had, and one of the best teachers, too.

Through his development of the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, Chuck showed gardeners better ways to grow food, fight pests without chemicals and save water during drought. In hundreds of demonstrations, he taught pruning and other life skills for gardeners. He experimented with varieties and growing methods, introducing new plants to local gardens.

“Your landscape is more diverse because of Chuck,” said Judy McClure, Sacramento’s master gardener coordinator. “He changed the landscape of Sacramento.”

Last week, about 400 friends and colleagues gathered at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church , next door to the Hort Center, to remember Chuck. After a battle with cancer, Chuck died peacefully at home Aug. 12. He was 61. A permanent memorial is in the works at the Horticulture Center, itself a lasting tribute to Chuck.

Afarm and garden adviser with insatiable enthusiasm and curiosity, Chuck understood that the best way for many people to learn a new technique or grasp a botanical concept was to see it, experience it in person, take a hands-on approach.

Chuck saw a problem – invasive stink bugs, shrinking backyards, worm-filled cherries – and tackled it with gusto, combining scientific training and evaluation with effervescent energy and almost nonstop optimism. That combination made Chuck a force of nature and beloved among Sacramento’s garden community as well as many local farmers.

“Our lives have all been enriched because we knew Chuck Ingels,” said McClure, his co-worker for many years at Sacramento County’s UC Cooperative Extension. “Obviously, his knowledge was very vast. He was a problem solver, eager to do research on many topics.”

For example, his work with local strawberry growers made their crop viable. “When you pick up organic strawberries, think of Chuck Ingels,” she said.

Dozens of pear growers were among the crowd at his memorial.
“You could call him up in a blinding panic because things had gone pear-shaped, so to speak,” recalled pear farmer Matt Hemly. “He was always the absolute pleasant professional, able to translate the latest academic research into hillbilly farmer.”

Chuck did the same for home gardeners. His handbook, “The Home Orchard: Growing your own Fruit and Nut Trees,” is a UC best seller.

“There are many reasons to admire Chuck, such as his quest for doing the right thing,” said Morgan Doran, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor director. “In February, after completing chemo, he returned to work to focus on projects he really cared about. He had a glow with a message. He recognized the gift that life is.”

Besides, he had pruning demonstrations to do. “His biggest joy was connecting with the public, help improve their knowledge and the environment,” Doran said. “His true passion was developing the Fair Oaks Hort Center into the mecca it’s become.”

Chuck Ingels wrote a popular book
on home orchards.

Maintained by Sacramento County master gardeners, that one-acre space was underused park land when Chuck started that project. Considered among California’s best demonstration gardens, the Hort Center recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Chuck liked to use the site as a living laboratory. He experimented with espalier techniques to grow fruit on walls and fences. In the center’s orchard, he planted three dwarf trees to the hole and kept limbs within reach. He added more varieties by grafting onto existing trees. These methods allowed for more fruit production in small spaces as well as easy harvest and netting for protection from pests. When a visitor asked which compost method was “best,” he sought the answer by creating seven simultaneous compost batches using different bin types and techniques.

"The whole reason we have the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is because of Chuck,” said Pam Bone, a former UCCE adviser. “He put his own sweat into the planting holes. It’s now considered the finest research-based garden in the region.”

Tracy Lesperance, Chuck’s widow and a master gardener, will spearhead the Hort Center memorial committee.

In the meantime, donations are being accepted in Chuck’s memory at http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/ (Use the webpage’s “Make a Gift” button and choose the “UCCE Sac County Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.” Under “additional information,” type “in memory of Chuck Ingels.”) Checks, made out to “UC Regents,” may be sent to the UCCE office, 4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento CA 95827. In the memo field, note that the donation is in Chuck’s memory.

Chuck’s can-do spirit will live on at the Hort Center. While undergoing treatment, he still took time to lead clinics and demonstrate such specialties as how to prune three-way pluots and new grapes.

“As master gardeners we ask ourselves: What would Chuck do?” said Gail Pothour, a longtime master gardener and Hort Center volunteer. “In mid-July, even though Chuck was going though all these challenges, he took time to teach these lessons.”

Every garden problem has a solution; it’s just finding the one that works. “What Chuck taught us, when it comes to plant problems, it’s OK to say I don’t know,” McClure said. “It’s OK to garden by trial and error as long as you stay true to your beliefs.”

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners Sacramento drought agriculture fruit trees orchards strawberries Chuck Ingels gardening pruning backyard gardens espaliering Fair Oaks Horticulture Center Sacramento County

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

FALL

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden checklist for week of Dec. 14

Rain is due midweek, but there should be some partly sunny breaks between rain clouds, especially Thursday. Make the most of those opportunities and show your garden some TLC.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Rake and compost leaves from trees, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Clear gutters and storm drains.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

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