Help out at Good Life Garden while learning about water-wise edible gardening
Volunteering at the Mondavi Institute's Good Life Garden is a learning and socializing opportunity. Courtesy UC Davis Arboretum
Here’s a chance to get your hands dirty while getting to know other gardeners – and gardening resources.
On Saturday morning, May 31, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens will host Community Volunteer Day at the Good Life Garden, part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.
From 9 to 11 a.m., volunteers will learn about this unique food-centric garden while taking care of some seasonal chores. Participation and parking are free.
“Volunteer days are a great way to give back, meet other members of the community who enjoy volunteering and gardening, and experience the therapeutic effects of spending time in nature,” say the organizers. “No prior gardening experience is needed to participate, and everyone over the age of 18 is welcome regardless of your affiliation with UC Davis.”
Located at 392 Old Davis Road, the Mondavi Institute’s Good Life Garden is a popular spot for campus weddings and university events. Established in 2008, this high-profile garden features water-wise edible plants such as pomegranates and olive trees as well as herbs, vegetables and pollinator-friendly crops.
Community Volunteer Day is a wonderful opportunity to discover this demonstration garden as well as meet other gardeners and learn about water-wise food gardening.
Register in advance to get full details and directions plus free parking information. Sign up here: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/events/community-volunteer-day-5-31-25
For more information on UC Davis Arboretum programs: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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
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 June 15
Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Pull weeds before they go to seed.
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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