By DIANE HODA
Ralph Riddle turned to gardening when he retired from his job as an aerospace engineer.
Riddle is one of several master gardeners working at McClellan Ranch Park. Last month, he and his wife, Roxanne Beverstein, and other master gardeners sponsored a squash-tasting to demonstrate the aesthetics and flavor of 17 varieties of winter squash.
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), part of the land grant college system, oversees the master gardener program. Through the extension service, citizens can receive information and education in the areas of agriculture, home economics, horticulture, nutrition and human resource development.
In 1972, the state of Washington founded the first master gardener program; in 1982, Nancy Garrison, UC-extension horticulture coordinator and advisor, established the master gardener volunteer program in Santa Clara County. Currently, California has 31 such programs.
Master gardeners provide information to home gardeners based on research findings from the land grant colleges. Gardeners can call or go to the UCCE office to get help with gardening problems. In addition, master gardeners give talks at community centers, schools and other organizations, and they staff information booths at farmers' markets, fairs and other events.
"Six years ago, I wanted to learn a hobby where I could get more in touch with the earth," Riddle says.
That's when he met Nancy Garrison on jury duty and she convinced him to join the master gardener program.
Riddle underwent 56 hours of training by the UCCE staff and completed 50 hours of community service before being certified as a master gardener.
"I enjoyed taking classes in botany, plant pathology, pest control and plant culture, and I learned a lot," he says.
After he completed the training, his wife Roxanne also became a master gardener.
Riddle and his wife grow fruit trees in their yard using a technique called grafting. They graft or attach the fruit wood to the root stock. The root and the lower part of the trunk contain desirable characteristics, such as size. Riddle says this process of "clonal propagation" enables the fruit to be identical to that of the parent tree. If one were to plant a tree from seed, the fruit would be altered through genetic variation, he says.
Riddle says Santa Clara Valley has good soil and climate for growing stone fruit, such as peaches, cherries, apricots and plums.
At McClellan Ranch Park, 20 acres are set aside for nature preserve and one acre is for community gardening for citizens who wish to plant crops. In addition, the Cupertino Parks and Recreation Department donates plots for master gardeners to do experimental gardening.
The master gardeners and agriculture agents meet each year to decide what to grow. In April, the Cupertino master gardeners planted 17 varieties of winter squash.
"Each type of plant has its own challenge," Riddle says. "Squash is easy to grow, but takes up a lot of space."
Roxanne says the gardeners work as a team during growing season. "We decide what to grow and work as a team to clear the plot, mulch it, plant it, keep it watered and harvest it," she says.
The master gardeners held a squash-tasting in November to make people aware of what's available to grow.
"The whole idea is to demonstrate to the home gardener the variety they can grow in their garden. We try to get varieties they can find in the grocery store," Roxanne says.
In the past, Riddle and other master gardeners--Karla Meadows, Howard Craven, Jean Reed and Ralph Eddy--have grown carrots, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, peppers and green beans.
Eddy helps manage the McClellan Ranch gardens and is helping to supervise the 68 garden plots as well as orient new gardeners. He's also establishing a compost program to help the city reduce its solid waste.
"We're going to build compost systems and show gardeners and members of the public how to do composting," he says, estimating that the project will be under way by January.
For information on the master gardener program or home gardening, call 299-2638 or visit the UCCE office at 68 N. Winchester Blvd., Santa Clara, week days between 9 a.m. and noon.
Roxanne, a master gardener, since '91, works on the test plot at McClellan Ranch. "We as a team decide what to grow and work as a team. . . . to clear the plot, mulch it, plant it, keep it watered, harvest it. It's a team effort. The whole idea is to demonstrate to the home gardener the variety they can grow in their home garden. We try to get varieties one can't get in a grocery store.
This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, December 6, 1995.
©1995 Metro Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.