Educational & Community Programs

A Gardening Education Center for the UCCE Master Gardeners of SM/SF Counties

The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners Program of San Mateo/San Francisco Counties is raising funds for a Gardening Education Center to augment our ability to be the premier resource for our community for horticulture information and education. Such facilities, including state-of-the-art greenhouses and demonstration gardens, will allow us to educate the community on water-wise gardening practices and environmentally sound horticulture techniques. Also, with adequate and stable growing facilities, the healthy survival of the UCCE Master Gardeners of SM/SF will be insured, as the growing of seedlings are one of the major cost-recovery projects for the organization.

The Gardening Education Center shall provide value-added services to the Master Gardeners and to our entire community. Examples include the following:

• Support and encourage healthy communities through educational programs on seeding, propagation and transplanting seedlings, as well as proper growing techniques that will be taught at our new facilities.
• Expand our outreach to underserved populations by providing classes at the facilities on urban gardening, and how to be more organic and use less pesticides and teaching gardeners “beyond mow & blow.”
• Introduce families to healthy food sources, nutritional education and obesity prevention.
• Provide space for growing “starts” for demonstration gardens and school gardens.
• Develop a strong set of partnerships with other organizations in the community.
• Provide hands-on initial training opportunities for new Master Gardeners.
• Increase the plant-science expertise of and provide Continuing Education opportunities for Master Gardeners.
• Provide a site in an area where the climate is more representative of the Peninsula for the growing of tomatoes, vegetables, herbs and other plants for cost-recovery purposes.
• Supply a growing environment for new ventures, such as drought-tolerant plants.
• Educate and provide a model for community members on environmentally sound and sustainable techniques and principles that have been incorporated into our state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities such as solar, water-wise applications (i.e. gutters with rain barrels to capture rain), and other models that could be applied at their own homes.

How to Help

To make our vision for a Gardening Education Center come true, please make a gift to our UC Master Gardener Program.

To donate online, select the Make A Gift button on this page (in the “Comments:” box on the donation form, please add: “GEC”).

To donate by check, please make checks payable to UC Regents and specify the Garden Education Center. Mail to:

UCCE Master Gardeners SM/SF Counties
1500 Purisima Creek Rd.,
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019