Welcome to UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County

Nevada County gardens vary widely. Elevations range from 1,000 to 4,000 feet. Soil types are red clay, serpentine, sandy loam, forest loam or something in-between. Generally acidic, soils may lack necessary nutrients and organic matter. Some gardens are below the snowline, while others are often covered with snow and may have frozen soil for an extended time. We know that “One size does not fit all.” Gardening in Nevada County is unlike gardening elsewhere and it is not the same throughout the county. Master Gardeners are here to provide home gardeners in Nevada County with science-based information, whatever their gardening conditions.

Western Nevada County Gardening Guide

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News from Our Demonstration Garden

Come visit the Demonstration Garden at 1036 W. Main Street, Grass Valley, on the NID grounds.

Winter may be a resting time for many plants, but it isn’t a resting time for the caretakers! The Demo Garden has been buzzing with activity lately. The Orchard Team has been pruning, the Pergola Committee has planned landscaping around the new pergola, the Propagation Team has moved cuttings up to the next size pot, Container Garden growers are readying their soil for the coming spring, workers have built new shelves in the tool shed and there is clean-up in every area of the garden.

With 2013 the driest year since the 1920s (when record-keeping started), the coming year is going to be a challenge. While we are all hoping for a rainy spring to refill the reservoirs and replenish our groundwater, we are planning ways to cope with drought as we experience day after day of sunshine and warm temperatures. As a first step, we are reconsidering the irrigation needs of our plants. We have always tried to avoid overwatering, but now the question is how far can we reduce the water and still have our plants survive. If the drought continues, we will be making decisions about which plants to sacrifice in order to have the minimum water needed for plants that would take years to regrow. Learning to live with drought will be an on-going project, both in the Demo Garden and in our home gardens.