Freedom, Family & Tradition, the Master Gardener Way at the Mariposa County Fair!

Enter Your Produce in the Fair Competition 

August 6, 2022 - By Michele Nowak-Sharkey, UCCE Master Gardener of Mariposa County - Mariposa County Fair is almost here! And the Master Gardeners of Mariposa County will once again be overseeing the produce and floral competition along with hosting the Horticulture building.

This is a tradition for the MG’s of Mariposa County to contribute to the community by answering questions about home gardening.

YOU can be part of this tradition too, by entering your garden produce in the Fruits and Vegetables competition or the Flower Arrangement and Potted Plants competition.

What a wonderful way to honor the fair theme of Tradition, Family & Freedom, by showing the fruit of your labor from your family flower/veggie garden.

Entry forms can be found at https://www.mariposafair.com/fair. Entry forms are accepted through Friday, August 26th by 5:00 P.M. at the fairground office. Competition entries are limited to residents of Mariposa County and Eastern Madera County (east of Madera Canal).

Once registered, bring your fair entries to the horticulture building at the fair grounds on Thursday, September 1 , 2022, between 1:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Floral entries should be taken to the upper level and produce entries are to be delivered to the lower level.

During the Fair, stop by our Master Gardener table in the horticulture building. We will answer those questions about home gardening and have many handouts to share! There will also be a special exhibit with information about native plants. Learn how you can add native plants to your landscape and garden. Many native plants are able to thrive in drought conditions and are less prone to fire damage.

Check out all the Master Gardener programs available to the public such as

Plant-a-Row which collects surplus produce and distributes it to community members in need. The MGs will give you information about drop off locations where you can share your family garden excess. Another great way to be part of the tradition. 

See you at the Fair!

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.  Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078 By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu 

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners 

Master Gardener Office Location: UC Cooperative Extension Office, 5009 Fairgrounds Road Mariposa, CA 95338 

Phone: (209) 966-2417 Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.