Meet the Garden Staff   I   Garden Programs   I   Photos

About the Garden

The Hanna and Herbert Bauer Memorial Garden was dedicated in September 2013. The garden is located at the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Bauer building in Woodland and is overseen by HHSA staff. Helping residents overcome barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption by increasing access to fresh produce and education on how to grow produce are two key tenants of the garden.

Each year, the garden hosts approximately 10 classes on gardening techniques that are open to the public, and the garden also has 32 community plots that are tended by residents. The garden coordinator keeps a waiting list of individuals who would like to have a garden plot, so please contact David Linebarger (see below) for more information. There is also a demonstration area in the garden, which is cultivated by the garden assistant. In this space various growing techniques, plant varieties, and soil mixtures are showcased and used as teaching venues. Produce grown in the demonstration area is shared with clients in the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program, used in nutrition education classes, or shared among HHSA staff and clients. In 2015 over 600 pounds of produce was distributed to WIC clients alone!

Meet the Garden Staff

Garden Coordinator: David Linebarger is a Health Program Coordinator for the HHSA Community Health Branch, and the garden is one of several programs he coordinates. He builds relationships with partners, such as the UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County and the City of Woodland to provide programming for adults and youth in the garden. David is also responsible for coordinating plot rental. Please contact David if you’d like to be on the email list for upcoming classes or are interested in a garden plot. He utilizes his background in Sustainable Agriculture at UC Davis to help garden plot holders increase their success with their crops and therefore improve their access to fresh produce. David also teaches classes in the garden on a variety of topics, including composting, Gardening 101, drought-friendly irrigation methods, and others. David is also responsible for managing the demonstration area and growing produce (sometimes from seed in our greenhouse!) for the WIC program and has also worked with the HHSA Mental Health Wellness center to help them develop a garden program for their clients.

(530) 666 - 8429

david.linebarger@yolocounty.org

Community Health Assistant: Nick Gazda has been working in the garden since 2019 and works in the demonstration area of the garden. Nick maintains the garden area in general, assists other gardeners with their plots as needed, plants and harvests vegetables, and waters the boxes in the demonstration area. Nick also starts vegetables from seed to harvest and helps provide healthy options to community groups such as the Women, Infant, and Children program. 

Garden Programs

Plots

The 32 community plots are approximately 10x10 and are rented on an annual basis to residents or small groups. While the garden plots are often at 100% capacity, there is always turnover, so please contact the garden coordinator to get on a plot waiting list. There is no fee for plot rental, just a commitment for giving 12 hours/year of maintenance service to the garden.

Classes and Activities

Check the events box or our HHSA Facebook page for upcoming classes. We are pleased to partner with the UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County to offer classes to the community. Additionally, our garden coordinator also teaches a variety of classes. Class topics vary, depending on season and interest, but include nutrition education, gardening techniques and skills, and fruit tree care. We offer about 10 classes per year that are free and open to the public. You can contact David Linebarger to get on the email list to learn about upcoming programs.

If you are a school, after-school program, or local community basted organization, we can work with you to provide a special garden education experience for groups of youth or families. Please contact the coordinator for details. As an example, in 2015 we hosted the Freeman Elementary School after-school program for a youth-focused garden experience that included storytelling, planting activities, physical activity, and a healthy snack.

Harvest of the Month

Harvest of the Month is a state-wide program aimed at helping increase awareness and consumption of locally grown produce by providing educators curricula to supplement their nutrition education programming. Here in Yolo County we've taken it one step further and developed our own Yolo-specific calendar based on what is seasonally available in our region. You can check out the Harvest of the Month calendar to see a fruit and vegetable in season throughout the year, and visit the Harvest of the Month website to find Harvest of the Month curricula that educators can use for their nutrition education programming and some newsletters with helpful nutrition information and recipes for a variety of California (and Yolo) grown produce. You might also see Harvest of the Month showcases at your child's school, at certain retail partners throughout the County, or in some of the County health and Human Services Agency service centers.

Photos