HOrT COCO-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa

If you’re like me, in early summer you are looking with satisfaction and excitement at the new leaves and beautifully fragrant flowers on your lemon tree. And then, just as you start to have visions of the juicy lemons to come, problems start to appear. Two common problems, leaf miners and fruit drop, may…

One of the comments we hear frequently at our Master Gardener Demonstration Garden is “I’ve tried but I can’t grow peppers” or “My plants never produce any decent peppers”. We hear your frustration! While pepper plants are not hard to grow, it can be tricky getting them to set fruit. Peppers have some unique…

  https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/social_media_facebook/public/2023-08/387502.jpg.webp?itok=aIiJmULPWe often hear from Contra Costa gardeners this time of year who are eagerly anticipating their summer vegetable gardens. One of their most frequent questions is how to make sure their…

It is not unusual to find tomato seedlings for sale in local nurseries and big box stores as early as February or March. Don't make the mistake of rushing to plant them in your garden. In our County it is much too early to put tomato seedlings in the garden, but it is the perfect time to make plans for a…

  Many of us have planted winter cover crops in our gardens to enrich the soil. Fava beans, winter peas, vetch, and other legumes can do a great job of adding nitrogen to our soils. With a symbiotic relationship with special microorganisms, legumes can take nitrogen in our air and put it into…