So it turns out there is a lot more than the desire for fresh eggs to consider when deciding to become a chicken owner. Our very own Master Gardener Candice McLaren will be giving a FREE class on chickens entitled “Chix in the City, Hens in the Hood” at two locations: Boulder Creek Library on January 16th and Coastanoa Commons on February 25th! In the meantime, read on for some basic information and plan to attend one of our free classes to find out much, much more!

Before you buy!

• Does your city allow chickens? Better find...

"But he who dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose." 

                                                                                                                         -- Anne Bronte

Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Well, duh! It would still be a rose,...

Happy New Year from the UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties! 

Although it's winter we haven't seen much rain so far this year. Let's talk about the culprit, shall we? Are you familiar with La Niña? She's the “little girl” to El Niño's “little boy,” part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, a periodic variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Cooling in the eastern Pacific causes the jet stream to be pushed north, which affects rainfall in the southwestern US. What that means for us is above average rain and below average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest east to the northern Great...

Fall and winter are the times of year when the average outdoor garden plants take a little breather, but not citrus! If your potted Meyer lemon or Bearss lime trees are like mine, they are flowering and fruiting, even as the rest of my garden rests. Thus the care of potted citrus can be a little bit different than other garden plants.

First of all, fertilize!

Citrus is a heavy feeder, particularly on nitrogen. Fertilizers are generally labeled with numeric ratios such as 3-1-1. Those numbers reflect the ratio of nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) to potassium (K), or N-P-K. Because citrus likes a lot of nitrogen, you want to purchase a fertilizer with at least a 2-1-1 ratio, or twice as much nitrogen as phosphorus and...