- Author: Anne E Schellman
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Stanislaus County started a brand-new Master Gardener Program in January of 2019. Our first class of twenty-three volunteers just graduated and are out in the community making a difference.
If you enjoy gardening, live in Stanislaus County, and are willing to volunteer your time and talent, keep reading! We are now taking applications for our 2020 class that will start in early January. To learn more and apply:
- Visit our Become a UCCE Master Gardener website
- Click on the bright yellow button to fill out our application form before September 8, 2019
- Attend a mandatory orientation meeting in October
- Interview in November
- Acceptance letters mailed in early December
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Summer is here, and so is the Stanislaus County Fair! Our brand-new University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener Program is excited to have a presence at the fair this year, with volunteers who have just graduated this past June.
Come see us in front of the Floriculture building located just inside the fairgrounds near the arch gate off 900 North Broadway. Our table that will showcase a colorful poster all about our program. Come find out who we are and what we do and ask your gardening or pest questions.
Pick up free copies of Quick Tips cards on pests like ants, powdery mildew, cockroaches, and more! We'll also be giving away carrot and California poppy seeds (while supplies last).
Want to be a UCCE Master Gardener in Stanislaus County? We have flyers with all the information you need and will be taking applications next week!
For more information about the fair, visit the Stanislaus County Fair website.
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Every time you eat a fruit, vegetable, or nut, you may want to thank a pollinator. Without them, our diet would lack many of the vitamins and minerals we need to survive.
Often honeybees get all the kudos for pollinating, and they do a great job. But there are other pollinators involved too, including bumblebees, other species of bees*, birds, bats, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and even flies.
June 17-23, 2019 is Pollinator Week, but you can celebrate pollinators all year long by creating a pollinator-friendly landscape. Here is a short list of things you can do now:
- Situate your garden in a sunny location
- Provide a variety of habitats such as shrubs, tall grasses, and low growing plants
- Leave some area of your ground bare (for ground-nesting bees & wasps)
- Use plants that provide pollen and nectar
- Use a mix of plants that bloom throughout the growing season
- Choose less toxic pesticide options and apply them in the early morning or evening
If you have questions or need assistance with any of these suggestions, feel free to contact the UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners at (209) 525-6800 or ucmgstanislaus@ucanr.edu
Please join us when we recommend pollinator-friendly plants during our next free class on Low Water Use Landscaping on Thursday, June 27 from 6:00-7:30 in Modesto. Sign up at http://ucanr.edu/lowwater2019
In the fall we plan to hold a class all about pollinators, so stay tuned!
* Visit the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab Common Bee Groups of California to see photos of other types of bees you may find in your landscape. http://www.helpabee.org/common-bee-groups-of-ca.html
- Author: Julie Silva
Tomatoes come in many different sizes–from pea-size to almost 3 pounds and as large as a grapefruit! Different sizes fulfill different needs; cherry tomatoes are perfect for salads, omelets, kebobs, and snacking. Medium size round tomatoes are easier to use for canning. Oblong, meaty tomatoes with less moisture are perfect for sauces, paste, or salsa. Large tomatoes, referred to as slicing tomatoes, are your hamburger's best friend.
You can find many different colors of tomatoes, including red, pink, black, purple, orange, yellow, green, yellow-white, swirls, and striped. Sometimes when sliced, the tomato could take on another color completely!
When deciding which tomato to grow it helps to decipher the tag. Tomatoes are either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes grow to a particular height, then stop and put on a majority of fruit all at once. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow and will produce tomatoes along the branches throughout the growing season. It's usually best to grow both types.
You'll notice on plant tags some capital letters after the tomato variety name. Those letters indicate the tomato's resistance to a particular disease. You can read about these diseases as well as disorders and pests of tomatoes on the UC IPM Tomatoes page.
- V Verticillium Wilt
- F Fusarium Wilt
- N Nematodes
- ASC Alternaria Stem Canker
- TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus
- ST Stemphylium (Grey leaf spot)
- SWV Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
- LB Late Blight
Many hybrid tomatoes carry the VFN designation, unless they are heirlooms. Hybrid tomatoes are grown by crossing varieties to improve traits, making them stronger, more disease resistant and better producers. However, if you plant the seeds from a hybrid tomato, they won't produce the same tomato. This is why many people like to grow heirloom tomatoes and save the seeds for the following year.
To find the top ten tomatoes, be prepared to discover many lists. Opinions are like tomatoes: everyone has a favorite of their own! One of the most popular cherry tomatoes is ‘Sun Gold'; it's considered the sweetest tomato. The favorite early-season tomato is ‘Early Girl,' which is a determinate that produces within 54 days from seed. For main season tomatoes, ‘Celebrity,' ‘Fantastic,' ‘Better Boy,' and ‘Ace' (70-80 days) are popular.
Summer for many people just does not start until that first hamburger with a slab of tomato right out of the garden. Here at the UCCE Stanislaus Master Gardener's Office we are curious: have you planted your tomato plants yet? What's your favorite tomato variety? Please sign in and post your comments below, or on our Facebook page.
Special thanks to Julie Silva for this guest post. She is a UCCE Master Gardener in Tuolumne County.
- Author: Anne E Schellman
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener Program is planning exciting courses for the public for spring, summer, and fall of 2019! Two classes are happening next month:
- April 11, Growing Herbs for Beginners
- April 29, Planting the Right Tree or Shrub for your Landscape Workshop
Summer & Fall Classes
- Pest Management in and Around the Landscape Class
- Fall Vegetable Gardening Class
- Gardening for Pollinators
- Low-Water Use Landscaping
- Vegetable Gardening for Absolute Beginners
- How to Save Vegetable Seeds
Signing up for Classes and Workshops
You can register for the Growing Herbs for Beginners Class now at http://ucanr.edu/herbs2019 or call Anne Schellman at (209) 525-6800 to reserve your space. Registration for Planting the Right Tree or Shrub for Your Landscape Workshop will cost $10 and is limited to 25 people. This post will be updated as classes are available for registration online.
Follow us on Facebook or twitter for announcements about class @ucmgstanislaus. You can also visit our Classes and Workshops page for updates. https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Classes/
Links to Helpful Pages
Who are the UCCE Master Gardeners? https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/
How do I apply for the Program? https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Become_a_UCCE_MG/