- Author: Nick Volesky, Utah State University Vegetable IPM Associate
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
- Blossom drop occurs when daytime temperatures exceed 90°F and nighttime...
- Author: Elaine Lander
If you are growing tomatoes in your garden, you may not be the only vertebrate going for your hard earned harvest. Are rats feasting away in the garden? We have a couple resources we can share to help you reduce or prevent rat damage to your tomatoes.
Integrated Pest Management for Rats
- Our Pest Notes: Rats has information to help you with identification, biology and IPM options.
- This blog post provides additional information on using snap traps to catch rats and mice.
- If you are managing a school or community garden, you can...
- Author: Lauren Snowden
- Editor: Melissa G. Womack
From the UC Master Gardener Statewide Blog
The tomato is one of the most versatile and rewarding plants to grow in a summer edible garden. According to a 2014 study by the National Gardening Association, 86 percent of homes with vegetable gardens grow tomatoes. It's understandable that the tomato plant is a popular home vegetable garden staple, tomatoes offer thousands of different varieties options and flavors. Plus, nothing beats the flavor of a ripe tomato straight from the garden!
When properly cared for, a single tomato plant can produce 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) or more of fruit. If tomato yields aren't what was...
- Author: Chuck Ingels
- Author: David Robert Haviland
[From the July 2014 issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]
In recent years, you may have seen a strange “new” bug in your garden, especially on tomatoes and pomegranates. These insects may be leaffooted bugs. Although they are native to the western United States and not new to California, leaffooted bugs seem to be occurring more commonly in gardens. These distinctive bugs get their name from the small leaf-like enlargements on the hind leg (Figure 1). They are medium to large sized insects that prefer to feed on fruits and seeds and are often found in...
/span>An army of leaffooted bugs attacking pomegranates, tomatoes or other plants in your garden can be quite disconcerting. They are large, long-legged bugs with a big appetite for fruits and seeds. After overwintering as adults in protected areas such as wood piles or outbuildings, they emerge to feed on seeds of winter weeds and then head out to farms and gardens in search of early season fruit and a place to lay eggs.
To learn more about identification, biology and management of these bugs, read the newly published Pest Note: Leaffooted Bugs authored by Chuck Ingels, UCCE Sacramento County and David Haviland, UCCE Kern County.