While it may not be top of mind when you sip a Margarita, nearly all of the beverages we consume come from plants. Apart from plain water and traditional dairy milk, virtually everything else--coffee, tea, cocoa, wine, beer, fruit and vegetable juices, cola, vodka, bourbon—the list goes on!—starts in a garden. In addition to the basic beverages we consume every day, the flavor, aroma, and visual excitement of unique plant ingredients has also become an essential part of the carefully crafted cocktails and other drinks we enjoy. You might be surprised to learn that some of the most interesting and flavorful edible plant ingredients are actually easy to grow and make attractive additions to an existing landscape. Down the road, you might even be inspired to go all out and create a unique, drink-themed section of your garden. For now, here is a list of unfussy, coast-friendly plants that will take your mixology skills to a new level.

If you want to enjoy your own fresh, homegrown tomatoes this summer, April is the time to get started. Unless you are a hardcore gardener and start your own from seeds, most likely you will be buying young tomato plants (“seedlings”) from a nursery or plant sale. More about that later! Once you have your plants home, knowing what comes next is important to ensure that they remain healthy and productive later on. Here's how:

Cynthia Nations is a UC Master Gardener coastside resident who grows many different varieties of tomatoes each summer. This article was edited by UC Master Gardener, Maggie Mah.

The late comedian George Carlin once posed the question: "Why is there no blue food?” He speculated that the absence of “blue food” was due to the fact it was actually the secret to immortality and therefore not available to the rest of us. Fast-forward 50 years and, although George argued that blueberries were actually purple, it turns out he might have been onto something. The “blue” in blueberries comes from a group of phytochemicals called anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants which may help your body defend itself against a long list of diseases. Eating blueberries is not likely to make you immortal but there is no doubt that they are highly nutritious and, as such, are commonly touted as a “Superfood.”

In addition to being delicious, blueberries are easy to grow and make attractive additions to the home garden with profuse clusters of white or pink blossoms in early spring and colorful foliage in the fall. Since nothing is healthier or more delicious than fresh picked blueberries, here's how you can grow your very own “Superfood.”

Blueberry plants that do well in the mild winter conditions of our coastal areas include Southern Highbush, a hybrid of native Highbush and Southern Lowbush Blueberry varieties. These cultivars are also known for producing lots of sweet, flavorful berries. Other variations on Southern Highbush blueberries include Reka, O'Neal, Gulf Coast, Jubilee, Misty, Georgia Gem, and Marimba.

Unless you want to share your blueberry harvest with the local bird population, you may want to protect your harvest with bird netting. (Note: netting is a bit pesky, and it won't deter squirrels!) Install the netting just as the first green berries show a blush of violet. Once berry production slows down and your main harvest is done, you can remove the netting and allow your feathered friends to enjoy what's left of the berries. They will return the favor by removing any lurking caterpillars. After several years, you may see that your original plants have sent out rhizome shoots and multiplied the number of fruit producing stems in the garden bed.

For more information, check out these resources:

Bruce Goren is a Master Gardener who has developed his own tomato variety, San Francisco Sunrise. Bruce is also doing experimental grafting to see if fruit trees can produce sub-tropical fruits in chilly San Francisco. You can find more about Bruce's work, read his comments, and see his photography on Instagram at IG-@SFfruitGardener. This article was edited by UC SM/SF Master Gardeners Maggie Mah and Cynthia Nations.

Is it permeable? Landscape or “weed blocking” fabric is made of tightly woven fiber, usually
polyester or plastic, both of which are derived from petroleum. There are different grades and
thicknesses, which will have correspondingly different degrees of permeability. Initially, they
are somewhat porous, allowing a certain amount of water and air to move through the fabric.
Unfortunately, permeability decreases in short order as the small holes that create porosity
gradually become clogged with dirt and debris. This is where the trouble starts.

What goes on below the surface? While not visible to the naked eye, healthy soil teems with
billions of beneficial organisms that depend on the movement of water and vital gases (oxygen,
carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere and the soil. As permeability decreases, these
components become more and more restricted. Deprived of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water,
soil microorganisms die off, leading to a downward cycle. Natural processes start to shut down
and plants start to appear less and less healthy. Once uncovered, the degraded soil may appear
cracked, compacted, and will very likely smell rotten. This is because the natural process of
decomposition has been interrupted and the healthy microbial community has died off.

Rooting for roots. Plants that are surrounded by increasingly clogged landscape material have a
hard time, too. Vegetation that is planted in good, properly irrigated soil grows deep roots in
the process of seeking out nutrients and moisture. This leads to healthy plants that are more
resilient to stress. Conversely, plants that are surrounded by a cover of landscape fabric (which
can be bone dry even after a deep, soaking rain) soon spread their roots out closer to the
surface. Eventually, roots may appear at the edge of the landscape fabric but despite a
gardener's best efforts, plants in this scenario will not do well.

Mulch: always good? Landscape fabric is often topped with a layer of organic mulch such as
wood chips. Although mulch is normally a very good thing and a top dressing of it certainly
looks more attractive than naked landscape fabric, it can't do what it does when it is in direct
contact with the native soil and becomes counterproductive. Why? Instead of the usual process
of decomposing and adding valuable organic matter to the soil, the mulch particles just break
down on top of the fabric and add more particulates to clog things up even more.
Still in the weeds? If you are determined to get the upper hand in the battle against weeds,
consider sheet mulching and other beneficial practices that will minimize time and effort and,
at the same time, help your garden to thrive.