With spring quickly approaching, many gardeners are dreaming of their garden preparations: ordering seeds, prepping the soil, cleaning up from last year. With all these things in mind, have you ever thought about saving the seeds from the crops you grow? There are many benefits in considering this.
- Seeds and plants saved become acclimated to our environment, climate
- There is a greater variety of vegetables to grow
- There may be more genetic diversity when growing old-time veggies
- It is can be cost effective due to higher seed prices
Hybrids vs. Heirlooms
With this in mind, there are some important things to know about what veggies to grow in order to save...
/h3>By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
The Solanaceae, or nightshade family, is a large one. Just as our own families can include the kindly grandma as well as the femme fatale, nightshade plants embrace favorite edibles such as potatoes, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes, while also claiming toxic plants such as tobacco, brugmansia, belladonna and jimson weed.
The. 2,700 Solanaceae species have diverse habits, but they all produce solanine, an alkaloid toxin. In most foods, the solanine is present in such small quantity that it is harmless.
Let us dispose of the second, more sinister, group first. These plants are attractive in the landscape and...
- Author: Anne E Schellman
In August we featured an article by former Environmental Horticulture Advisor, Ed Perry, called "Save the Right Seeds."
This article discussed how to successfully choose which vegetable seeds to save to plant in your garden next year.
Now, we wanted to follow up with tips for how to save your chosen seeds. Master Gardeners Royce Rhoads and Heidi Aufdermaur taught this class last year, and plan to teach it again in 2021.
Here is a list of items to gather. Most likely you already have most of them:
-Tomato
-Marker and masking tape
-Knife and spoon
-Jars and rings; or just...
We are excited to announce the UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardener Program has started a YouTube Channel! Our goal is to bring you FREE gardening programming asked for by members of the community.
Our first video, Spring Container Vegetable Gardening was just posted. It was recorded on April 15, 2020. Master Gardener Rho Yare tells you everything you need to know about growing food in containers in spring.
Although spring is in full swing, there's still time to purchase vegetable transplants from a local garden or nursery. You can find tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, and squash plants. There's still time to get seeds in the ground for melons, pumpkins, and beans.
Upcoming...
From the Help Desk of the Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County
Client– Thank you for stopping by the Master Gardeners table at the recent Lafayette Harvest Festival with your request for information on increasing your eggplant yield.
MGCC Help Desk Response: One key factor for growing more eggplants is temperature. Eggplants like warm temperatures: a daytime temperature between 75 and 85 degrees oF and a nighttime temperature at or above 65 degrees oF. Those temperatures are key to blooming, pollination, and fruit growth. Colder temperatures can stop plant and root growth, reducing plant vigor and yields.
To avoid the cold,...