Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

by Liz Rees, UC Master Gardeners of Nevada CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Winter 2009Every gardening book, magazine or guru states how important it is to read, understand and carefully follow the directions provided on the back of the seed packet.According to the experts, the back of the seed packet…

By Trish Grenfell, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyQ: I have decided that I want to grow my first vegetable garden next spring. I don’t have much money and my yard is mainly grass. And I am novice gardener with little time to learn. What can I do now to prepare for my spring garden? A: There are a…

By Pat Huber, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyQ: Besides dreaming through seed and bulb catalogs, what should I be doing now in the garden?A: The heavy “To-Do” list gardeners carry in summer and fall, followed by busy holiday schedules, leaves us looking forward to the rest and quiet time…

By Robyn Emme, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Winter 2007Our thoughts are turning from enjoying those lazy winter weekends when gardening is just not happening to maybe summoning up the inspiration to start planning what we will do differently this year and what new plants we…

Anything that can hold soil and has at least one drainage hole (2 to 3 holes are better) can serve as a planter. Often “found” unconventional items make excellent pots.When using pots that have contained other plants, you may want to use a 10% bleach solution to disinfect your container and tools. This…

Trish Grenfell, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Spring 2012Q:  Recently, while shopping at the nursery, I noticed an “F1” after the name of a vegetable start I was going to buy.  What does it mean?A: "F1 hybrid" is the term used for the first generation hybrid seed…

By Elaine Applebaum, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: Catalogs and some nurseries list “zones” in their description of plants. What are they talking about?A:  Athletes strive to be “in the zone” and Caltrans asks us to “Slow for the Cone Zone,” but gardeners need to know their USDA or…

By Peggy Beltramo, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Spring 2021 We have always had gardeners who marked the seasons and the weather where they gardened. From a historical perspective, Thomas Jefferson was an early climate record keeper. He tracked precipitation and…