Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

By Iris Craig, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County When I asked a friend how her garden was doing, she told me that the day after she planted lettuce and basil, she found nothing but stumps. I told her that the likely culprits were snails, birds or rodents.

One of the hardest things about gardening is setting priorities. The to-do list never seems to end. Weeding, watering, deadheading, harvesting there is always more to be done.

With the garden moving into full swing, you may be seeing a plethora of pests trying to get to all that produce before you do! First, you need to make it difficult and less desirable for larger mammals such as rats and rabbits to get to the garden.

Reposted from the University of California newsroom Just how far apart are Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views on climate change? Not all that far, as it turns out. They're just too party-focused to notice.

I don't write too much about it in this space because it tends more in the area of "shop talk" for us in extension, but a great interest of mine is how one successfully executes a program of extension.

It's a bully. But what a bully! Ever seen the male European wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) protecting its turf? It's "no-holds barred" on our blue spike sage (Salvia uliginosa) and frankly, it's a delight to see and photograph.

What's for lunch today? Try this delicious "Invasives Lunch" webinar series, organized by CalNat Associate Director Sabrina Drill.

Hello all, Please find the attached document to provide the previous weeks estimated water use report in terms of evapotranspiration for almonds, peaches, walnuts, established vineyard, alfalfa and pasture in Stanislaus County.

Dr. Mohsen Mesgaran, who joined the Weed Science Group this year as our weed ecophysiologist, found this plant growing on the research farm at UC Davis. African spiderflower is a summer annual broadleaf plant in the caper family (Cleomaceae), growing up to 3 ft tall and wide.

I got a report from a PCA early in the week of blast infections detected near Maxwell. Blast can occur at any time during the development of the crop. When it infects leaves, it is called leaf blast.