Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

 With their timeless beauty and grace, roses are often considered jewels of the garden.  They also have the reputation for being persnickety plants that are high-maintenance and heavily dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Today’s gardeners are looking for easier and gentler ways of…

Blog by Michelle DavisAlmost a month ago, I stepped out onto my patio to discover an insect I had never seen before. She was about 1 ½ inches long, not counting her long antennae. What was striking about her was the coloration: alternating bands of light blue and black, even on the antennae. Her entire…

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released the FY2026 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – Foundational and Applied Science (FAS) Program Request for Applications (RFA). The goal of this program is to invest agricultural production research, education, and extension…

 Recently, I have been getting questions about possible bird damage in early-heading rice fields. Blackbirds, primarily red-winged blackbirds, can damage rice from planting season, seedling stage, and the ripening period; however, in California, where the majority of our rice is water-seeded, typically…

 

Understanding the ins and outs of fertilizing your garden can sometimes feel overwhelming. The shelves of colorful products at the local shop, sometimes with confusing labels, promise magical results. By keeping in mind some basic facts about fertilizers and fertilizing, you may approach the task with much…

By – Sherida Phibbs Meet Linda Driver – One Jar at a TimeIf you’ve ever attended a UC Master Food Preserver class on jellies and jams, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Linda Driver—a longtime volunteer whose passion for preserving is only matched by her generosity and sense of humor.Linda became a…

Michele Jones UC Master Food Preserver Online Program VolunteerCounty of residence: Placer Image credit: Maria Giovanni, 2025 Hi, my name is Michele Jones, and I am proud to be a recent graduate of the UC Master Food Preserver Program, graduating in June 2025. I grew up watching my mother and…