Ongoing research

Meetings and Announcements Planting Time Deciduous Fruit Trees for the Home Orchard...

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Some may say that rats shouldn't be classified as pests, but most would agree they aren't good neighbors. In residential areas, rats damage garden crops and eat tree fruit; they can transmit diseases to humans and generally convey a sense of uncleanliness.

Make some shopping expeditions to your favorite nurseries to select water-conserving trees, shrubs and perennials. Tasks Inspect trees for die-back and weak limbs, which are common in drought-stressed plants, and remove them before they become a safety hazard.

If you are starting a list of plants to put in the ground this spring or fall, you might want to add a salvia or two. With just under 1000 varieties, Salvia is the largest genus in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Commonly known as sages, Salvias come in a dizzying variety of forms and colors.

It's Saturday, Feb. 8--the 14th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day--and you're heading toward the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, home of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology. You want to see the displays and chat with the scientists.

I have a horror of hurting the plants I try to grow, so pruning is one of my bugbears. When this time of year creeps up on the calendar, I start looking for urgent activities that will make it difficult, if not impossible, to get around to pruning.

Before considering pesticides, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) teaches us to identify the pest or disease process before taking the actions of least harm. The IPM website has tools that you can use to identify the pest.

Over ten years ago(!), I wrote about growing Watermelon radish (Raphanus sativus 'Watermelon') in my winter garden.

After releasing the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for development of the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA opened a public comment period to collect feedback, which ended on Feb 10th.