Ongoing research

In February I took out the last of my tomato plants. Some I had removed in December when we were threatened with a multiple day freeze. But I had left the Sweet 100, Yellow Pear and an Early Girl that was tangled up between those two.

Get expert tips on choosing tomatoes for your garden from the Master Gardeners of Alameda County. Find the best varieties for flavor, yield, and growth!

Get expert tips on choosing tomatoes for your garden from the Master Gardeners of Alameda County. Find the best varieties for flavor, yield, and growth!

Get expert tips on choosing tomatoes for your garden from the Master Gardeners of Alameda County. Find the best varieties for flavor, yield, and growth!

On a jog up Napa's Dry Creek Road recently, I saw a magnificent sight: thousands of ladybugs clumped together on fences (even barbed wire) and on old, mossy tree stumps. The most unusual ladybug sighting was on a roadside reflector marker.

Roundup Ready technology incorporates genetic resistance to glyphosate into crops and it's an excellent tool for weed control. Initial screening in the early 2000s found good alfalfa crop safety, and many growers currently rely on glyphosate as the only herbicide.

Hands down, or hands up, those walking sticks in the Bohart Museum of Entomology's live petting zoo are favorites among children and adults alike. The walking sticks, or stick insects, belong to the order Phasmatodea.

A local rancher called this week, and as usual, our conversation turned to grass and moisture conditions (I don't think ranchers and rangeland geeks like me can have a conversation WITHOUT discussing these topics).

Conditions in the Santa Cruz Mountains have been ripe for pile burning recently. You may have noticed slight hints of smoke in the air as regional forest managers work quickly to burn woody material that has been carefully piled in fuel and forest health projects.

A UCCE position is now open through April 25th for Water Management Area Advisor. Home base for the position will be at the Kearney REC.