Ongoing research

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Photo by Greg Letts.
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County: Article

News From Our Garden

September 18, 2023
By Janet Miller Photos by Greg Letts The summer season at Our Garden has been one of our busiest and most productive. The year started out with more challenges than we have ever experienced.
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Emily Jackson, in a Forest Service uniform, stands next to her twin sister Lindsay, in her CAL FIRE uniform
Green Blog: Article

4-H youth project helps Siskiyou County prepare animals for emergencies

September 18, 2023
By Michael Hsu
With the McKinney Fire creeping closer to Yreka in the summer of 2022, Emily Jackson and her mother potentially faced the enormous task of getting all their goats, chickens, dogs and cats to safety while Emily's father and twin sister Lindsay were away fighting the fires.
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Perfectly ripe tomatoes for canning
Preservation Notes - San Joaquin Master Food Preservers: Article

Help Desk: Overripe Tomatoes

September 18, 2023
Question: Why is it not advised to use overripe tomatoes for home canning? Response: Using overripe tomatoes in home canning is not recommended for several important reasons, primarily related to safety and the quality of the canned product.
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Several plastic bottles of cleaning solutions and a blue microfiber towel.
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Disinfectants and Sterilizers: The Lesser-known Pesticides

September 18, 2023
By Lauren Fordyce
Did you know that disinfectants and sterilizers are pesticides? Any substance that claims to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel a pest, including germs, is considered a pesticide. So cleaning products that claim to sterilize or kill germs on surfaces or be effective against bacteria like E.
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PH indicator paper with multiple colors
Preservation Notes - San Joaquin Master Food Preservers: Article

Help Desk Question: Home pH Testing

September 18, 2023
QUESTION: Is there any instrument that can be bought to measure the pH balance for home canning? What about a high quality litmus paper or a pH gauge?
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water movement all together
Topics in Subtropics: Article

Water, SGMA, GSP?

September 18, 2023
By Ben A Faber
To achieve groundwater sustainability under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, demand management policies that encourage water conservation will be necessary, says Ellen Bruno, University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in quantitative policy analysis at U...
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Inca Jewel September 14th after Pruning Dying Leaves
Spill the Beans: Article

Growing Tomatoes in Containers Trial Update

September 18, 2023
Summer is winding down and the produce from our gardens is starting to wane. I just cut down my Prairie Fire tomato that I had planted as part of our experiment with growing tomatoes in containers.
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Four men standing on a hillside surrounded by dry grass.
ANR Adventures: Article

What an Amazing Organization!

September 18, 2023
By Brent Hales
Happy Monday all, I have had the pleasure of visiting numerous Research Extension Centers (South Coast, Hopland, Sierra Foothills, Intermountain, West Side, Lindcove, and Kearney). I have also visited UC Irvine, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley. I soon will visit UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz.
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photos by Erin Mahaney
Under the Solano Sun: Article

Shishito Peppers

September 18, 2023
I've had fun experimenting with growing smaller pepper varieties such as jalapeos, padrons, cherry peppers, and Japanese shishito peppers.
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