Ongoing research

August brings many types of ripening produce to the Central Sierra, but some of the most striking summer colors and flavors come from peppers. Peppers come in sweet varieties, which include but aren't limited to bell peppers, and spicy varieties, which are also known as chiles.

Many of us in the UC Master Gardener program fell in love with gardening as children, introduced by an older friend or family member who was a passionate gardener.

On July 7, 2020, we launched the first UC Climate Stewards Instructor Training with 17 instructors from 11 pilot partner organizations across the state. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on meeting in person, we turned our planned 3-day, in-person training into a virtual venture.

I became a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener in San Bernardino County in January of 2019. I had learned about it from a friend who is an instructor with the UCCE Master Food Preserver program.

Calling all Gardeners! Class is open!! Have you been thinking about taking the Master Gardener training class but aren't sure if it's for you?

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County The tomato hornworm that so many gardeners detest has a beautiful future if we let it be. After a winter spent underground and when it is done with metamorphosis, it will become one of the loveliest and largest of the moth species.

Just when folks were beginning to think "it may be over and done" regarding Asian giant hornet sightings, it's not. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has just trapped its first Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, which the news media dubbed "the murder hornet.

Where do you draw the line or species boundaries between what defines one species from another? Evolutionary biologists argue over the issue and sometimes they just agree to disagree.

Gardens and garden art are such a personal expression of creativity! One could argue that the plants themselves are works of art and why should we try to guild the lily, and others embrace the use of garden art wholeheartedly, to create a garden oasis of beauty and memories.

USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China.