Cooperative Extension Contra Costa

Article

Prepping Soil for Raised Vegetable Beds

April 13th, 2025

By Help Desk Team

https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/social_media_facebook/public/2023-08/387502.jpg.webp?itok=aIiJmULPWe often hear from Contra Costa gardeners this time of year who are eagerly anticipating their summer vegetable gardens. One of their most frequent questions is how to make sure their…

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Article

It's Time to Plant Your Summer Tomato Crop

March 30th, 2025

By Help Desk Team

It is not unusual to find tomato seedlings for sale in local nurseries and big box stores as early as February or March. Don't make the mistake of rushing to plant them in your garden. In our County it is much too early to put tomato seedlings in the garden, but it is the perfect time to make plans for a…

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Article

When to Cut Cover Crops

March 20th, 2025

By Help Desk Team

Many of us have planted winter cover crops in our gardens to enrich the soil. Fava beans, winter peas, vetch, and other legumes can do a great job of adding nitrogen to our soils. With a symbiotic relationship with special microorganisms, legumes can take nitrogen in our air and put it into…

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Article

A New Law Concerning Neonicotinoids

February 17th, 2025

By Help Desk Team

On January 1 of this year a new law went into effect in California, greatly limiting the use of a pesticide class known as neonicotinoids. Originally developed in the 1980's, these pesticides became the most widely used class of insecticides in the world.

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Photo of interplanting of shallots and lettuce

Article

Companion Planting in the Vegetable Garden

February 3rd, 2025

By Help Desk Team

Companion planting and intercropping are two planting methods that include growing a variety of plants in close proximity. When we grow different types of vegetables, herbs, and flowers together, they can work together to create a healthier and more productive garden.

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Article

What Are Chill Hours?

January 21st, 2025

By Help Desk Team

Whether today's temperature is low enough might seem like a funny question to ask, but if you are growing fruit trees or berries, it's important to wonder if it's cold enough. Sufficient cold temperatures can mean the difference between an abundant fruit crop or little-to-no flowers or fruit.

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Gary Hayakawa and John Kabashima (Emeritus Advisor)

Article

UCCE Orange County Partners with Local Pest Management Services and Industry to Resolve Mouse Infestation and Highlight Community Impact

January 14th, 2025

By Niamh M Quinn

Social Media Summary: Through teamwork and expertise, UCCE Orange County, local pest control business and industry resolved a mouse infestation, showcasing sustainable pest management, community collaboration, and the importance of giving back.

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Article

Planting Your Living Christmas Tree

January 7th, 2025

By Help Desk Team

Our previous HORT COCO blog (December 17, 2024) focused on caring for live holiday plants, including live Christmas trees. This article will focus on how to plant and care for a live tree after the holidays.

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Two people gardening in a community green space

Article

Growing Green Spaces and Community Health with the UC Master Gardener Program

December 20th, 2024

By Melissa G Womack, Jocelyn M Mobley

The UC Master Gardener Program improves community health and well-being by expanding green space and food gardening access across California.

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Article

Caring for Holiday Plants

December 17th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times. Q: I like to decorate my home at the holidays with poinsettias and other holiday plants, but they don't last very long.

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WCRA participants learning about rodent identification from Niamh Quinn, CE Advisor, who is holding a rat specimen in her hand

Article

West Coast Rodent Academy Empowers Pest Control Professionals with Cutting-Edge Knowledge on Urban Rodent Management

December 13th, 2024

By Niamh M Quinn

Social Media Summary At the West Coast Rodent Academy, 45 pest management professionals gained hands-on skills in rodent ecology, exclusion techniques, and rodenticide awareness to tackle California's urban rodent issues.

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Persephone and other Greek people in statues with a chariot

Article

The Period of Persephone

December 2nd, 2024

By Help Desk Team

To explain seasonal changes, the ancient Greeks told the story of Persephone, goddess of the Spring, who was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. Her mother Demeter, goddess of Agriculture, was filled with grief and neglected the earth, creating a famine.

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Article

Mistletoe Prunings Can Be Holiday Decorations

November 18th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times. Q: I have a lot of mistletoe in my street tree, which is some sort of ash, I think.

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Article

Garlic Part 2 - Planting / Care / Curing

November 4th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Garlic (Allium sativum) is loved and respected around the world as a symbol of protection and luck. It is thought to impart strength and endurance and is prized as a natural medicinal remedy with antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Impressive for such a humble vegetable.

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Article

Garlic, Love It or Leave It

October 21st, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Whether you fall into the camp of a little goes a long way or too much is never enough, I hope to convince you that growing garlic is worthy of your time and some space in the garden. Let's look at this amazing and ancient plant.

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Article

Weeds and Weed Seeds

October 8th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times Conquer weeds by understanding their life cycles As a gardener in Contra Costa County, you know from observation that weeds have an immense capacity to produce seeds. In fact, the high reproductive output of weeds is astounding.

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A small beetle, with six golden spots on its brown wings, on top of an oak leaf

Article

Collaborative Training Enhances Response to Goldspotted Oak Borer in Southern California

September 23rd, 2024

By Beatriz E Nobua Behrmann

SoCal Edison staff, bolstered with UCCE training, identify Goldspotted Oak Borer infestations and trigger swift response, demonstrating enhanced workforce capacity to combat invasive species and protect California's forests.

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Article

Growing Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns

September 23rd, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times. Q: I know that acorns are the seeds of oak trees, but how do I plant them? A: Oaks are an important part of the California landscape.

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Article

Seeds Are Worth Saving

September 9th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

It's getting close to the end of our summer gardening season. Now is the time to start thinking about next summer's garden.

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Article

Spider Mites

August 26th, 2024

By Help Desk Team

Spider mites are very common pests found on many of our landscape and vegetable garden plants. They are tiny and difficult to see but once you learn about them, you might start seeing evidence of infestation on a wide variety of plants.

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Welcome!

The University of California Cooperative Extension Contra Costa County delivers high quality education and research programs that contribute to:
• Safe, healthy and accessible food
• Clean water and a healthy environment
• Improved nutrition habits and well-nourished residents
• Healthy youth who contribute to healthy communities
• An improved local economy

Our programs benefit ALL cities and ALL citizens throughout the County. We pride ourselves on delivering the most cost-effective programs in the most efficient manner by drawing upon experts from throughout the UC system, utilizing over 600 trained volunteers, and working cooperatively with over 150 diverse public and private agencies/organizations. And we do this at a minimal cost to the public.

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Contra Costa County
2380 Bisso Lane, Ste. B
Concord, CA 94520-4829

Main Office: 925-608-6670
Fax: 925-608-6697
Master Gardeners: 925-608-6683
4-H Program: 925-608-6690
Email: cecontracosta@ucdavis.edu

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