HOrT COCO-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa

Autumn is just around the corner, and soon the leaves will start to fall. This fall, instead of raking up the leaves, put them to work as a natural mulch suppressing weeds, protecting the soil from erosion, retaining soil moisture, returning nutrients to the garden, and sheltering over-wintering insects and…

One of the special things about our Mediterranean climate is being able to grow edible plants year-round. Even as we are harvesting beautiful tomatoes, in August it’s time to start planning for cool weather gardens.There is a long list of cool season vegetables, including lettuce, brassicas like broccoli,…

Note: This was originally published in the Contra Costa Times. It has been updated.Horticultural oils are lightweight oils, either petroleum or plant based, that can be an effective and low toxic choice for managing certain insect and mite pests. What you find on the shelf of your local retailer may be…

Phytotoxicity (phyto relates to plants) is the name for damage to plants caused by chemical substances. This is the time of year we hear about plants with blotches or splotches on leaves, curling leaves, or other deformities. If you have recently sprayed your plants and are seeing problems on the leaves,…

If you've noticed small, greenish-yellow beetles with twelve black spots chewing holes in your vegetable leaves, you may be hosting one of summer's most troublesome visitors: the western spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). This is the most common cucumber beetle species in California, and…