Big Changes, Big Tomatoes, and Even Bigger Excitement!
We’ve got some juicy news—our website has officially moved to a brand-new platform! While we’re putting the finishing touches on things (including this very newsletter), everything is up and running. If you notice anything missing, don’t worry—we’re on it! Thanks for sticking with us through the transition.
Now, let’s dig into the good stuff! This spring, we’re gearing up for the Great Tomato Plant Sale (GTPS)—a gardener’s dream! Along with that, we’ve packed this issue with must-read articles on growing your own food, mastering irrigation, and keeping pesky pests in check in our Mediterranean climate.
Grab your gardening gloves, and let’s grow together!
Hedwig Van Den Broeck and Robin Mitchell, editors - Contact Us
"The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” – Michael Pollan
Great Tomato Plant Sale: Bringing You Summer Veggies Since 2012!
Spring is in the air! And we hope you are prepping your gardens for a season full of fresh, homegrown veggies. The Great Tomato Plant Sale (GTPS) is just a little over a week away. We can’t wait to help you find the perfect veggies for your garden.
We’ve got plenty of exciting varieties to choose from. Over our 3 county area sales, we have 75 varieties of tomatoes, 39 varieties of peppers, and 78 varieties of other veggies, including eggplant, summer and winter squash, cucumbers, beans, leafy greens, and more! There’s something for everyone!
Plan your shopping trip in advance by visiting our website [link] for detailed variety descriptions, printable shopping lists, and helpful articles on growing summer veggies . Please note that availability varies by location—be sure to check the county-specific shopping lists and the description lists to find exactly what you’re looking for.
As a reminder, the dates of our sales are:
- Our Garden, Walnut Creek
(at N. Wiget & Shadelands Dr.)- Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
*ADA-accessible station with all plant varieties will be available in the parking lot on Saturday and Sunday - Wednesdays, April 9 and 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Rivertown Demonstration Garden, Antioch
(in the Contra Costa Event Park, 1201 W. 10th St.)- Saturday, April 12th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Richmond Civic Center Library
(325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond)- Saturday, April 19th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For safety reasons, pets are not allowed inside the sales area.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you and assisting you in any way we can. Our “Ask a Master Gardener” team will be on-site at each of the 3 county area sales to help answer your gardening questions. We will also have a speaker at Our Garden, Walnut Creek, who will talk about “Pro Tips for the Summer Garden” on both Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, from noon to 1:00pm.
Great Patio Container Tomatoes and Peppers for Small Spaces Gardening
This year’s Contra Costa County Master Gardeners Great Tomato Plant Sale supplies easy-to-grow and delicious tomato and pepper varieties for container gardening. Small spaces container tomatoes though require some specific best practices that you will find in a UC ANR article (LINK REMOVED) (Contra Costa is defined as Zone-C). Peppers have similar needs to tomatoes.
Patio containers are a different growing environment than in-ground beds. Overall sunlight and temperature reflection by your home’s exterior walls will warm your growing space up to ten degrees more than surrounding air temperatures. Containers also lose water more quickly due to heated container walls and porous soil mixtures inside. If you utilize drip irrigators, you should run at least 2 emitter lines to each plant in case an emitter clogs. Container plants need water applied more frequently than in-ground veggies, often in small increments each day during hot weather.
Both tomatoes and peppers form deeper root systems than other summertime vegetables. Your containers should be tall enough to hold at least 16 to 20 inches of potting soil. Support taller-growing tomato varieties with a small trellis or wire tomato cage. Taller, unglazed terra cotta pots have porous walls and can supply essential air into the potting soil. Grow bags are also popular with new gardeners since they are light and transportable, they self-regulate the soil temperatures, and cannot be overwatered, since they expel excess water through their fabric walls.
Many of the best container tomato varieties share the qualities of compactness and are “determinate,” which means the fruit tends to ripen all at once. For West County container gardens, our experience has shown that the best varieties for cooler, moister climates have shorter ripening durations (55-65 days.) Great options include Toy Boy, Gold Nugget, and Small Fry cherries. In East County, look for low water requirement varieties, higher heat requirements, and longer days for ripening, such as Better Bush Hybrid and Patio Hybrid. Central County patio gardeners have more flexibility and can grow most tomato varieties depending on their placement in shadier or sunnier parts of their space. Other good varieties for containers are Aurora, Baby Boomer, Black Russian, Black Sea Man, Bush Champion II, Italian Roma Bush, La Roma III, Legend, Lizzano, Siletz, Super Bush, and Washington Cherry. Review online descriptions to select types that best suit your space and needs.
Fun fact: Did you know that many pepper and chile varieties can thrive for years if moved to a protected indoor location during colder months? They produce best when soil is at least 70 degrees and daytime air temperatures are 75-85 degrees. Good chile pepper varieties for our climate include Aleppo, Garden Salsa, Habanero, Jalapeno, Paprika, Padron, Poblano, and Shishito. Good bell pepper varieties for Contra Costa patio gardens are Ace, Etiuda, Flavorburst, and Orange Bell. Here’s a link to a UC ANR article on growing great peppers in Northern California: https://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Vegetable_of_the_Month/Peppers_in_a_drought/ .
With planning, proper care, and a bit of luck, you’ll be harvesting great container tomatoes and peppers all summer!
Galls on our Apple Trees
During a routine winter pruning of 15-year-old apple trees, an unsettling discovery was made—large, brown, hard, swollen lumps clinging to the branches., Even the espaliered apple trees in the front yard were not spared. These growths appeared concerning, almost as if they were harming the trees, but removing them immediately seemed risky. Would scraping them off cause further damage?
Consulting UC Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) for expert guidance was the best course of action.. Lo and behold, a closer look revealed the culprit: the tiny woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma langligerum). At just 1/20 of an inch, these pests are easy to overlook, especially since they hide beneath a coating of white wax. Despite their size, they can cause harm by feeding on limbs, trunks, roots, and shoots, forming colonies in bark cracks and pruning wounds.
Woolly apple aphids rarely cause serious harm to the overall health of apple trees. However, their feeding leads to unsightly swollen, warty galls on the bark. While older trees are generally less affected by this invasion, these unsightly galls can still be a nuisance.
Unfortunately, the only real solution, is pruning the damaged branches. Since the damage is considered merely an "aesthetic issue," removal isn’t essential, but for those who prefer a cleaner look, cutting away the galls is the best option. The challenge arises when the damage appears on the main limbs, making removal more difficult. Some apple varieties are less susceptible to woolly apple aphids, offering an alternative for those looking to prevent future infestations. However, switching varieties means starting the espalier process from scratch—a daunting task for any gardener.
Moving forward, a more vigilant approach will be essential. Preventive measures like horticultural oil and insecticidal soap may curb further damage and keep these pests in check. Once the trees leaf out again in the coming months, these unsightly galls may no longer be visible, but their presence will still be felt. Staying proactive is the best defense against these hidden invaders, ensuring healthier trees for seasons to come.
Gardening in a Mediterranean Climate Zone
Did you know that we live and garden in a rare and unique climatic zone? The Mediterranean climate exists in only 2% of the world’s land mass, found in just five regions: the Mediterranean Basin, Chile, South Africa, California, and Australia. Despite being spread across different continents, these areas share a strikingly similar climate—mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
What makes these 5 regions even more fascinating is their location. If you look at a globe, you’ll notice that two are in the Northern Hemisphere and three are in the Southern Hemisphere, all positioned midway between the equator, and the north and south poles. Each one sits on the west or southwest coast of a continent, where cold ocean currents help regulate temperatures. Additionally, subtropical high-pressure systems dominate, preventing summer rainfall and shaping the distinct weather patterns that define Mediterranean climates.
Understanding this unique climate is key to gardening successfully in our region. So, how does it impact the way plants grow—and what does it mean for gardeners? Let’s explore.
Plants that have adapted to dry summer climates have a lot in common. Many are drought-deciduous. They drop their leaves during periods of drought to conserve water—only to sprout fresh growth when moisture returns. Take California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), for example; it loses its leaves under stress but quickly grows new leaves when water is available again. Other plants, like Purple sage (Salvia leucophylla) respond a little differently by producing different types of leaves depending on the season. California lilacs grow thick, leathery sclerophyll leaves with fewer or smaller stomata to reduce water loss. If you’ve ever walked through the native section of a nursery, you may have noticed that many of these plants have upright, grayish green, or whitish coloring, or even hairy surfaces. These adaptations are designed to reflect sunlight and minimize heat stress, allowing the plants to thrive in hot, dry conditions.
In Plant Life in the Worlds’ Mediterranean Climates (University of California Press, published for the California Native Plant Society), Peter R. Dallman describes not only the unique characteristics of Mediterranean climates but also the diverse plant life that thrives in these dry, hot summers. He highlights species from chaparral, oak woodlands, and forest plants that are all well adapted to this rare 2% of the world’s landmass we belong to.
Dallman encourages us to work with, rather than against, the natural conditions of climate, microclimates, and soils. To truly understand and appreciate our Mediterranean climate he suggests exploring local open spaces throughout the seasons. A walk through Briones Regional Park, state parks, or nearby open spaces offers a firsthand look at the resilient plants that have adapted to our Mediterranean climate—perhaps even inspiring ideas for how to incorporate them into our own landscapes.
References:
Calscape, California Native Plant Society
Mediterranean Garden by UC Master Gardener Volunteers of Contra Costa County
Plant Adaptations to Mediterranean Climates, webinar by Dawn Kooyumjian