News & Information Outreach

Home grown tomatoes! No doubt, most home gardeners’ tomato patches are well on their way. Today, on In the Garden with UCCE Master Gardeners, we go back many years and a few months for our only show on the topic of Tomatoes. Back in 2015, one of our OG In The Garden radio hosts, Mark Fierle, talked to…

By Ellen Bruno and Nick Hagerty  California is now ten years into a revolution in groundwater management. In 2014, the state passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which requires newly formed local groundwater sustainability agencies to develop long-term plans to reduce overdraft by…

 You may recognize her name from the numerous articles she has authored for The Stanislaus Sprout. Denise answers a few questions so you can get to know her better. Denise, what inspired you to become a UC Master Gardener? One of my friends who lives in Greeley Hill became a Master Gardener…

 Get ready, garden lovers — the UC Master Gardener volunteers are at the fair from July 11–20, 2026! Swing by our table inside the Floriculture Building, just inside the fairgrounds near the Arch gate off 900 North Broadway in Turlock.FREE ‘Black Beauty’ Squash SeedsStop by our table and learn more…

I recently attended a conference in Charleston, West Virginia. In case your 5th Grade History Neurons have deteriorated from lack of use, that’s their state capital. While there, I took a long walk from my hotel through historic neighborhoods to check out the grounds while I was waiting for my flight out of…

Blog by Tina Saravia A few years ago I purchased a Bacon Avocado (Persea americana) in a 5-gallon can. As its botanical name indicates, it is native to the Americas (Mexico, Central America, and South America) and belongs to the Laurel family. It is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 66 feet or 20…

You have probably heard about the “good bugs” that eat pest insects around your home and garden, like ladybugs, lacewings, and spiders. You may have even purchased some beneficial insects or nematodes at a garden store. Good bugs can also help us manage invasive species, but the process is a bit more…

 Pecan bud break and bloom dynamics in the southern San Joaquin ValleyElizabeth J. Fichtner, Farm Advisor, UCCE Tulare County, Jennifer Randall, Professor, New Mexico State University, Richard Heerema, Extension Specialist, New Mexico State UniversityOf the four nut crops grown in California’s Central…

 In EnglishReconocer la conducta podría optimizar la distribución de las manadas y mejorar la nutriciónLas vacas muestran diferentes personalidades a la hora de pastar y conocerlas y entenderlas puede ayudar a los ganaderos a elegir a las apropiadas para ayudarlos a optimizar sus pastizales. Un…

 Have you visited the UC Davis Bee Haven lately?It's thriving with more plants, more pollinators, and more projects since its renovation launched last summer.The half-acre bee friendly demonstration garden, installed in the fall of 2009 on Bee Biology Road, is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr…

 In EnglishSon cuatro los principios de la Soberanía Alimentaria IndígenaEn el 2007, el primer Foro de Soberanía Alimentaria definió el concepto como “el derecho de los pueblos a alimentos saludables y culturalmente apropiados producidos a través de métodos ecológicamente racionales y sustentables y su…

We just passed the Summer Solstice, and with the longest day comes warmer weather. As things heat up, here are some tips for supporting your plants during the summer heat waves, while saving water.Mulch, mulch, mulch. Whether you use bark, shredded leaves, or wood chips, a thick layer of mulch will help the…

Grower and handler votes are requested by July 2 for proposed amendments to the CA Dry Bean Research and Marketing Program.

Tumbleweeds rolling across the landscape may make you think of classic old Western movies, but tumbleweeds, or Russian thistle, is more common today than you might think. This invasive plant can grow anywhere the soil is disturbed and once it matures, it breaks off its stem and the dried plant blows across…

UC EFNEP educator Santos Lopez has helped people improve their eating and physical activity habits by delivering bilingual nutrition lessons to families in Contra Costa County. He is retiring after serving the community for 17 years.

Table Olive Yields Benefit from a New Approach to the Age-old Practice of PruningElizabeth Fichtner, UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare and Kings Counties, and Carol J. Lovatt, Professor of Plant Physiology, Emeritus, Dept. of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC RiversidePruning is essential for sustaining orchard…

UC Davis updates nitrogen removal coefficients for table oliveElizabeth Fichtner, Farm Advisor, UCCE Tulare County and Daniel Geisseler, CE Specialist, UC Davis                 UC Davis researchers have partnered with local UCCE…

Blog by Peter WilsonJuly of 2013, at a family reunion on Kawaii Island of Hawaii, I fell in love with the Momma Hen and her 13-baby chicks. It didn’t take long for me to decide to get chicks after returning home to Vallejo. It was early August; I ordered a few chicks to the Wilson Villa and Garden. That…

 If you're concerned about the loss of academic research in our universities--why it matters and what you can do--you'll want to register for this UC Davis-based webinar. Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman, a Distinguished Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology--and…