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UC Master Gardener Program of Yolo County

purple Spanish lavender flowers
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May Garden Tips

May 7th, 2025
Tips by Peg Smith, UC Master Gardener-Yolo May is the month to get all these wonderful summer vegetables planted: tomatoes, peppers, corn, eggplant, and squash. We are all familiar with ‘summer squash’ such as zucchini, crookneck, and patty pan. But don’t be fooled by the term ‘winter squash’ (butternut…
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An Interview with a Plant Whisperer-UCD's Dr. Richard Karban

April 30th, 2025
Article by Mike Kluk, UC Master Gardener, Yolo CountyThe Department of Entomology and Nematology is not the place you would normally expect to find a research scientist who is developing a completely new understanding of how plants relate to their environment. But Dr. Richard Karban, formally trained in…
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Photo of a table filled with bowls of different varieties of tomatoes.
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2025 Tomato Seedling Sale - Fifteen New Varieties!

February 24th, 2025
Every spring, Yolo Master Gardeners sell tomato seedlings the first two Saturday mornings in April. This year, the sale features thirty-five varieties, fifteen of which are new to the sale. With rapid climate change, summers are getting hotter and heat waves longer.
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Photo of a parent Washington navel orange tree and historical marker in Riverside, CA
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March Garden Tips and Vegetable Planting Guide

February 24th, 2025
As a small child, each year I would find in my Christmas stocking, a fresh orange, which was a special treat to be looked forward to amid the English winter. Now living in California there I still experience that delight in picking fresh navel oranges from a home garden tree to eat or juice.
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Photo of dalhias.
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Growing Dahlias

February 24th, 2025
I think of dahlias as plants that can suit any personality. Are you a person who likes to make a splash whenever you walk into a room? You might find that a fire engine red dinner plate dahlia is just the thing for your dramatic garden.
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Photo of lemons on Lorie's Eureka lemon tree.
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Lemons: Sweet and Savory

February 21st, 2025
If you liveinYolo County, I suggest you plant citrus. I grow navel oranges,caracara oranges, Eureka lemons,satsuma mandarins, and ruby red grapefruits in my backyard. Most of these fruits can be eaten just as they are, and provide abundant winter gifts for family, neighbors and friends.
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Photo of an adult western malaria mosquito.
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IPM/SPM Series: Mosquitoes

February 20th, 2025
In this section of my IPM/SPM Series I'd like to discuss a particular pest that we are all familiar with. Pest damage is not restricted to our gardens, they can also affect human well-being.
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Shelves of various consumer pesticides in a retail store.
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IPM/SPM Series: Pesticide Use

February 13th, 2025
Before considering pesticides, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) teaches us to identify the pest or disease process before taking the actions of least harm. The IPM website has tools that you can use to identify the pest.
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Radishes from the test garden
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Fall Raised Bed Experiment at Grace Garden in Davis, CA

February 4th, 2025
This project was developed by Heloisa Kinder, Karen Slinkard, Karen Leaf and Shawn Owens. This report summarizes the results of our fall 2024 garden project focused on cultivating broccoli, kale, beets, radishes, and carrots.
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February Garden Tips and Vegetable Planting Guide

January 31st, 2025
Winter Cleanup - Continue preparations for the busy spring planting season. Clean and rinse pots with a diluted solution of bleach one part bleach to nine parts water. Check pots after any rain, shallow pools of water will provide egg laying opportunities for mosquitos. Clean and sharpen tools.
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Illustration of the potato life cycle.
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A Vegetable that Changed the World!

January 30th, 2025
Can you guess which plant: Was first grown in the Peruvian Highlands between eight thousand and five thousand years BC Was poisonous if not eaten with clay until modified varieties were propagated Is now the fifth most important food crop in the world Produces asexually, creating endless clones, lik...
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Photo of a bee on a flower.
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Bonkers About Bees

January 30th, 2025
As I have learnt more about the interweaving of all the aspects of gardening soil, nutrition, seasonal timing, insects (beneficial and not), right plant, right place I have become fascinated by our native bees.
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Lemons on a tree.
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January is a Busy Time in the Garden

January 23rd, 2025
As the tender of a four-seasons kitchen garden, I find winter a surprisingly busy time. I do not plant in December or January, because it is too cold and wet for seeds to germinate.
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Photo of a duck at Putah Creek UC Arboretum.
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IPM/SPM Series: Understanding Water

January 16th, 2025
Sustainability focuses on supporting biodiversity and protecting the bees, birds, butterflies, caterpillars, and other wildlife in our gardens and back yards. By understanding water flow dynamics, we can learn how actions in our gardens and backyards affect other important outdoor spaces.
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Picture of Jim Fowler
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An Expression of Gratitude

January 14th, 2025
Jim Fowler has been an invaluable part of the UC Master Gardener Program for over 20 years and has achieved Platinum Badge status and beyond, earning a sapphire pin. He amassed over five thousand volunteer hours during this time.
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Five spherical shapes. There are 2 in the background are all green and have a closed slit at the top. The 3 in the front have a yellow top that is split into 2 section- one section is covered in a tan hair and the other is split into 2 pieces resembling a mouth.
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Poinsettia- What a beautiful (and tiny) flower you have.

January 7th, 2025
Poinsettias are a decorative winter staple thanks to their large vibrant foliage- AKA leaves. That's right, those big, colorful, floral-like clusters are actually specialized leaves called bracts' that change from green to vibrant, festive colors thanks to the shorter winter days.
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Welcome

The UC Master Gardener's Website provides University of California research-based information and assistance to home gardeners. Ask a question, attend a public class, or find information through our free publications. Enjoy! 

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blue flyer with plants and garden equipment
dandelion seed heads in a jar

Click on this link to RSVP your spot to the "In the Weeds" presentation: https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=46116

 

Jennifer Baumbach
Program Coordinator, UC Master Gardeners of Yolo 
UC Cooperative Extension office-Yolo
2780 E. Gibson Road Woodland, CA 95695
work/cell: 707-389-0645-texts ok, fax:530-666-8736, jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu

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Upcoming Events

May 22 2025

Vermicomposting

Yolo County Library Zoom-UC Master Gardener series on Zoom.May 22 at 3 pm-Vermicomposting, UC Master Gardener Janet Gaard will tell us how to use worms to recycle your food scraps into nutrient-rich…
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May 31 2025

In the Weeds

Learn about the most common weeds in your garden and how to manage them with UCCE Emeritus advisor John Roncoroni, MS.  Attendees my bring a fresh sample of a problem weed in a seal-able bag for…
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Oct 11 2025

Growing Sweet Peas

Everyone knows the fragrance of sweet peas.  It's a great plant to grow in your garden.  Come and learn from Shari G., UC Master Gardener-Solano about how to get started growing this gem.
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Office Locations

UC Cooperative Extension office-Yolo

2780 E. Gibson Road
Woodland , CA 95695
United States

Phone
(530) 666-8737
you can leave a message and the MGs will get back to you.
Fax Number
(530) 666-8736

Mission Statement

The UC Master Gardener's Website provides University of California research based information and assistance to home gardeners.