Gardening

By Trish Grenfell, Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: Last week I drove by a rooftop garden with billows of beautiful yellow daisy-like flowers falling over the top. Not only was I amazed that someone was growing plants on their carport, but what was this bright yellow flower with bountiful…

Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Winter 2010Winter is my favorite season of the year. To me, it’s not barren and cold. It’s filled with expectancy and hope. Tree branches are bare of leaves but the buds are fat with life. The hills are green with winter…

Article and photos By Carol Koenig, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Summer 2022 Drought tolerant plants have been an important part of landscaping for hundreds of years. Some of the earliest examples could be found in fifth and sixth century Persian gardens as well as…

By Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyQ:  What are seed potatoes? Can I grow potatoes from the sprouting potatoes in my cupboard drawers? How do I grow potatoes?A: Potatoes are typically not grown from seed but from sections of the potato. The potato sections are referred to as …

By Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardener of Placer County Q: I want to grow cabbages in my fall garden. Any suggestions?A:  Cabbages are a lot like tomatoes because there is really no comparison between the sweet crispy buttery flavored heads grown in a home garden, and the strong tasting cabbages…

By Johanne Ryker, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyQ:  Is it too late to plant a vegetable garden?A:  California has a unique vegetable growing climate, and we can grow many different types of vegetable crops throughout the year. Crops are classified as warm season or cool season crops. It is…

By Jacqueline Champa, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Summer 2008Have you thought of having a winter vegetable garden?We are fortunate to live in Northern California where we are able to grow a number of great vegetables during the shortened, wet, cold days of winter. A good…

By Trish Grenfell, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyQ:  I've been told to rotate the crops in my vegetable garden. Last year’s garden was very successful, and I don’t want to “fix it if it is not broken”.A:  Crop rotation, which has been around for centuries, refers to the practice of…

There are a number of problems that can arise when growing tomatoes. Here are some problems you may encounter and why they happen.1) BLOSSOM DROP When daily temperatures are greater than 90 degrees and nights are higher than 72 degrees, the dried-out blossoms simply fall off the plant. No blossoms = no…

By Elaine Applebaum, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyQ: Last year the Master Gardener Office diagnosed nematodes as the cause of my tomato crop and told me to change the location of my tomato bed next year. Unfortunately, I forgot all about it and planted this year’s tomatoes in the same place. Help…