Gardening

UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

When NOT to Plant in Fall

December 6, 2025
Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Fall 2010Fall has long been considered to be the BEST time to plant because it allows the plant to become well established before the heat of the following summer. It’s the best time to plant most native plants. It’s the…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Planting in the Winter

December 6, 2025
By Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardeners of Placer CountyQ: I am interested in growing food in my garden. Can I plant anything in the winter?A: There are many food plants that you can plant now but there are a few precautions. During the winter months, our clay soils may be too wet to plant after…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Fall Planting Time

December 6, 2025
Johanne Ryker, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Fall 2011Spring is long gone and done, summer is winding down, and plants like tomatoes and zucchini have kept many of us busy in the garden, so now it’s time to think about fall and planning the fall garden.Many home…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Autumn: The Best Time to Plant

December 6, 2025
Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Fall 2007Fall is the best time to plant most garden plants and trees in mild winter climates. Most trees and shrubs have a significant increase in growth after the first year when compared with spring planted trees and shrubs…
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UC Master Gardeners of Orange County: Page

Small Spaces - Orange County

Gardening In Small Spaces In Orange County   Orange County has its share of sunshine, but sometime not enough space for a big garden. Many gardeners—or would be gardeners—in Orange County live in townhomes, condominiums, and apartments, and may not have the outdoor space needed for traditional…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Seed Packets: The Revealing Truth

December 4, 2025
by Liz Rees, UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2009Every gardening book, magazine or guru states how important it is to read, understand and carefully follow the directions provided on the back of the seed packet.According to the experts, the back of the seed packet…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Indoor Starts vs. Direct Sown

December 4, 2025
By Robyn Emme, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2007Our thoughts are turning from enjoying those lazy winter weekends when gardening is just not happening to maybe summoning up the inspiration to start planning what we will do differently this year and what new plants we…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

USDA and Sunset Zones

December 4, 2025
By Elaine Applebaum, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: Catalogs and some nurseries list “zones” in their description of plants. What are they talking about?A:  Athletes strive to be “in the zone” and Caltrans asks us to “Slow for the Cone Zone,” but gardeners need to know their USDA or…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Garden Design: Where Do I Start?

December 4, 2025
By Annette Wyrick, UC Master Gardener of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Summer 2021               During the past year, we have been at home more and this has given us an opportunity to look at and use our gardens throughout the seasons. While the garden has…
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UC Master Gardeners of Placer County: Article

Site Conditions of a Shade Garden

December 4, 2025
Article and photos by Annette Wyrick, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2020Most gardeners have one trouble spot in the garden, and it is almost always in the shade. You may have tried planting different plants, but they just do not thrive. Let’s tackle these tricky…
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