Food Growing And Gardening

Understanding the when, why, and how of pruning tomatoes for the best yield To prune or not to prune tomatoes, that is a question that backyard tomato growers need to answer for themselves. Growing strong, healthy tomato plants increases the chance of getting a large crop of delicious tomatoes. The…

UC Davis and UCANR, with support from the CDFA’s Water-Energy Technology Assistance (WETA) program, are inviting California protected agriculture growers—whether hydroponic, using drip irrigation, liquid feed fertilizers, or recycling water—to take a short survey on water and nutrient management. The 15–20…

A lifelong interest in gardening led Bill Brooks to become a Master Gardener. Upon his semi-retirement, after 40 years of teaching science and sixth-graders, he became a member of the Master Gardener class of 2019. Today, Bill serves as co-lead for the 2025 training class, is a member of the speaker’s bureau…

PlantingThe avocado is a shallow rooted tree (most of the feeder roots are in the top 6 inches of soil) that needs good aeration. It does well if mulched with a coarse yard mulch, which means one that is woody and in 2-inch pieces, Redwood bark will work and maybe cocoa bean husks and shredded tree bark…