HOrT COCO: UC Master Gardener Program-Contra Costa-Blog
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Graywater
Q: Can I use the graywater from my washing machine to water my vegetable garden and fruit trees? A: There are two key considerations, discussed below, relating to the use of graywater in the garden:...
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Be Careful! Moving Pests Around Can Be Too Easy
A poet once said, “A weed is but an unloved flower.” Sometimes though, a weed, an insect, or a four-legged critter can become a dangerous pest. In a state like California where so much of...
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Verticillium and Fusarium Wilt Diseases in Tomatoes
Do your tomato plants suffer from lack of vigor, yellowing leaves, and poor fruit production? These symptoms are associated with many different problems, including lack of soil nutrients, excess...
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Tomato Diseases in the Home Garden
As tomato growers, we might consider any ailing tomato to have a disease. That would end up making this blog post really, really long. However, we need to consider diseases separately from...
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Who is Eating My Tomatoes?
It's July and the tomatoes in your garden are finally starting to ripen. One afternoon you notice the first ripe one is nearly ready to be picked. The next afternoon, you head out to harvest the...
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Blossom End Rot
Have you noticed tomatoes that have round, water-soaked spots on the bottom? Blossom end rot (BER) is a frustrating problem that can be quite common in vegetable gardens, as it can affect tomatoes,...
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Grapes for the Home Garden
According to someone who knows such things, grapes are one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops in the world. Worldwide, there are over 10,000 different varieties, and whether one's interest...
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Pruning: The Secret to Bigger and Tastier Tomatoes
When I first started growing tomatoes, I was reluctant and nervous about pruning my tomato plants for fear I would be doing it incorrectly. After 9 years of growing, I have learned that it is one of...
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Help! My Apple and Pear Trees are Burning Up!
Have you noticed burnt-looking blossoms and twigs on your apple, pear, or quince trees? This is likely caused by a bacterial infection, appropriately named fire blight. Fire blight can damage and...
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How to Pick a Peck of Peppers
One of the comments we often hear as Master Gardeners is “My pepper plants grow but I get only a few small peppers or no peppers at all”. After a couple of frustrating years many...