Archived Articles

Vegetables

• Cut & Dried: Harvesting & Preserving Herbs
• One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four
• Determinate or Indeterminate: Choosing the Best Tomato for Your Garden
• Tips for a Successful Indoor Herb Garden
• Spring (or Cool Season) Vegetable Gardening
• Vegetables That Give Year After Year
• Second Saturdays in the Garden with Barry
• Get Ready to Grow Garlic!
• Okra
• Tips for Hand Pollinating Eggplant
• Heirlooms!
• Planning a Spring and Summer Vegetable Garden
• Five Steps to Avoid Becoming THE Problem in YOUR Vegetable Garden
• Advice for the Aspiring Vegetable Gardener
• Tomatillo: The Little “Tomato” That Could
• Growing Leaf Lettuce
• Growing the Bitter Out of Cucumbers
• From Fruit to Spice: The Lowly Pepper
• Kale and Collards
• Cool Season Veggies - Timing is Everything
• Growing the Perfect Eggplant
• Hybrid vs Heirloom
• New Meatless Mondays
• Heirlooms!
• Planning a Spring and Summer Vegetable Garden
• Oh My Gourd! The Great Pumpkin Phenomenon

Propagation

• Two (or three or four) for the Price of One (grafting)
• Start Planning Your Spring and Summer Garden Now!
• Starting Seeds Is Fun and Easy!
• Get Seedy
• Your Super Productive Secret Greenhouse
• Growing Vegetables from Seed
• Seed Starting for Spring and Summer Crops
• The Seedy Side of Gardening
• Free Seeds!
• What Are Patented Plants?
• Free Seeds!
• Saving Seeds
• New Plants From Hardwood Cuttings
• Make Your Own Plants
• Nature's Influence on Plant Reproduction
• Organizing Seeds at Home
• Tips on Choosing Seeds for a Flower

Soil & Compost

• The Dark Side of Dirt
• Turning Dirt into Soil: The Benefits of Healthy Soil
• The Benefits of Cover Crops
• Backyard Composting Basics
• The Novice Gardener’s Guide to Bagged Garden Soils and Soil Amendments
• The Dark Side of Dirt
• Worms, Nature’s Wriggling Recyclers
• Sumptuous Soils: Turning Dirt into Gold
• Using Mulch versus Compost in your Garden
• Leave Your Leaves Alone!
• Yes, Worms!
• Switch To Drip Irrigation
• Making Worms Work for You
• Using Cover Crops
• Pine Needles As Mulch
• Composting
• Protect Your Soil With Mulch
• Composting Leaves
• Recycling - With Worms!
• What’s Going on Beneath the Surface of Your Soil?
• Cover Crops
• Is That Fertilizer Really Necessary?
• Soil: It's Complex. Be Informed!
• Starting A Vermiculture Program
• Soil is Alive!
• Worms –Nature’s Tillers
• Compost Tea
• The Basics of Composting
• To Fertilize or not to Fertilize
• Bless that Hard Pan
• Container Planting Soil
• Soil as your Garden Palette
• A New Approach to Digging

Trees

• What Tree Should I Plant?
• Oak Galls in California
• Our Beloved Oaks
• Pruning
• Captivating Japanese Maples
• Pineapple?...Nope. Guava?...Nope. Amazing?...Yes!
• Growing and Preserving Citrus
• Dogwoods of the Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresh and Safe for the Holidays
• Why Trees Die
• Summer Pruning of Fruit Trees
• Finding the Right Tree Specialist
• Native Oaks of El Dorado County
• Citrus
• Fall Colors
• Stone Fruit: From Garden to Table
• Trees, Wonderful Trees
• Plant A Persimmon
• Why Are My Oaks and Conifers Turning Brown?
• Let’s Plant Some Olives!
• Native Oaks of El Dorado County
• Success with Citrus
• Masting In California Native Oaks
• Citrus in the Home Garden
• Summer Tree Care
• Citrus Basics
• Identifying Conifers In Your Neighborhood
• Citrus
• Growing Olives in the Foothills
• Why Does My Fruit Tree Have No Fruit?
• Plant Bare Root Fruit Trees -- A Green Thumb Project in February?
• Bareroot plants and why you should be planting them NOW
• Living Christmas Trees
• Success with Citrus
• Pruning Tips
• Citrus in the Foothills
• Fall Color
• Caring for a Living Christmas Tree
• Get Ready to Prune
• Trees Not to Plant
• The Bones of a Garden: Evergreens

Water & Irrigation

• How to Save Water in Your Garden
• Irrigation Basics for the Backyard Garden
• Precious Water, Precious Plants
• Stretching Your Water With Rain and Reuse
• Don’t Stress Over Water Stress
• Switch To Drip Irrigation
• Got Lawn?
• Advantages Of Drip Or In-Line Irrigation
• Rain: Saving For A Sunny Day
• Water-Saving Drip Irrigation
• Harness the Rain -- Use Your Gray Water
• Drought Decisions -- Setting Priorities in your Home and Landscape
• Helping Plants Through The Heat
• Water Container Gardening
• Watering in the Foothills

Miscellaneous

• Winter, a Glimpse into Paradise
• What to Do When You Can't Garden
• Oak Galls in California
• Lovely Christmas Tree Alternatives
• Let’s Talk Turkey
• Autumn Garden Care
• Help Save The Butterflies!
• How to Create a Butterfly Garden
• Fascinating Butterflies!
• Ten Best Gardening Gifts
• BRINGING NATURE HOME: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
• Plant a Row for the Hungry–Why It Matters More Than Ever
• Tips for Keeping Mason Bees
• Making the All-Star Team
• Nesting Boxes for Bluebirds
• House Plants: What Your Grandmother Never Told You
• Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Cleaning and Caring for Your Garden Tools During Winter
• Holiday Gift Plant Care
• What's In A Name?
• Dry Your Garden Flowers
• What’s Better Than Sharing What You Love?
• Come Visit Us at the Fair
• Wheelbarrows of Fun!
• Tea in the Garden - Home Grown Flower and Herbal Teas
• How to Turn Your Kid’s Thumb Green
• Poisonous Plants in California
• Please, pamper Our Pollinators!
• Winning Ribbons at the County Fair
• Tradition!
• Enjoy the Magic of the Garden at the County Fair
• Spring Hope
• Sherwood Demonstration Garden Spring Re-Opening!
• Grow n’ Show Your Plants at the Fair
• Want Chickens?
• Internet Tools Master Gardeners Use, And You Can Too
• International Herb Association - Herb of the Year
• Why- Ask A Master Gardener?
• What is the Best Gardening Book to Have?
• Give Your Garden Tools a Little TLC
• Victory Gardens
• Heat Loving Plants
• Sherwood Demonstration Garden: Succulent Garden
• How Your Extra Garden Harvest Can Make a Difference
• Bonehead II: The Story Continues
• Native Plants, Schmative Plants - What’s All the Fuss?
• Plant a Grape Arbor and Eat/Preserve Your Bounty
• Ladybug, ladybug…
• Herbs: Beautiful and Useful Plants
• What’s In a Name?
• Spring Plant Sale at Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Got Chickens?
• Enrich Your Gardening Knowledge in 2016
• Perennial Garden - Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Olives: From Garden To Table
• What is a Master Gardener?
• The Grand Opening Is Coming!
• Cannons, Kites and Whirly Gigs: Desperate times called for desperate measures!
• Be Inspired -- Visit Botanical Gardens and Garden Events
• The NEW Master Gardener Handbook
• Go “Hog Wild” and Show What You Grow at the El Dorado County Fair
• It’s almost here - 11th Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale
• Plant Sale -- Plant Sale!
• The Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Master Gardeners Help You Grow Healthy in 2015
• Give Your Garden Tools A Little TLC
• Plant Your Soup?
• Ode to Summer
• It's Fair Time: Hot Dogs, Herbs and Gardening How To's
• Do Snails Eat Lunch?
• Turf Battles
• County Fair: Show Off Your Garden Bounty!
• How To Start A Beehive
• El Dorado County Master Gardeners: At Your Service!
• Row Covers: Helping to grow Your own Food Year Round
• Mistletoe, Holly, and Other Holiday Traditions
• Becoming a Master Gardener
• Landscaping With Ornamental Grasses
• Demonstration garden Coming In 2013
• The Best Time of the Year!
• Storing the Harvest
• Vacations: What to know before you go!
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Plant a Row to Make a Difference
• Fire Wise Landscaping
• Top 20 Gardening Hints
• Where Are All The Bees?
• Those Beautiful Hummingbirds
• What’s in Store for you from the Master Gardeners in 2013?
• A New Leaf (a poem)
• Winter Garden Chores
• Fall Garden Chores
• Adding a Frog Pond to Your Landscape
• Not So Famous Herbs and Spices
• Poisonous Plants and Pets
• Summer Chores Checklist
• Master Gardeners at the 2012 El Dorado County Fair
• Create a Butterfly Haven With Native Plants
• Plant Sale Extraordinaire
• Why an Herb's Structure is Important
• Spring garden Chores Checklist
• Planning Your Herb Garden
• Gardening with Chickens
• Pant A Row For The Hungry
• Changes in the Air
• Children in the Garden
• Garden Myths and the Truth
• PUT A PIN IN IT: Coming Soon in the Shade Garden
• Habitations
• The Sherwood Demonstration Garden
• Master Gardeners to Hold Two Plant Sales in April
• Master Gardeners to Hold Final Plant Sale of the Year
• Heat Tolerant Plants
• Ornamental Grasses
• Mulching Fall Leaves for Compost
• Pine Needles as Mulch
• Fairy Gardens

Flowers & Shrubs

• Incredible Edible ... Flowers!
• An Invitation to Garden Beauty -- A Rose Pruning Primer
• Flowering Vines
• Selecting and Caring for Poinsettias
• The Ultimate Christmas Flower: Poinsettias
• Cut & Dried: Harvesting & Preserving Herbs
• Grasses in the Garden
• Pruning
• Summer When It Sizzles - Zinnias
• Hostas: Made for Shade! Growing Hostas in Pots in the Sierra Foothills
• The Enduring Appeal of Lavender
• Pineapple?...Nope. Guava?...Nope. Amazing?...Yes!
• Poppy Power!
• Blooms For Bees
• An Invitation to Garden Beauty -- A Rose Pruning Primer
• A Gift That Keeps on Giving
• Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape
• Bob and the Duchess: A Tale of Antique Rose
• Secrets of Success with Succulents
• Agapanthus: So Much to Love!
• Red and Yellow Twig Dogwood
• Quirky Exotic Air Plants- Tillandsias
• Poinsettias, Part Two: Selection and Care
• Poinsettias, Part One
• Orchids in the Home
• Say It With Flowers
• Potted Chrysanthemums
• Monarda
• Blooming Succulents?
• Hellabores
• Redbud and Ceanothus: Native Superstars!
• Seasonal Color with California Bulbs
• Roses… I am Tempted
• Ornamental Grasses
• Orchids in the Home
• So Many Hydrangeas
• Salvia
• Cultivating the Rose—Cultivating Delight
• Brrrrrr, It’s Cold Outside
• Poinsettias Year Round!
• Much Loved Flower
• Growing Great Mums
• Bringing Home Pollinators
• Edible Flowers
• But I Don’t Have a Green Thumb
• In Praise of the Perfectly Durable Rose
• Year-Round Blossoms for the Garden
• Growing California Native Wildflowers
• Drought Tolerant California Native Plants
• Rhododendrons in the Gold Country?
• Flower of Easter
• Is It Time To Cut Those Grasses Back?
• Succulents
• Favorite Christmas Plants
• Ever-Blooming, Ever-Beautiful Orchids
• Plants for Privacy
• Late Summer Garden Spruce Ups
• African Violets: Easy-to-Care-for Flowering Houseplants
• Lavender Is Like A Puppy
• Caring For Clematis
• Cutting Gardens
• Geraniums and Pelargoniums
• Orchids In the Home
• Gardenias
• Succulent Basics
• Enjoy Flowers from your Garden Longer
• Lavender
• Caring for Poinsettias
• Growing Lilies
• Growing Peonies
• Steps to Good Landscape design
• Try Growing a Rugosa Rose
• An Invitation to Garden Beauty - A Rose Selection and Bare Root Planting Primer
• Growing Peonies
• A Geranium for Every Garden
• Fire-Resilient Landscapes 
• Container Garden for Winter Interest
• Cyclamen - A Pop of Color in Winter 

Pests & Diseases

• Don't Plant a Pest! 
• Getting to Know Mistletoe
• All About Rattlesnakes -- Part 1
• All About Rattlesnakes -- Part 2
• Deterring Critters from Your Garden
• MG Confidential: Startling Revelations of Gardening Folly
• Uninvited Guest That Won’t Leave
• Invasive Plants
• Be a Plant Hero! Avoid Invasive Plant Introductions When You Landscape
• Gophers and Moles and Voles, Oh My!
• Don’t Wish Upon This Star! Controlling Yellow Starthistle
• Sneaky Weeds, Part 2
• Fear Not The Beetle
• Sneaky Weeds
• Be On The Lookout!
• The Good, the Bad, and the Bugly
• A Tale of Two Troubles: The Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing Disease
• Moist Spring Brings Summer Challenges
• They Come – Those Invasive Plants
• Yellow Star Thistle
• Yikes -- Bugs in my Squash!
• Keys to Plant Problems: Do Plants Talk?
• Poison Oak
• Is That Pesticide Really Necessary?
• Bark Beetles – The Silent Killer Among Us
• Dormant Spraying
• Weed Speak: What Our Weeds Are Telling Us
• Garden Whodunnits: Insect ID on the Web
• What's Wrong With My Plant?
• Wildlife Encounters
• Brown Recluse Spiders
• If You Plant It...They Will Come!
• Weed Wars
• Pocket Gophers: How to Control the Furry Little Root Eaters
• A Little Caution With These Plants
• Plant Fungal Diseases
• No More Leathery Tomatoes
• Pesticide Poisoning in Pets – Part 1
• Pesticide Poisoning in Pets – Part 2
• Flea and Tick Control
• Bats - Pest Management for your Garden and Orchard
• Controlling Codling Moth
• Controlling Peach Leaf Curl
• Controlling Whiteflies
• Weed Control without Poison
• What's Eating the Tomatoes
• White Pine Blister Rust
• Whiteflies

Gardening Techniques

• The Ultimate Raised Bed: Hugelkultur
• Tips for Success in Small Space Gardening
• The Art of Creating Defensible Space
• Fall, Fires, and the First 5 Feet
• Lazy But Successful Gardening
• Bringing Birds To The Garden
• A Container Planting Primer
• Easy Row Covers to Protect Your Garden Beds
• Safe and Sane Gardening Until You’re 90
• Blooms For Bees
• Growing Blueberries and Strawberries in Containers
• Gardening in Wildfire Lands
• How to Turn Your Kid’s Thumb Green
• Made In the Shade, Planning Your Shady Garden
• Protect Your Plants from Frost Damage
• Coffee Mug Succulent Garden
• Mediterranean Climate Gardening?
• So You’re Going on Vacation! What’s Going to Happen to Your Plants?
• Keeping Your Houseplants Alive in the Winter
• Wintertime: Musing Ahead For Your Gardening Year
• Now Is the Time to Take Action - Fire Wise landscaping
• I Love Straw Bale Gardening
• Three Simple Ways to Attract More Pollinators to Your Garden
• Gardening Techniques
• Back to Basics: Soil to Mulch
• Firewise Landscaping Still Matters
• Winter Gardening Interests
• Deer and Drought – Oh, No! (Oh yes)!
• The Art of Bonsai
• Shade Gardening in a Mediterranean Climate
• Water-wise Tips for an Unthirsty Landscape
• Going Native!
• Invite Your Friends to the Party
• New Garden, Old Garden
• Creating a Habitat Garden to Sustain Future Generations
• The Sensory Garden
• The Bones Of A Garden - Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
• Designing Gardens for Small Spaces
• Straw Bale Gardens
• Landscaping Without Lawns
• Using Cover Crops
• Establishing Native Plants
• Putting Your Garden To Bed
• So, You’ve Got a Shady Garden Area?
• No Bare Soil: The Cottage Garden
• Grow Bags: An Alternative Way to Grow Vegetables in Small Spaces
• Sustainable Gardening
• Rain Gardens – A New Approach
• Mediterranean Gardens
• Garden Wetlands
• Rock Gardening in El Dorado County
• Re-think Your Gardening Space
• Sustainable Gardening
• Arboretum All-Stars
• Gardening With California Native Plants
• Great Garden Tool:Floating Row Cover
• Planning this Year’s Veggie Garden
• Shade gardening - Some Challenges
• Creative and Sustainable Ways to Help Your Landscape Be Firewise
• Painful Gardening Mistakes: Master Gardeners Tell All
• Your Garden - A Valuable Wildlife Corridor
• Grow Up!
• Sheet Mulching 101
• Put Your Garden To Bed
• Native by Design - Landscaping with Native Plant Species
• Hope for Rain, Plan for Drought
• Plant an Herb or Veggie Garden
• Welcome the Beneficials
• Lawn Gone
• A New Look at Water in Your Landscape and Garden
• Choosing the Right Plant
• Straw Bale Gardening
• Missing March Miracle Means More Mulch!
• Rewards of Shade Gardening
• Square Foot Gardening
• Living with Fire and A Drought
• “Frozen” -- Not for Your Tender Plants
• Advice on How to Start A Vegetable Garden,from an Over-Ambitious Gardener
• Winter Dormancy: Gardening For the Fourth Season
• Creating A Remembrance Garden
• How To Be A Lazy Gardener
• What Are You Going To Do With A Brown Lawn?
• Check the Roots First
• Why A Garden Retreat?
• Designing a Garden with Strong Plant Shapes
• Electric Safety in Your Yard: Look Up, Look Out and Live!
• Gardening with a Mediterranean Thumb
• The Resilient Garden - Being Prepared for What Mother Nature Brings
• Five Reasons To Try A Straw Bale garden This Year
• Plant A Small Foothills backyard Vineyard
• Gardening Resolutions
• Using Cover Crops
• Put Your Garden to Bed
• Saving and Storage of Plant Seeds
• Plants for Privacy
• High Praise for the Raised Garden Bed
• Putting the Right Plant in the Right Place
• The Perils of Over-Fertilizing Plants and Trees
• Gardening for Wildlife Habitat
• How Past Weather Affects Today’s Garden
• Vacation: What to Know Before You Go!
• Planting In Containers
• Give Your Garden a “Tune-up” for Spring Planting
• Gardening In A Greenhouse
• Fire Wise Landscaping
• Citrus in the Foothills
• Starting A Backyard Orchard
• Lawn Alternatives
• Fall Color
• Contemplating a Backyard Orchard?  Better to think ahead!
• Color and Shade - A Gardeners Challenge
• Master Gardener Demonstration Garden: Watch Us Grow!
• Waterwise Gardening
• Why Don't You Grow UP???
• Garden Safety
• Landscape Design Principles
• Selecting a Garden Style
• Unusual Gardening Spaces
• Pond Plants
• Bringing Pollinators Home
• Lawn Alternatives