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Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties Toggle Menu Search Home Home - Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties UCCE San Mateo / San Francisco Events All Events Farmers Markets Plant Clinics School Garden Workshops Gardens All Gardens Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center Fair Oaks Active Adult Education Garden Foster City Library Habitat Garden Gardening Education Center (GEC) Hillsborough Harvest Garden Laurel Street Container Garden Pacifica Gardens San Carlos Native Plant Habitat Garden San Carlos Library Herb Garden Tompkins Stairway Veterans Memorial Building (VMB) Rooftop Garden Projects All Projects Harvest For Neighbors JFK Towers Project UC Master Gardener Tree Stumps Resources Endowment FundContact us Learn more about UC ANR SearchShare Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Tumblr Give Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties Home Home - Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties UCCE San Mateo / San Francisco Events All Events Farmers Markets Plant Clinics School Garden Workshops Gardens All Gardens Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center Fair Oaks Active Adult Education Garden Foster City Library Habitat Garden Gardening Education Center (GEC) Hillsborough Harvest Garden Laurel Street Container Garden Pacifica Gardens San Carlos Native Plant Habitat Garden San Carlos Library Herb Garden Tompkins Stairway Veterans Memorial Building (VMB) Rooftop Garden Projects All Projects Harvest For Neighbors JFK Towers Project UC Master Gardener Tree Stumps Resources Endowment FundContact us Featured Topics California Native Gardening Quick Garden Tips (English) Notas Breves (Español) Seasonal Guides Monthly Garden Checklist Edible Gardening & Planting Calendars - English, Español, Chinese By Season: Winter in Your Garden By Season: Spring in Your Garden By Season: Summer in Your Garden By Season: Autumn in Your Garden Is your organization looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Request a Speaker Are you a San Mateo or San Francisco County resident with an interest in science-based horticulture and sustainable gardening practices, and a desire to share your knowledge and skill with the public as a volunteer in your community? Become a Master Gardener Volunteer Get ready for UC Master Gardener’s Giving Day! Show your support for the good work we do during this special 24-hour event, which runs from noon on Thursday, May 16 to noon on Friday, May 17. Get all the details, including how you can help us win two exciting challenges. Keeping Aphids Under Control As you’re out in the garden, do you see small, pear-shaped insects on tender buds, shoots and veggies? These are most likely aphids and damage to plants can include leaf curl, sooty mold fungus, stunted growth and transmission of viruses to other plants. Check your plants regularly and hose off aphids with a stream of water to keep the populations down. Lady beetles (ladybugs) are voracious eaters of aphids. For more on how to manage aphids, click here . It’s Tomato Time! Photo by Bruce Goren Nothing is better than a home-grown tomato. There are so many varieties from which to choose, you’ll want to plant more than one if you have the space. Tomatoes do grow well in large containers. Plant your seedlings when daytime temperatures are consistently well above 55°F. Choose a location where the plants will receive at least 6 hours of sun each day. See articles on tomato planting tips , tomato types and varieties and tomato pruning to get help for a great harvest. Plant for Pollinators Photo by Ankith Choudhary via Unsplash.com Pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and birds play an important role in pollinating your vegetable garden and supporting a healthy ecosystem. However, habitat loss, disease, and pesticide use have contributed to the decline of these species. You can help pollinators by selecting a wide variety of flowering plants, guiding pollinators to your garden by planting in groups rather than single plants, and providing a source of clean water. For a list of pollinator-friendly plants, visit: Pollinators Are Unsung Heroes of Planet Earth . Weeds: Pros and Cons Photo by Jack Kelly Clark via https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=25800 The simplest definition of a weed is a plant growing where it’s not wanted.” Most home gardeners prefer to not have weeds growing among their landscape plants and in their vegetable gardens. However, weeds do have many benefits. For instance, they can help to control soil erosion, provide food for birds and nectar for honey bees, and create habitat. Some weeds are even edible. On the downside, weeds compete with landscape plants for water, nutrients and sunlight, and can be invasive. The best ways to manage weeds that you don’t want growing in a particular location include hand-pulling, cutting or shallow hoeing. Use mulch to suppress weed growth. For more information, see Weeds in Landscape . YouTube Channel - Latest Videos Publications Starting from Scratch: The Miracle of Seeds Growing your own plants from seed has a lot of advantages: more variety, less cost and getting a head start on the growing season are just a few. Practicality aside, it’s just plain miraculous to grow plants from seeds. The process of putting hard, dry,... A New Year in The Garden: Inspirations for 2024 It’s January and, although it may be cold and damp, the days are getting longer by a few seconds each day—just enough additional daylight to stir a gardener’s blood. While plants and soil are taking their winter rest, it’s a great time for us... The Rain Garden: A Simply Elegant Solution to Stormwater Pollution Last winter’s epic rainstorms have caused many of us to think about what we can do to mitigate the impact of heavy downpours on our communities. As it happens, the impervious surfaces that keep us dry and mud-free (our homes, patios, driveways, etc.)... Show More Follow Us Subscribe to our monthly newsletter Advice to Grow By...Ask Us! UC Master Gardener volunteers are ready to help you and your garden. Have a question about gardening? Ask a Master Gardener Calendar Event Name Date Dealing with Pests: Integrated Pest Management 6/1/2024 Master Gardener Plant Clinic at the San Mateo Arboretum 6/2/2024 Caring for Your Garden Tools 6/3/2024 All About Herbs and Edible Flowers 6/8/2024 Show More sbnum=7613 | pagenum=9831 © 2024 Regents of the University of California Nondiscrimination Statement Accessibility Site Information Privacy...