The Stanislaus Sprout

Want to learn how to grow delicious tomatoes? Take our free online class from the UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners next Tuesday, April 20 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Spring is here which brings thoughts of all the wonderful produce for the avid vegetable gardener. Of course, of all the produce that can be grown here in the Central Valley, the tomato may be the most popular crop grown in the back yard garden.

Every year during those long, dark days of January or February I walk around my backyard and observe the damage and neglect of the planting areas. And then at some point I always look above the fences and see the mature trees (mostly city variety) that are bare and rather sad in appearance.

Gophers are well-known and certainly unwelcome pests in landscapes, gardens, lawns, and athletic turf. More correctly called pocket gophers, these rodents mostly remain hidden underground in tunnels and feed on plants from below, sometimes pulling whole plants into their tunnels.

Citrus trees can be planted any time after the danger of frost has passed, which in our area is usually around mid-to-late March. It's a good idea to plant citrus early try to have your trees in the ground by May because a sudden hot spell may damage trees that are not well established.