Garden

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A bouquet of cream and red flowers in a vase.
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Ivory Princess Calendula: An Excellent Choice for Coastal Gardens

August 12, 2025
 The calendula is a beautiful and hardworking flower in the home garden. It thrives in cool weather, making it a perfect addition to the North Coast. It is in the Asteraceae family and is native to the Mediterranean region. For home gardeners seeking a plant that is easy to grow, looks beautiful in…
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A variety of raised bed styles can be seen at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden. Laura Kling
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Fall 2025 Workshop Series about to start!

August 11, 2025
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins Monday, September 8, with an increasingly important and relevant workshop on irrigation and concludes in mid-December with our popular repeat workshop on gardening as we get older. In all, this Fall 2025 Series totals 18 workshops…
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Tool Care - Orange County

Tool Maintenance Keeping your tools clean and sharp will make them last longer and prevent tearing of plant material and spreading diseases through open wounds. Examine them regularly for dirt, discoloration, and rust, and check the blade edge for sharpness, chips, or dents. Sanitize pruning…
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California Native Plants - Orange County

What is a Native Plant?  Native or indigenous plants are species that have evolved naturally in a specific region, forming essential relationships with local wildlife and ecosystems. In California, native plants existed before European settlers introduced foreign species. These natives are well…
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This Month In The Garden – August
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[PODCAST] This Month In The Garden – August

August 6, 2025
Time for This Month In The Garden for the month of August! Tips, to-dos, and more on today’s show called In The Garden with UCCE Master Gardeners (of Orange County of course)! All of the following tips here are from the August Garden Guide found in the UC Master Gardeners of Orange County website under…
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Fava Beans are a useful cover crop, and their leaves can be sauteed like any other edible green. J. Alosi
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Meeting Nature Halfway: Sustainable Gardening

August 5, 2025
Imagine a healthy garden that grows, blooms, and produces food for you, your family and your neighbors, a garden that costs you very little money because everything it needs is already provided. Welcome to the sustainable garden! The Cambridge Dictionary defines sustainable as “causing little or no damage to…
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Growing Vegetables in Containers
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[PODCAST] Specialty Vegetable Gardens

July 31, 2025
This week on In the Garden with UCCE Master Gardeners, we bring you a gem of a show! Our beloved Master Gardener and original radio DJ Mark Fierle produced a show called “Specialty Vegetable Gardening” some time back. He talked to fellow MG Greg Stevenson about Greg’s passion for home gardening using…
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[PODCAST] Home Grown Tomatoes
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Tomatoes Being Attacked - Orange County

July 30, 2025
Question: I have some tomatoes that haven't ripened yet and have these brown scars on the bottom and this one also had some large bites out of the other side. I've been spraying the tomatoes with a bit of cedar oil diluted with water in the mornings but no other things.Do you know what might be causing…
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Vermicomposting & Vermiculture - Orange County

About two-thirds of the waste stream is made up of organic materials, including paper and food waste. While paper can often be recycled, food waste has fewer useful disposal options besides composting. One effective method is vermicomposting, which uses worms to recycle kitchen scraps.  This method…
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A grey mouse under brown leaves in a sideways plant pot.
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Mouse in Your House?

July 30, 2025
By Belinda Messenger-Sikes
While they may look cute, no one really wants a mouse around the house. House mice eat up to 20% of their body weight daily, eating whatever food is available. They can contaminate our food and their gnawing can damage buildings, wiring, insulation, food packages, and more. Many fires of unknown origin are…
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