Contra Costa

Did you hear that buzz in California's almond orchards? It takes about two colonies per acre to pollinate California's 1.2 million acres of almonds. That's about 2.5 million bee colonies trucked here from throughout the country.

Fertilizing Fruit Trees and Information on Chill Hours" Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County Home Gardener Request: We're finally jumping into fully caring for our mini-orchard here in Mid-County.

McPherson joins ANR as Bay Area UCCE regional director Frank McPherson joined UC ANR on Feb. 3, 2020, as a regional director for UC Cooperative Extension serving Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and San Mateo counties, and Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Help Desk: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk with your concerns about your ailing Italian Cypress trees in Central County.

I hope everyone enjoyed the warm weather over the 3-day weekend. I spent a fair bit of time outside getting the gardens ready for spring. All my plants need now is rain.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Request: We have lived in our house for 22 years in central County. Just the past few years we have been plagued by no-see-ums as the weather starts to warm.

Get ready to contribute your iNaturalist observation skills to your local community organizations to help collect data for science! The 2020 City Nature Challenge is April 24-27.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Subject: Grapefruit Tree vs Woodpecker Cllient's Request: How can we keep a woodpecker(s) from making holes in the tree bark?

Advice for the Home Gardener from the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Client's Request: Hello. We would like to plant a shade tree in our backyard in mid-County. We have a fairly shallow well and am assuming a high water table although we don't have any wet, boggy areas.

Advice for the Home Gardener From the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk of Contra Costa County Client's Request: An underground rodent (vole? Mole?) has attacked the roots of my Camellia bushes, causing one of them to lean severely. These bushes are original landscaping to our mid-50s rancher.