Santa Clara

Our demonstration gardens showcase best practices for home gardeners and provide hands-on gardening experiences. Gardens are open to the public (days and hours vary by location).You're invited to visit, ask questions, and garden with us when we're working in the garden. We also offer classes, events, and…

We offer videos of short tips and full-length talks on a variety of garden topics. Visit our YouTube channel or use the handy guide below. In addition, the University of California Television archive contains videos on several popular home gardening topics.

Garden Help > Monthly Tips Monthly tips are categorized by To-Dos, What to Plant, or Pests and Diseases. Scroll through the list to see items in each category. Also, refer to our list of tips useful for any month.

When to plant Plant February to April and September to October. Bok choy is prone to bolting if planted too early or during warm weather. Select a sunny spot with well-amended, fertile soil. Sow the seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. When plants are about 4 inches tall, thin to 6 to 8 inches apart.

Quince fruits grow on a small tree or shrub (8–12 ft. tall) with twisted, bumpy branches. Grown as a flowering ornamental or for fruit processing. Adapted to many climates. Adapted to many climates. Tolerates “wet feet” better than most other deciduous fruit trees.

When to plant: January–March Harvest window: June–October, depending on variety Fertilization: Nitrogen in spring and fall, additional applications based on tree age, health, and soil quality Dormant Pruning (January–February) to encourage vigor; Summer pruning (post-harvest) to control vigor.

Green onions, also called bunching onions or scallions, grow easily from seed or transplants. Most green onions sold in grocery stores are simply bulbing onions (Allium cepa), picked while young, long before they form a bulb. But there is also Welsh onion/Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum), which…

Start slip production in February–March Transplant to garden May–June Sweet potatoes are grown from 'slips' (sprouts from a sweet potato). Due to pest quarantines, most nursery companies cannot ship slips to California.

When to plant: February–April, August–September (maybe October) Broccoli matures in 60 to 90 days, depending on the time of year and the variety planted. Harvest broccoli heads as soon as they reach maturity. Ideally the buds on the heads should still be small and firm, not swelling or starting to open,…

There are many herbs that grow well or even grow best in the cool season in Santa Clara County. Fall is also a great time to plant perennial herbs because it lets them get well established over our rainy season. Listed below are the herb seedlings that we will be offering.