Garden

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Blueberries - by Jeff Jenks
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Blueberry Varieties

Blueberry varieties testing conducted in Santa Clara County to evaluate the following characteristics of each of the varieties: flavor, productivity, harvest season, landscape value including plant form, foliage characteristics, fall foliage color, and winter ornamental value.
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Purple scallions with roots still attached, photo courtesy of the University of New Hampshire
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Green Bunching Onions

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…
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Young spinach rosette
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Spinach

Transplant: February–April, September–October (possibly November) Direct seed: March–April (possibly February), September–October (possibly November) If growing from seed for transplants, allow 4 weeks to be ready. Harvest spinach as soon as the leaves are large enough to use.
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Veg-Kohlrabi-Kohlibri-MG-Karen-Schaffer
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Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family and is grown for its edible, bulb-shaped, stem. Often mistaken for a root plant, the bulb sits just above the soil. The taste and texture are similar to the stems of broccoli but is juicier and crisper.
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Parsnip

Direct seed January–March (possibly April), September Harvest when the roots reach 1-inch diameter at the top. Expect 90–120 days to maturity. Flavor is best when the mature plants are exposed to cool weather for 2–4 weeks which encourages the starches in the roots to convert to sugars. Loosen soil with…
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Ginger by Shin Liu
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Ginger

Ginger, Zingiber officionale, is a tropical plant originally from southern China. It can be grown in Northern California with the right amount of care. The "root" portion used in cooking is a rhizome, technically not a root but an underground stem.
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Bright orange daisy-like flower
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Spring Garden Fair Ornamentals

The flowers and other ornamental plants that we offer at the Spring Garden Fair have been trialed at our research gardens to select varieties that perform particularly well in our climate, with an eye towards ones that are beautiful and long-lasting in flower arrangements. We offer an especially large array…
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Permeable Landscape

Gravel paths allow rain to slow, spread, and sink. Photo: Niklas Fotografics, Unsplash Any surface that allows water to seep through it or around it is permeable. Some obvious examples are bare soil, mulched beds, and gravel.
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