Over the Fence (Alameda County)

 Why manage rainwater? Why not let it fall and drain where it wants?  Unfortunately, when left to drain into the street and storm drains, the water from strong winter storms can overwhelm the storm drainage system, cause floods, and cause soil erosion. We also lose the chance to replenish local…

What’s the Big Deal?  The invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis, is a large (~0.5 inch long) leafhopper that feeds on plant fluids in the xylem, a plant’s water-conducting tissue. The glassy-winged sharpshooter was first found in California in 1990 after it was…

Summer is one of the busiest and most stressful seasons for Alameda County gardens. This practical mid-summer checklist explains how regular, manageable tasks—including efficient irrigation, mulching, harvesting, pest monitoring, light pruning, fruit-tree care, and container maintenance—can keep gardens…

Black fig fly, now in the Bay Area.  A new invasive pest, the black fig fly, Silba adipata, has been found in Alameda County.  This pest exclusively feeds and reproduces on figs, and California produces almost 100% of the U.S. fig crop. The black fig fly (BFF) causes major fruit drop, a…

Have you ever harvested a tomato with a crack in the skin, found a few aphids on your kale, had a few holes in your cabbage leaves or dug up a crooked carrot and wondered what went wrong? If so, you're not alone.   Many beginning and experienced vegetable gardeners expect homegrown…