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UC Marin Master Gardener Articles in the Marin Independent Journal

UC Marin Master Gardeners have contributed to the Marin Independent Journal's "Ask a Master Gardener" column every Saturday since 1999. We have a team of dedicated writers who have covered nearly every aspect of gardening for Marin County over the years. Search our archives below by category of interest, or use the search box to locate stories by year, month or specific subject.

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Who’s eating my plants?

May 12, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

Ah, the bounty of spring! All the tender new foliage on trees and shrubs, flowers galore, and prolific growth in the vegetable garden. We gardeners revel in the abundance the season brings, and just like us, insect pests, both big and small, love it too. Since there are more insects on Earth…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Use passive and active protection strategies to safeguard your home from wildfires

May 5, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

Marin no longer has a “fire season.” Like many other areas, our fire season is now year-round due to climate change and other factors. Southern California’s recent horrific fires underscore the urgent need to make our gardens ready for wildfire. “Create passive protection by careful garden design,…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Some natives you may have missed

April 28, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

There are many books devoted to California natives. Because our state is large and has many different habitats, from the sea to the highest mountains in the Sierras, from the cool northern part of the state to the deserts of Southern California, our plant life reflects this incredible diversity…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

The caterpillars in my garden

April 21, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

As Eric Carle once wrote, there was a “very hungry caterpillar.” It hatched from an egg and began its search for food. After about two weeks, it became a big, fat caterpillar—two thousand times its original size! Then, it built a small cocoon, stayed inside for another two weeks, and eventually emerged…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Plant a living windbreak to protect from strong winds

April 14, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

If strong winds are damaging your garden - breaking branches, pulling moisture from foliage, and drying out soil - why not consider planting a living windbreak? A living windbreak is a group of plants positioned to filter the wind. The group can be as small as a few shrubs or as large as a group…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Homegrown tomatoes

April 7, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

Songwriter Guy Clark tells us there is nothing better than “Homegrown Tomatoes.” Many of us believe this to be true, making tomatoes the most commonly planted garden crop in the United States. UC Marin Master Gardeners will hold their annual tomato plant sale on April 12, 9:00 a.m., at Bon Air…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Codling moths: protect your fruit tree from them now!

March 31, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

If you have fruit trees, especially apples, pears, or walnuts, now is the time to be on the lookout for the codling moth. This is the time of year (mid-March to early April) when the adult codling moth, a little grayish-brown lepidopteran, emerges from its cocoon.It has spent the winter pupating,…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Right place, wrong plant

March 24, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

What’s worse than a weed? The answer is an invasive plant. While weeds are plants that grow where they are not wanted, invasives are always non-native plants introduced (intentionally or accidentally) that spread rapidly and cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. Invasive plants are…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Ant invasion

March 17, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

They can’t help it, that trail of ants crawling up a kitchen cabinet. The determined critters head inside to escape cold, wet winter days or hot, dry summer conditions. But our sympathies don’t extend to safe harboring ant armies. Nor are we happy to see them in the garden keeping aphids alive.There…

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UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Common soil problems in Marin

March 14, 2025

By Bonnie A Nielsen

Good garden soil contains 30-50% sand, 30-50% silt, 20-30% clay, and 5-10% organic water. The bacteria, fungi, and worms in the soil produce substances that act like glue, binding all these different parts together to form groupings. These groupings determine the size of the soil pore space. In…

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