Food Gardens

 At Mulberry Elementary School District, an artichoke became a small revelation. Few students had ever seen one growing in a field. Then they grew artichokes themselves — watching the plants develop, harvesting them and discovering firsthand where food comes from. It was a simple experience, but in…

Many of us are successfully growing Meyer lemons, Bearss limes, Satsuma mandarins, and navel oranges. But have you heard of Nagami Kumquat (Fortunella margarita (Nagami)) Yuzu (Citrus junos), Finger Lime (Citrus australasica), Flying Dragon (Poncirus citrus trifoliata), or Buddha’s Hand (Citrus medica)? …

Research Brief • June 2026 • Download PDF (262 KB)CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL), California’s SNAP-Ed program, promotes healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity interventions delivered in low-income communities across California. This program has been administered by four state…

Will your garden soil produce well? One of the best items to check is your soil pH or acidity. pH stands for the “potential of hydrogen” and is a scale that indicates whether your soil is acid or alkaline (basic). The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 7.0 being neutral. If your pH is below…

June bugs are among the most familiar insects of early summer. Although people commonly call them “bugs,” they are actually scarab beetles in the genus Phyllophaga. These beetles are usually brown, oval-shaped, and active at night, often flying clumsily around porch lights. Their larvae, known as white grubs…

As we get ready for this year’s vegetable garden planting season, I begin thinking about summer heat. Pretty much every year in late July, my family slides into a tomato depression thinking that all those beautiful green tomatoes will never get ripe. It depresses me to even think about it. However, this year…

The Basics of Growing Edible Crops in Tahoe  by Kristianne H., UC Master Gardener of the Lake Tahoe BasinOvercome ChallengesA Short Window: The average frost-free growing season is only about 93 days.The frost-free window typically runs from June 18 to September 19. This is unpredictable! Freezing…