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Are you a San Mateo or San Francisco County resident with an interest in science-based horticulture and sustainable gardening practices, and a desire to share your knowledge and skill with the public as a volunteer in your community?

Become a Master Gardener Volunteer

Spring Garden Market and Educational Fair: April 19, 2025

Photo by Stuart Dalton
Photo by Stuart Dalton
It may be chilly outside, but spring and summer gardening season is just around the corner! Get ready to grow -- amazing plants and exciting learning opportunities are coming your way at the 2025 Spring Garden Market.

Browse our website to get lots of guidance for a bountiful growing season. Sign up for the monthly newsletter and make sure you don't miss any of our fun and informative events.

See the Spring Garden Market web page for details.

Time to Start Vegetable Seeds

Photo by Laminaria Vest (via Pixabay)
Photo by Laminaria Vest (via Pixabay)
Starting vegetable seeds indoors can reduce the cost of transplants and allow you to grow varieties that may be difficult to find in nurseries. To get started, you will need a soilless mix; growing containers; and the proper moisture, light (like a south-facing window) and temperatures between 65-75°F. When your seedlings reach two-to-four inches tall, gradually expose the plants to longer periods of direct sun each day to transition them to the outdoors over a period of two weeks. For more information, visit The California Garden Web and check out our planting calendars.

A New Perspective on Slugs

Photo by Jack Kelly Clark
Photo by Jack Kelly Clark
Gardening enthusiasts are well acquainted with the havoc that slugs can wreak on their cherished plants. However, a noteworthy shift in perspective comes from The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the foremost garden charity in Britain, which no longer classifies these creatures as pests. Instead, the RHS highlights the crucial role that slugs play in fostering a diverse and healthy ecosystem. Click here to learn more.

It’s Rose Pruning Time

Photo by Janet Gilmore
Photo by Janet Gilmore
January and February are the ideal months for pruning roses, before new growth emerges. Using clean and sharp pruners, remove dead, damaged, diseased and crossing canes, and canes thinner than a pencil. Make clean cuts slightly above a bud that points toward the outside of the plant. The amount of pruning needed will depend on the type of rose. For more on rose pruning, see these videos and these tips.

Planting Bare Root Fruit and Nut Trees

https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Plum_and_Prune/
https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Plum_and_Prune/
Winter is a good time to plant bare-root fruit and nut trees. This allows their roots and shoots to develop when the weather is cool. When selecting a tree for your garden, you’ll need to consider both your climate zone (A, B, C) and microclimate conditions (wind, fog, elevation) along with the chill hours required for fruit production. See this article ( Selecting fruit nut berry tree for SM-SF counties ) for details.

 

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Publications
  • Coastside Cover July 2024
    Perfect Pots: Growing Things on a Smaller Scale

    Gardening in containers is great for so many reasons, not the least of which is that almost everyone can have the opportunity to grow something, including food! From the tiniest windowsill to the most expansive acreage, plants in pots can...

  • Coastside Cover June 2024
    “Gardenomics:” Good Moves for a Lifetime of Safe and Healthy Gardening

    It's a fact. Gardening is great exercise with big benefits for both physical and mental health. It's also hard work and many of the tasks we do in the garden can lead to aches and injuries if not done properly. Here's the good news: payingattention...

  • thisobneMay 2024 Cover Coastside
    Backyard Biodiversity: Saving the Planet One Garden at a Time

    It's May and spring is busting out all over! After months of gray skies and wet, chilly days, we can rejoice at the sight of each tender shoot, leaf and bud. With the resurgence of life all around us, it may seem as if the state of the...