Food Gardening Resources

FOOD GARDENING RESOURCES

NEW TO FOOD GARDENING?

• Growing Vegetables
• Sustainable Food Gardening
• Protect and Nurture the Soil
• No-Till Food Gardening
• Vegetable Seed Sources

WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN

• Year-Round Food Gardening in Sonoma County
• Vegetable Planting Summary
• Average First and Last Frost Dates for Sonoma County
• Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Articles
• Right Plant, Right Place, Right Time
• Choosing Vegetable Varieties
• The California Backyard Orchard

PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)

• UC Integrated Pest Management for the Home Gardener
• UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center

SEASONAL FOOD GARDENING

Also see “What to Plant and When” above

THE FALL AND WINTER GARDEN

• Cool Season Vegetable Gardening
• The Late Fall and Winter Food Garden
• Sample Vegetable Bed with Focus on Cool-Weather Vegetables
• Cover Crops
• Growing Salad Greens

THE SPRING AND SUMMER GARDEN

• Sample Vegetable Bed with Focus on Warm-Weather Vegetables
• Spring to Summer Succession Gardening
• Food Gardening with Less Water
  • Sample Summer Vegetable Bed
  • Conserve Water in the food garden
• Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden

FOOD GARDENING SPECIALIST (FGS) ZOOM MEETINGS

(Join us the second Tuesday of the month (except December) 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., for a FREE “Veggie Happenings” zoom meeting—pre-registration required. An FGS panel will make brief presentations on current food gardening topics followed by Q&A. Unique references, if any, for the two most recent zoom meetings follow.)

HOW TO HARVEST AND USE YOUR FALL COVER CROPS (Cathy’s March 2021 presentation)

• Cover Crops in Your Backyard, UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County

GROWING POTATOES (Judith‘s March 2021 presentation)

• Potato article, Sonoma County Master Gardener website
• Potato, white (includes a problem diagnosis chart), Vegetable Research and Information Center, University of California

There are many online instructions for constructing a potato tower. Here are two:

• https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2088/2017/04/potato-tower-revised-8-2012-2.pdf
• https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/vegetables/growing-potatoes-towers

References provided by the UCCE Master Food Preserver Program of Sonoma County:

• Canning Potatoes, Penn State Extension
• Preserving Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, Penn State Extension

DRIP IRRIGATION IN THE FOOD GARDEN (Jennifer’s March 2021 presentation)

• Drip Irrigation in the Food Garden, Sonoma County Master Gardener website
• Drip Irrigation Instructions and Shopping List, Sonoma County Master Gardener website

STARTING TOMATOES AND PEPPERS BY SEED (Denise’s February 2021 presentation)

• Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Publication 8159
• Pepper and Tomato Articles, Sonoma County Master Gardener Website
• Average First and Last Frost Dates in Sonoma County, Sonoma County Master Gardener Website

Houllier’s book is available for loan through the Sonoma County Library system; we expect Albert’s book will be available through the library soon:

• Le Houllier, Craig, Epic Tomatoes, Storey Publishing, North Adams, Massachusetts, 2015
• Albert, Stephen, Tomato Grower’s Answer Book, Green Wagon Books, 2019 (his seed starting information can also be found on Harvest to Table)

***The April 13 Veggie Happenings zoom event will be dedicated to growing tomatoes. Join us!***

GROWING ASPARAGUS (Stephanie’s February 2021 presentation)

• Asparagus, Sonoma County Master Gardener Website
• Asparagus, Vegetable Research Information Center, UC Davis
• Vegetable Seed Sources, Sonoma County Master Gardener Website

CITRUS FOR SONOMA COUNTY (Jennifer’s February 2021 presentation)

• Citrus, The California Backyard Orchard, University of California

The following books are available for loan through the Sonoma County Library system:

• Pittenger, Dennis R. (Editor), California Master Gardener Handbook, 2^nd Edition, UC/ANR, 2015
• Western Garden Book of Edibles: The Complete A to Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits, Sunset Publishing, 2010

To find references to older Veggie Happenings Zoom Talks, click here.

VISIT US

• UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County Website and Food Gardening Page (with monthly tips and tasks); página web en español
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube
• Sonoma County MG Information Desk COVID notice: Currently, we are not accepting walk-ins or specimen drop offs at our Information Desk at the UCCE Sonoma office. Please send an email with your inquiry. Our Information Desk team is checking the emails regularly and will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

To learn more about preserving your bounty, see the UCCE Master Food Preservers of Sonoma County’s Facebook page.  A website is under construction.