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Seeds for Thought

A quarterly publication written and edited by volunteer Master Gardeners from Solano County.

Issue Articles Type Date Added
Fall 2024

Community Gardening in Solano County

Compost Insanity

Composting at Home

Container Gardening for Fall

How Native Plants Help Salmon

Tahiti Plants

There's a Bit of Confusion in the World of Bulbs

Solano County Water Agency Strive for 25!

Solano Master Gardeners This Fall

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 10/16/24
Summer 2024

A Gift of Knowledge

The Leftover Wreath

Deliberate Acts of Kindness

A Personal Garden for You or Someone Very Special

Thorns, Spines and Prickles-Out, That Hurt!

Tips on Flower Drying or Everlastings

Pumpkins-The Squash That Just About Everyone Loves

UCCE Master Gardeners This Summer

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 7/1/24
Spring 2024

Tumbling Weeds

Preservation Pointers: Cobblers, Crumbles and Crisps from Your Pantry

Master Gardener Training Program Update: Learning Tons and Making Friends

Climate Change and Warming Soil

Fabulous Spring Flowers

Sprouts in the Garden: I'm Growing Potatoes! In a Bag! Join Me!

Survey of Landscape Professionals

What the Heck is "Mulch Glue"?

Fun with Seed Starters

Trialed and True Modern Roses

UCCE Master Gardeners This Spring

Spring Gardening Guide

PDF 4/8/24
Winter 2024

The Simplest Terrestrial Vascular Plant on Earth: Whisk Fern

Gardening for Climate Change

More Mess, Less Stress...And the Garden is Happy Too

An Abecedary of Gardening Advice

Sprouts in the Garden:  The Best Gardening Books for Children

Saving Vegetable Seeds

UCCE Master Gardeners this Winter

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 1/9/24
Fall 2023

The Gift of Garden Tools

Mediterranean Oak Borer: A New Invasive Species

Preservation Pointers: Flavored Vinegars and Oils

It's Time to Get Started on Your Winter Vegetable Garden!

A Hoophouse for the Backyard

Financial Incentives for Planting Trees!

Sprouts in the Garden: Kids Corner

The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens

Inviting Mummies Among Your Roses

Artificial Grass: Pros and Cons

Herbs of the East

Master Gardeners this Fall

Fall Gardening Guide

 

PDF 9/29/23
Summer 2023

A Plea for Fragrance in the Garden

Preservation Pointers: Figs-A Fantastic Fruit

North Bay Rose Show

Guacamole and Margaritas

Nine Things You Can Do to Keep Your Summer Tomato Garden Healthier

Sheet Mulching Your Garden

Luther Burbank

Solano Farming and Local Gardens for Families

UCCE Master Gardeners-Solano This Summer

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 6/28/23
Spring 2023
  • A Visit to Several Family-Owned Nurseries in Solano County
  • Preservation Pointers: A Culinary Herb Garden
  • Butterfly "Flying and Floating" in My Garden
  • Meet Susan Ellsworth, Director of the UCCE Capitol Corridor
  • The Last Vegetable Garden-Villandry
  • Warm Season Vegetable Gardening in Containers
  • Master Gardener Plant Exchange
  • The Resilience of the Honey Bee
  • Need Free Seeds?
  • IPM with Diego
  • UCCE Master Gardeners at Work
  • Memories of Carolyn
  • Spring Gardening Guide
PDF 3/27/23
Winter 2023

Salvia rosmarinus:  The Aromatic Herb

Preservation Pointers:  Kiwifruit

Don't Let Them Drift By Your Window: A Word About Leaf Mold

Get Ready Get Set, Go-Spring Soon!

Dog Urine Spots on Your Lawn

Rainwater Harvesting

Norfolk Island Pine

Master Gardeners in the Community

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 1/11/23
Fall 2022

The Unwanted Artichoke

True Bulbs and Other Bulb-Like Structures

Preservation Pointers: Fruity Flavorites

A Dynamic Duo:  Betty Victor and Daughter Toni Greer

Blooms for the Holidays: Not Just Poinsettia, Amaryllis or Easter Lily

Four Common Bare Root Tree Fables

You Have a Friend at the Vallejo Farmers Market

Raised Beds for Drought Conditions

Update on Invasive Species from the UCANR

Share Your Bounty with Your Neighbors

But Wait! There's More!

Solano Master Gardeners at Work this Fall

Wreath Workshop

Fall Gardening Guide

 

PDF 10/6/22
Summer 2022

The Willis Linn Jepson Native Garden Renovation Project-Part 2

Preservation Pointers: Pickling Pleasures

A Visit to the UC Davis Honeybee Haven

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'

Water-Wise Plants

Moles, Voles, Pocket Gophers, California Ground Squirrels, Birds on Tree Fruit and Vines

Protecting Our Trees

Crassula ovata-The Plant of Endless Growth

To Prune or Not to Prune Tomatoes?  That is the Question!

The Dwarf Tomato Project

The Decline of the Monarch Butterfly

UCCE Master Gardeners at Work

Summer Gardening Guide

 

 

PDF 6/30/22
Spring 2022

Zinnias: Sickeness of the Eyes (Mal de Ojos)

Preservation Pointers: Globe Artichokes: The Edible Thistle

The Willis Linn Jepson Native Garden Renovation Project

A German Rose: 'Pink Gruss An Aachen'

Fruits and Vegetables Are Best From Your Own Backyard

Solano County Water Agency Rebate Program

Showing Off Your Succulents

What's Blooming in Your Yard Right Now?!

Master Gardeners in the Community/Resource

Spring Gardening Guide

PDF 3/29/22
Winter 2022

A Shot of Color for a Winter Garden

It's Spring Planting Time-Do You Know You Seed Supplier?

Preservation Pointers: Let's Try a Tasty Trio of Roots

Allelopathy

Garlic

Dottie Deems: 20+ Year Master Gardener Volunteer

Water, Water, Everywhere

Irene's Magic: Air Layering a Lemon Tree

Fabulous Ficus

Master Gardener Resources

Care and Maintenance of Garden Tools

Got Rats?

LABELS: Fertilizers, Pesticides, Fungicides, Herbicides

Protecting Tender Crops

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 1/10/22
Fall 2021

The Odd, The Tough, The Beautiful:  Horsetails

Preservation Pointers: Our Wonderful World of Walnuts

What's Cooking in the Laundry?

Meet Katie Churchill

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks; I'm Sick of Rocks

University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE): Master Gardeners in the Community

A Cup of Tea

Planning a Water Feature:  Part 2

Master Gardeners in the Community/Resources

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 9/30/21
Summer 2021

Local Native Bees in the Garden

Planning a Water Feature

Preservation Pointers:  Post-Harvest Tips for Fresh Produce

Beyond Gardening

Gardening for Butterflies:  A Book Review

Nitrogen

Under the Solano Sun: Seasonal Observations by the UCCE MGs

Growing West African Bamara Ground Nuts in the Central Valley

Creating Terrariums with Succulents

Are Homemade Pesticides a Good Choice?

How the Pandemic Change my Gardening and Master Gardenering Activities

Changes and Challenges of the Pandemic

Master Gardeners in the Community/Resources

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 7/26/21
Spring 2021

The Once Rare Helleborus

How to Plant California Natives

Preservation Pointers: Apricots-California Gold

Propagating Bougainvillea Shrub from Cuttings

Keeping Bees, Butterflies and Beneficial Insects in the Garden

Pelleted and Other Seeds

Some Garden Terminology So You Can Talk Like a Pro

How to Identify Birds in Your Backyard

Kiss the Ground

The Not So Ordinary History of the "Ordinary Grapefruit"

Backyard Composting:  Priming My Primordial Instincts

Master Gardener Resources

Spring Garden Guide

 

PDF 3/24/21
Winter 2021

Of Shrubs, Trees and Other Nasty Companions

Ginkgo Trees, The Golden Treasure

Fire Protection:  Landscape, Design and Maintenance

Pollinators and the Mysteries of Plant Reproductive Biology

Sustainable Solano Educational Opportunity

Master Gardener Resources

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 1/4/21
Fall 2020

Sweet Peas! Lathyrus odoratus, Lathyrus latifolia

It's Fall-Time to Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs

Vallejo Peoples Garden

Growing and Propagating Freesias

Climate Change/Global Warming/Climate Reality

Turn Your Kitchen Trash Into New Plants

Along Came a Spider

Master Gardener Resources

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 10/8/20
Summer 2020

"Sheltering-in-Place" Gardening

Preservation Pointers:  A Honey of an Idea

Ten Delicious Roses

A Profile of Judy Hager:  Gold Badge Volunteer

What Birds Have You Seen or Heard in YOUR Garden?

New Year Resolutions:  Master Gardener Style

Covering the Ground with Edible California Native Strawberries

Master Gardener Succulent Extravaganza/Resources

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 6/29/20
Spring 2020

Sneak Peek at 2020's Succulent Extravaganza (SE2)

Preservation Pointers: Our Plentiful Pretty Plums

Climates and Microclimates

Windbreaks

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Date Palms

Spring Gardening Guide

Covid-19 Resources

PDF 4/20/20
Winter 2020

Flowering Heirlooms

Preservation Pointers:  Unexpected Edibles

Spotlight on Common Beneficial Insects vs Pests

Pearl Eddy, A Lifelong Learner and Adventurer

Worm Composting Basics

UCCE Master Gardeners' Dunnell Demonstration Garden:  Fairfield, CA

Plant Do Talk

Magnolia Pilgrimage

Winter Gardening Guide

 

PDF 1/22/20
Fall 2019

Succulent Propagation:  Why Aeoniums Plump Up in the Winter and Echeveria Don't?

Kaiser Rehabilitation

Preservation Pointers:  Pomegranates: The Jewels of Winter

A Closer Look at Which Bees Are in Your Garden

A Profile of Sherry Richards

A Flexible Program to Meet Your Lifestyle

Wreath Workshop

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 10/31/19
Summer 2019

Growing Up: Vertical Gardening

Preservation Pointers: Spicy Summer Seasonings

Crested Succulents on the Garden Tour

Undemanding Roses

Art in the Garden

Got a Succulent Extravaganza? Yes, We Did.

An Interview with Betsy Buxton

Gardening Books for Free

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 6/25/19
Spring 2019

Three Uncommon Garden Flowers

Preservation Pointers:  Food Safety Begins in Our Own Backyards

A Profile of Gold-Badge Volunteer Teresa Lavell

Got Soil?

Chicken in the Garden:  Benefits and Challenges

Amazing African Violets

Vietnam:  Trip Report, Part 2: Rice

Presidents' Garden:  A Book REview

Master Gardeners in the Community

Spring Gardening Guide

PDF 4/3/19
Winter 2019

Pruning and Care of Roses

Preservation Pointers: Think Spring with Asparagus

Gardening with Raised Beds:  Pros, Cons, and Process

Got Weeds? Winter Weeds

Making Room for Everybody

What is a Garden Myth?

Vietnam: Trip Report and Water Issue

Where Does Your Luffa Come From?

Winter Gardening Guide

UC Davis-Dr. Norris's Planting Guide

PDF 1/23/19
Fall 2018

Creepy Plants for a Goblin's Garden

Preservation Pointers:  Preserving the Pretty Persimmons

Meet This Master Gardener Coordinator

Got Weeds? Beautiful Weeds

A Gentle Plea for Chaos:  Book Review

Composting Leaves

It Takes a Village:  New Sensory Garden

Dormant Spray

Ode to Master Gardenering

Autumn Project Pressed Leaves

Spring Master Gardener Garden Tour

Wreath Workshop

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 10/2/18
Summer 2018

Japanese Garden:  My Inspiration

Preservation Pointers:  Time to Try the Tangy Tomatillo

Ken Willams Sails into a New Phase of His Life

Got Weeds?  Nutsedge, Dandelion and Clover

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter: Xylophagous Leafhopper

Tilden Regional Park

Terrific Tomatoes

Master Gardener Plant Exchange

Master Gardeners in the Community

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 7/23/18
Spring 2018

Turkey Tail Fungus-An Intriguingly Beautiful Pernicious Invader

Preservation Pointers-Green is Good in Asian Food

UCCE Master Gardener Garden Tour

Seeds or Starts?

Inviting Butterflies to Your Garden

Water Saving Gardening-Drought or No Drought

Garden Journals

Got Weeds?

Spring Gardening Guide

Master Gardeners in the Community 

PDF 4/12/18
Winter 2018

Rain Gardens

Preservation Pointers:  Brussels Sprouts: Nutritional Powerballs

Salvias:  So Many to Choose From

UC Master Gardeners Garden Tour

Botanical Stammering

Long Fingers of Gardening

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 1/11/18
Fall 2017

Why Edibles?

Preservation Pointers: What to Do with Green Tomatoes

Meet the Master Gardeners

Flowering Plants for Your Winter Garden

Creating a Moon Garden

Is that Gardening Book Worth It?

International Master Gardener Conference Update

Wreath Workshop

Fall Gardening Guide

Gardeners in the Community

Garden Tour

PDF 10/3/17
Summer 2017

Water for Birds in Your Garden

Preservation Pointers: Time for the Tasty Tomato

Caution! Coming Soon! Asian Citrus Psyllid

Critter Protection

Sustainability Through Permaculture in Solano County

Bee Bullies

Sugar-Free Berry Jam Recipe

Master Gardener Plant Exchange

Spring Gardening Guide

Gardeners in the Community

PDF 7/18/17
Spring 2017

Return of a Beauty

Preservation Pointers: Strawberries

Nutritional Powerhouse

Growing to Fight Ellergies

Are There Grounds in Your Ground?

CCPP: A Treasure Trove for Citrus Growers

Mosquitos:  Vectors of Desease

Master Gardener Plant Exchange

Master Gardeners in the Community

PDF 4/4/17
Winter 2017

Protect Your Plants and Trees From Frost

Preservation Pointers:  Roasted Winter Vegetables

How to Maintain Felco Pruners

What Happened to Compost?

Curing Family Olives

UC Master Gardeners in the Community

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 1/10/17
Fall 2016

Improve Your Soil with Cover Crops

Drought Tolerant Winter Garden

Hiring a Landscape Maintenance Company

Preservation Pointers:  Awesome Avocado

Water Lilies in Your Garden

Unexpected Gifts

Wreath Workshop

Fall Gardening Guide

Mater Gardener Resource Guide

Vegetable Planting Guide

PDF 10/3/16
Summer 2016

Hugelkultur, Anyone?

Preservation Pointers: Amazing Zucchini

A Garden That Sings

Slugs - Slimy Pests in the Garden

Master Gardener Plant Exchange

Summer Gardening Guide

Master Gardeners in the Community

PDF 8/16/16
Spring 2016

Labyrinths in the Garden

Preservation Pointers: Cheery Cherries - A Fruity Favorite

Traveling Seeds

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch

Why Build Green Roofs

Making Herb Oils and Vinegars

Spring Gardening Guide

PDF 8/16/16
Winter 2016

Pollinators in Our Garden: A Look at Leaf Cutters

Preservation Pointers: More About Lemonds

Pruning Roses

A Walk Through Irrigation

Liberty Garden and Greenhouse

Rosemary

Fall Gardening Guide

Master Gardener Resource Guide Coming Soon

PDF 8/16/16
Fall 2015

My Lawn is Browner than Your Lawn

Preservation Pointers: Citrus Treats

How Did They Do That?

Zinnias

Quarterly Pest Notes

You Say Tomato, I Say Solanum Lycopersicum

Fall Gardening Guide

Become a Master Gardener

PDF 8/16/16
Summer 2015

Peggy Martin...The Resilient Rose

Preservation Pointers: Pickling Pleasures

An Orchid Bee and a Bucket Orchid

New State Water Restrictions: What Solano County Gardeners Need to Know

Quarterly Pest Notes: Lawn Watering

Planting Your Winter Garden - It's Only Half-Time in the Garden Game

Summer Gardening Guide

Michael's Garden

The Great Iris Dig

PDF 8/16/16
Spring 2015

All About that Dirt

Preservation Pointers: Apricots-California Gold

Bees

More Flowering Plants at No Cost

Quarterly Pest Notes

Raiding Your Recycling Cart for Garden Supplies

Winter Gardening Guide

PDF 8/16/16
Fall 2014

Seeds for Saving

Preservation Pointers: Gifts from the Garden

Winterizing Your Garden

Undeterred

Quarterly Pest Notes

Fall Gardening Guide

PDF 8/16/16
Summer 2014

Growing Vegetables in Galvanized Containers

Preservation Pointers: Safe Summertime Salsas

Consider the Scuffle Hoe

Ten Reasons to Become a Master Gardener

Quarterly Pest Notes

Public Plant Exchange

Summer Gardening Guide

PDF 8/16/16
Spring 2014

Greywater and Your Landscape

Preservation Pointers: Post Harvest Tips for Fresh Produce

Trendy Tillandsia

Miniature Gardens

Irrigation and Landscape Tips to Save Water

Cash for Your Grass

Drought Resistant Roses

Spring Gardening Guide

PDF 8/16/16
Winter 2014

Growing Amaryllis - or is it Hippeastrum?

Preservation Pointers: English Walnuts

Lawn Replacement

Mistletoe

Frost Protection for Citrus

Calendar of Events

Got a Question for the Master Gardeners?

Winter Gardening Guide

Who are the Master Gardeners?

Free Gardening Resources

PDF 8/16/16