Pruning and Training Fruit Trees in Santa Cruz County: Shape Your Trees for Better Harvests
Everything you need to know about pruning and training fruit trees in Santa Cruz County. From basic cuts and timing to espalier techniques and backyard orchard culture for small-space growing.
Manzano Peppers: The Hot Pepper Built for Cool Climates
Manzano peppers are uniquely suited to Santa Cruz County's mild climate. Unlike most hot peppers, they prefer cooler temperatures and can produce for years as perennials in our frost-free areas.
Growing Cilantro in Santa Cruz: Beat the Bolt for Longer Harvests
Cilantro is notorious for bolting at the first hint of warm weather, but Santa Cruz County's mild climate gives us advantages most gardeners don't have. With the right timing, variety selection, and succession planting, you can harvest fresh cilantro nearly year-round. Here's how to beat the bolt and keep this essential herb productive.
How to Plant and Care for Olallieberries: A Year-Round Guide
Step-by-step olallieberry planting and care for California gardens. Trellising, pruning, watering schedules, and a year-round maintenance calendar for Santa Cruz County.
Reviving Your Strawberry Patch After Harsh Weather
Santa Cruz County's mild climate usually treats strawberries well, but extreme weather happens. This guide covers how to assess damage after frost, heat waves, or waterlogging, provide emergency care, and help your strawberry plants recover. Includes specific advice for coastal versus inland gardens and guidance on when to keep trying versus when to start fresh.
Growing Sweet Peppers in Santa Cruz County: The Varieties That Actually Succeed
Sweet peppers are notoriously challenging in Santa Cruz County's cool climate, but the right variety choices and growing strategies make all the difference. This guide covers which sweet peppers actually succeed here, from quick-maturing mini bells to fog-tolerant Italian frying types, plus the microclimate strategies that turn pepper frustration into abundant harvests.
Preventing Basil from Bolting in Santa Cruz: Keep Your Plants Bushy and Productive
Nothing ends a basil harvest faster than bolting. Once those flower spikes appear, leaves turn bitter and production slows. The good news is that bolting is largely preventable. This guide explains why basil bolts in Santa Cruz County's variable climate and shares proven techniques to keep plants producing tender leaves all season long.
Growing Kohlrabi in Santa Cruz County: Cool-Season Crop Guide
Kohlrabi is a cool-season brassica that thrives in Santa Cruz County's mild climate. Learn when to plant, which varieties to grow, and how to harvest this crisp, mild vegetable.
Pepper Problems in Santa Cruz County: Troubleshooting Guide
When your pepper plants flower beautifully but never set fruit, or your peppers stay stubbornly green well into fall, the culprit is usually our cool Santa Cruz County climate. This troubleshooting guide covers the most common pepper problems, why they happen here specifically, and what you can actually do about them.
Growing Olallieberries in Santa Cruz County: Your Guide to California's Favorite Pie Berry
Learn how to grow olallieberries in Santa Cruz County, where these California pie berries thrive. Planting tips, trellising, harvest timing, and local farm connections.
Growing Spinach in Santa Cruz (and Why It Bolts)
Learn why spinach bolts and how to grow it successfully in Santa Cruz County. Best varieties, planting times, and alternatives when spinach gives up.
Tomato Fertilizing and Soil Preparation for Santa Cruz County
Learn how to prepare soil and fertilize tomatoes in Santa Cruz County. Local soil types, compost tips, and when to fertilize for best results.
Growing Peppers in Containers in Santa Cruz County: The Mobility Advantage
Container growing is the secret weapon for pepper success in Santa Cruz County's challenging microclimates. The ability to move plants to chase sun, protect them from cold nights, and warm soil faster can transform your pepper harvest, especially in coastal and foggy areas where in-ground peppers struggle.
Starting Tomatoes from Seed in Santa Cruz County
Learn when and how to start tomato seeds for Santa Cruz County's coastal climate. Timing guide, setup tips, and variety recommendations for local conditions.
Growing Thyme in Santa Cruz: Varieties, Care, and Culinary Uses
Thyme is a Mediterranean herb that feels right at home in Santa Cruz County gardens. With dozens of varieties offering different flavors, growth habits, and ornamental qualities, there's a thyme for every garden and every cook. This guide covers everything from variety selection to harvest techniques for our local growing conditions.
How to Multiply Strawberries from Runners (Free Plants Forever)
Strawberry runners are a free plant factory waiting to be harvested. This guide teaches Santa Cruz County gardeners three methods for rooting runners, when to propagate for best results, how to care for new plants, and how to create a perpetual strawberry patch that renews itself indefinitely. Stop buying strawberry plants and start multiplying your own.
Raspberry Growth Stages: A Year-by-Year Visual Guide
Raspberries follow a multi-year ramp-up and predictable seasonal rhythm that can confuse new growers. A small crop in year one isn't failure. Canes dying after fruiting isn't disease. This guide explains what your raspberry plants should look like at each stage, when to expect real harvests, and how to recognize when normal development differs from actual problems.
Growing Dill in Santa Cruz: From Seed to Harvest in Cool Seasons
Dill is a cool-season herb that thrives in Santa Cruz County's mild temperatures, but timing is everything. Plant too late in spring, and you'll have flowers before you've harvested any leaves. This guide covers the best planting windows, variety selection, and strategies for extending your dill harvest throughout the year.
Raspberry Problems: Pests, Diseases, and Common Issues
Yellow leaves? No fruit? Mushy berries with tiny worms? This troubleshooting guide helps you diagnose and fix the most common raspberry problems in Santa Cruz County.
7 Raspberry Varieties That Thrive in Santa Cruz County
Not every raspberry that thrives in Oregon or the Midwest will be happy in Santa Cruz County. Our mild winters, cool summers, and pockets of inland heat favor certain primocane and low-chill varieties, while others struggle without enough winter cold or burn out in summer heat. This guide profiles 10+ raspberry varieties that perform well in coastal California, with notes on chill needs, flavor, best uses, and which microclimates suit each variety.