Growing Pumpkins in Santa Cruz County: From Seed to Jack-o-Lantern
Growing your own pumpkins is one of the most satisfying fall garden projects. Here is everything you need to know for Santa Cruz County.
How to Propagate Blackberries and Olallieberries: Complete Guide
Get free blackberry and olallieberry plants through simple propagation techniques. Tip layering is the easiest method—canes root naturally when tips touch soil. Here's how to do it right.
Growing Pineapple Tomatoes in Santa Cruz County: A Beefsteak Worth the Challenge
Pineapple tomatoes produce massive bicolor fruits with sweet, low-acid flavor. This heirloom beefsteak is worth growing in Santa Cruz County's warmest microclimates for its exceptional eating quality.
Fall Garden Cleanup for Fire Safety
Fire season in Santa Cruz County often extends into November until significant rains arrive. Fall garden cleanup is the perfect time to reduce fuel loads, prepare your garden for winter, and set up for a safer next year.
Gardening with Kids 101: Growing the Next Generation of Gardeners
Gardening with children is sensory exploration for babies, science class for school-age kids, and a chance to connect as a family. This guide covers age-appropriate activities from infants to teens, the best plants for each stage, and tips for keeping it fun. In Santa Cruz County, our year-round growing season means every season offers something to plant, watch, or harvest together.
Blackberry Growth Stages: What Each Year Looks Like
Blackberries don't produce fruit immediately—knowing what to expect each year helps you nurture plants toward maximum production. Follow the journey from bare-root to bountiful harvest.
Saving Tomato Seeds: Preserve Your Favorite Varieties
Learn how to save tomato seeds using the fermentation method. Step-by-step guide for home gardeners to preserve heirloom and open-pollinated varieties.
Growing Cucumbers in Santa Cruz County: Crisp Harvests Despite Cool Summers
Cucumbers love heat, but Santa Cruz County's cool summers do not always cooperate. These varieties and techniques produce crisp harvests anyway.
Growing Winter Squash in Santa Cruz County: From Planting to Storage
Winter squash takes patience but rewards you with months of stored food. Here is how to grow, cure, and store it in Santa Cruz County.
The Complete Guide to Growing Onions in Santa Cruz County
How to grow onions in Santa Cruz County from seeds, sets, or transplants. Day-length variety selection, planting timing, and proven varieties for Bay Area gardens.
Best Pepper Varieties for Santa Cruz County Microclimates
Not all peppers perform equally across Santa Cruz County's diverse microclimates. This comprehensive guide matches specific pepper varieties to your growing conditions, from fog-tolerant shishitos for coastal gardens to heat-loving habaneros for Watsonville's warm valleys.
Best Zucchini Varieties for Santa Cruz County
Not all zucchini varieties perform equally in Santa Cruz County. These proven picks resist powdery mildew and produce reliably in our climate.
How Gardening Shapes Kids' Eating Habits: What the Research Shows (and How to Make It Work)
Kids who help grow food are more likely to taste it, enjoy it, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Here's how to make it work in your Santa Cruz garden.
Gopher Control: What Actually Works in Santa Cruz
If you've gardened in Santa Cruz County, you've met gophers. One day your tomato is thriving, the next it slides into the ground with roots chewed clean off. The internet is full of gopher control advice, much of it useless. This guide focuses on what actually works here: trapping (most effective), hardware cloth and gopher baskets (prevention), and what to skip entirely (vibrating stakes, gum, flooding).
Olallieberry vs Blackberry: What's the Difference and Which Should You Grow?
What's the difference between olallieberry and blackberry? Compare flavor, growing ease, and climate needs to choose the best berry for your California garden.
Greens Troubleshooting: Bolting, Bitterness, and Pests
Bolting lettuce, bitter arugula, and pest-riddled kale are frustrating but fixable. Here are the most common leafy green problems and their solutions.
Growing Tomatoes in Containers in Santa Cruz County
Learn how to grow tomatoes in containers in Santa Cruz County. Container sizes, best varieties, watering tips, and patio placement for coastal success.
Yes, You Can Grow Blackberries in Pots (Here's How)
No yard? No problem. Compact blackberry varieties thrive in containers, producing full-sized berries in small spaces. Here's everything you need to know about growing blackberries in pots.
Cut-and-Come-Again Greens: Maximizing Your Harvest
Cut-and-come-again harvesting lets you pick from the same greens plants for weeks or months. Here is which greens regrow best and how to cut them properly.
Beyond Onions: Growing Shallots and Leeks in Santa Cruz
How to grow shallots and leeks in Santa Cruz County. Fall planting for shallots, seed starting for leeks, plus variety recommendations and harvest tips.