In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners

Send us Fan Mail Summer is over now yet it seems the heat will never end here in Southern California!  This week on “In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, Teena and Katrina get you out in the garden to start the tasks that you have been planning since last month’s episode.  Three basic tasks for the month are first, finish cleaning up. Next, do what it takes to get your soil in good shape.  If...

Send us Fan Mail This week on In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners , Master Gardener Marilyn Johnson talks to Master Gardener Teena Spindler about her self-professed early LOVE of Bulbs!  We are talking about Fall-Planted Bulbs for Spring Bloom!  The word “Bulb” is the most common term for a plant that has an underground or near underground storage organ or structure.  Corms, rhizomes, tubers, a...

Send us Fan Mail Think you don’t have enough room to grow your own fruit? Think again! In this episode of In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners on 88.9 FM KUCI, Master Gardener Mark Oertel interviews John McNeill of the Orange County Chapter of the Rare Fruit Growers.  John, who has lived around the world, has transformed his own yard from a tropical garden into an impressive collection of fruit...

Send us Fan Mail   Master Gardener host Mark Oertel talks with Leah Beattie of Laguna Hills Nursery about all the exciting vegetable garden varieties available for cool season gardens in this edition of “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”.  Leah grew up in the nursery business and has many heartwarming stories.   Learn about general garden favorites like onions, garlic, radishes, cole crops,...

Send us Fan Mail This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we take you to a remarkable success story of pairing core elementary school learning and a school garden.  Master Gardener Bill Brooks traveled to Laguna Beach’s Top of the World Elementary School and talked with fellow Master Gardener and teacher Kelly Osborne.  Imagine that through a simple school garden, the varied concepts...

Send us Fan Mail It is time for another installment of what to do in the garden this month for the month of September on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”.  Despite the likelihood of heat outside, work may be necessary to start CLEANING UP the garden. Out with the old!  Prep for transition to Cool Season color and crops.  Be aware of  the Fire Season danger potential. Look for bulbs now for...

Send us Fan Mail Don’t think you have space to garden? Think again! This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners , you will learn lots of tips and tricks to grow veggies and ornamentals in small spaces. Master Gardeners Sally Richards and Ann Liu got together to chat about small-space gardening perfect for college students and anyone living in the densely populated townhome, condominium, or...

Send us Fan Mail Not to be confused with the chocolate treat, today on In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners , we are talking about Truffles - the mysterious yet delectable underground fungus. Truffles are mycorrhizal fungi which play an important role in the health of soil.  The truffle/tree relationship is beneficial for both the environment and for the tree.  Because they grow underground, the...

Send us Fan Mail Now is your chance to understand the classic example of METAMORPHOSIS! Simply imagined, the word means changing structure, form, or substance. A word which applies to this process could be “supernatural”. We’ll look at the lifespan of the creatures we see during the life cycle that produces, arguably, the most beautiful garden inhabitants in Southern California gardens. Today, Mas...

Send us Fan Mail   What does gardening have to do with the University of California? Quite a lot! The latest episode of In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners explores the science, education and community service behind the UC Master Gardener Program.  In “Rooted in Research: The UC Master Gardener Program,” host Bill Brooks talks with Randy Musser, Program Coordinator for the Master Gardeners of...

Send us Fan Mail Gardening is more than a hobby—it’s a natural way to nourish both the body and mind. Growing your own fruits and vegetables makes it easier to enjoy fresh, nutrient-rich produce picked at its peak, while spending time in the garden connects us with the living world around us.  Healthy garden soil contains diverse communities of beneficial microorganisms, and our interaction with n...

Send us Fan Mail Where do most plants come from?  Well, SEEDS, of course!  So now is the time to start your cool season garden from seed.  For this topic called “Seed Starting for the Fall Season”, UC Master Gardener Dece Morgan talks to fellow Master Gardener Teena Spindler about the most inexpensive way to start a bountiful vegetable garden.  Some seeds don’t take much to germinate but others ma...

Send us Fan Mail This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, it’s ‘This Month in the Garden’ for August. UC Master Gardeners Katrina Kirkeby and Teena Spindler are back to help you get through the heart of summer with tips for your garden. Unless you live right on the coast, Just “Say No” to thoughts of planting most varieties of  permanent landscape plants. BUT … Just “Say Yes” to Bana...

Send us Fan Mail This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners , UC Master Gardener Ann Liu traveled to and interviewed Michael Dehart, Grounds and Gardens Supervisor at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. Together, they take listeners through a tour of the four gardens: Outer/Inner Peristyles, Herb Garden, and East Garden. You’ll note that this show was recorded before the devastating fi...

Send us Fan Mail The most direct way for kids to learn is through play. Kids love to play in the dirt! Right? So what better combination can there be but to pair up school with a garden? This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, MG and KUCI Staff Host Bill Brooks talks to fellow MG Joanne Byrd about the magic of School Gardens. School gardens are becoming popular in schools lately and m...

Send us Fan Mail This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners , we air a much-needed show on the topic of pest control.  Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is the primary tenet of Master Gardeners’ philosophy regarding pests. The key word is “INTEGRATED”.  According to the UCANR.edu website, Integrated Pest Management is “a process you can use to solve pest problems while minimizing risks...

Send us Fan Mail   Plumerias (aka Fragipani)!  Maybe the most coveted of the tropical flowers grown and blooming now in Southern California.  These flowers are more likely identified as Hawaiian as they are a favorite flower for leis, but they are actually endemic to Mexico and Central America.  They thrive in Southern California’s Mediterranean climate with a little water.  Even inland regions of...

Send us Fan Mail   On “July in the Garden” Master Gardeners Teena Spindler and Katrina Kirkeby are at it again to tell our listening public about what to do this month.  The heat is expected for the next two months so, control of the water is the key.  Manage your sprinkler system.  Make sure the water soaks deep enough into the soil.  If changing from a hose or an overhead sprinkler watering syst...

Send us Fan Mail   This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners , UC Master Gardener host Katrina Kirkeby talks to MG Teena Spindler and will discuss what it takes to grow in containers. This is a perfect topic for those of us who live in densely populated areas with just a patio to grow on.  From buckets to toilets to feed troughs to kettle grills to cowboy boots to baby shoes - anything w...

Send us Fan Mail School’s out for the Summer! Join us for another edition of  In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners .  Teena and Katrina from “This Month in the Garden” episodes have gotten together again to let our listeners know some special garden projects that the kids will love during summer break. Teena teaches you all the techniques needed to keep a kid’s attention. One example is Bucket G...

Send us Fan Mail It’s time for the monthly show focused on the highlights of the coming month. What to pay attention to, what flowers this time of year, and everything else. Master Gardeners Teena and Katrina share their experiences from their own gardens right now. It’s June on “This Month In The Garden with UC Master Gardeners”. One striking element Orange County listeners might pick up on is th...

Send us Fan Mail This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, Master Gardener host Katrina interviews fellow host Teena. The topic is “The Kitchen Garden - California Style” with an emphasis on Southern California and zeroing in on Orange County of course!  Learn about California cuisine and how to grow it! These two lovely ladies will provide a lively, and tasty, dialogue describing how...

Send us Fan Mail UC Master Gardeners Sally and Kris have prepared a show that’ll take you across the Atlantic Ocean to the birthplace of the English Garden. “Lessons Learned from English Gardens” is the topic. We have “formal” gardens as you can imagine in a Royal palace and you can have “informal” gardens that are also referred to as “Cottage Gardens”. The latter is one of the most prevalent type...

Send us Fan Mail   This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, you are in for a real listening treat! UC Master Gardener and show host Teena Spindler devotes the entire hour to the “Joy of Blooming Perennials.” Her guest is Horticultural Consultant and “The Plantsman,” Nicholas Staddon. He is an expert in new varieties of nursery plant material available in Southern California. And “spo...

Send us Fan Mail This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, we bring you the monthly tips and tricks and what-to-look-for’s in a show we call “This Month In The Garden”. It’s May already, and it’s the time of year to see new crops growing in the warming soil.  Are you planning a family and/or friend soiree during the spring or summer?  We’ll talk about preparing your outdoor space.  Ou...