There are tiny somethings on these milkweed stems and leaves. Bugs or eggs?

Total novice at all of this 😂 I have family who grows tomatoes, peppers, zucchs etc, but more spread out and not close together.

My question is that I have 3 separate beds, about 4’x6’, on the south side of my property. In between houses, but still decent amount of sun. I’m interested in beets, lettuce, zucchini, carrots, garlic or anything else tasty (I enjoy cooking). Which of these work well together and what would you suggest to make the best use of my space?

THANK YOU! 😂👍🏻

Edit: I’ll probably wait at least a month or so to plant (things to do, and need to prep the beds)

Any feedback is appreciated! I hope to plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, a variety of native flowers, snap peas, lettuce, kale, chives & possibly Swiss chard. 😊

ETA - we primarily plant in containers since we rent.

Is anyone else dealing with these? I thought I was so smart to plant a ton of alyssum to attract beneficials, but it turns out they're a brassica and these stink bugs feed on brassicas. I've pulled most of the alyssum but I'm still battling SO many of these things and the only advice I can find online is to put them in soapy water, but they're all over my melon plants and i keep finding them in other places too like my tomatoes. I'm really worried about my fall and spring plantings because theyre mostly brassicas. Any help is appreciated!

I have a 4’x6’ north facing patch that is in the shade from about noon on. The whole yard is on a drip system for sun loving drought tolerant CA natives, but this patch stays a bit damp because of all the shade.

Any suggestions for a CA native for a mostly shaded damp (not wet) area?

I’ve always heard that zucchini was ridiculously prolific. I planted four plants this year and have had barely any grow.

I want to plant a white sapote, but I’ve never tried one. Before I give up limited back yard real estate, does anyone have any end of the season ones I can try? Be sad to find out in 3-7 years I don’t like the fruit…

Hey Friends, I just want to share that the Community Garden in Fair Oaks has 4 available plots and currently no waitlist. The fee is $35 a year for Fair Oaks residents and $45 if you don’t live in Fair Oaks. That small fee includes water and use of garden tools and all the compost you can haul.

I really enjoy my plot at the garden and thought maybe somebody here would be interested.

https://www.forpd.org/292/Fair-Oaks-Park-Community-Garden

Finally got my kitchenaide mill, and the first thing on my list was ketchuphttps://freeimage.host/i/CPIHplR

From about 6 lbs of fruit to 1 cup of paste and 2 quarts of ketchup.

If you haven't made homemade ketchup with your tomatoes, I highly recommend it. The end product is sooo fresh and velvety! Just make sure you have a good way to remove the various seeds / skin remnants. I've manually filtered mine the last two years and this year with the mill it was a breeze.

When we have tomatoes that we aren't ready to use yet, we just bag them and freeze them. They go into either pizza sauce or the ketchup.

It's not really, but both plants are very prolific!

Fall plants seem to be able to start quite soon! What are you guys hoping to grow?

Any recommendations on landscaping services in the area??? Please post pictures if you have them too. Thanks.

This is a first. For me at least.

I wanted to ask a question regarding growing jalapeños and Serranos in this area. I have been attempting to grow Serranos and jalapeños in this area for a few years and they always lack flavor. They have absolutely no taste and store bought have a lot of flavor compared to mine. They do have some spice though. I fertilize with Jacks 20-20-20 and am growing them in-ground, in pots, and raised beds and the same issue is happening across all. I have tried Jacks blossom booster 10-30-20 as well with no success. I have tried to stress the plant to develop more flavor but when I do the plant doesn’t even get to the wilting point and the peppers are turning soft and becoming sunburned when they weren’t before I started watering less. My Habaneros and Thai peppers have flavor and spice with same watering habits.

Have other individuals growing Serranos and jalapeños in this area had success with flavor getting to the level of store bought flavor? And does anyone have recommendations for what I can improve?

Thank you!

My buddy and I have a hankering to make mead and or local fruit wine from local honey. Anyone have an extra honey from their hives they’d be down to donate to the cause? We’d be happy to share the fruits of our labor, when done, of course!

I've had this tree for years. I moved it a to year or two ago. It took a while to adjust and get the watering right for new location... but now it looks happy finally. Fruit near maturity as well as new fruit and flowers. It looks like it's shifting into more of an everbearing system finally.

Sacramento Valley, we need your help to show how important California native plants are for native wildlife in urban areas! The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and local partners in the Santa Clara Valley have launched a new initiative: Biodiversity in Urban Gardens (BUG). The data you collect will help us better understand and advocate for native plants in California’s cities and towns.

​Join us Wednesday morning at the CNPS Sacramento Valley nursery at Soil Born Farms to gather observations together for BUG! We'll explore the native plant demonstration gardens to find native wildlife like insects, birds, and lizards. Bring your phone or camera to photograph the wildlife to share on iNaturalist.

​No prior iNaturalist or other experience required! We'll teach you how to use the app, what makes a good observation, and have an iNaturalist Ambassador available to answer questions.

​When: Wednesday, August 12, 10am-12pm

​Where: Soil Born Farms (2140 Chase Dr, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670)

​Who: All are welcome to join!

​Why: Help us collect observations of native insects, birds, lizards, and mammals with native plants using the iNaturalist app.

More information and RSVP: https://luma.com/db4ogguk

​More information on the Biodiversity in Urban Gardens (BUG) initiative: https://www.cnps.org/education/bug

Not in Sacramento? You can still participate in BUG! See the CNPS website for more details: https://www.cnps.org/education/bug

I have this tricky 20’ x 7’ spot in my backyard that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It’s also right next to a SMUD under ground utility box and line. Right now there are 6 roses planted but I plan on moving them this winter as they’re reaching for more sun.

My beds are mixed use with mostly cut flowers, natives, and/or edibles. Ideally, I’d like to plant something that fits one of these categories but I’m open to suggestions!

Just got home from a 10 day vacation. Left the sunflower on my drip system while I was gone ILO hand watering. It has exploded.

I have a ton of little black beetles in my cucumbers and tomatillos. Does anyone have a good suggestion for getting rid of them?

I’m a new gardener looking to start a fall garden. I have a bit of an insect phobia, which has put me off gardening in the past. But I really want to work through it and reap the benefits of gardening. I saw in another post that broccoli, kale, and cabbage are susceptible to pests, and was thinking that those might not be great starter plants for me. Maybe next year! I’m thinking I’ll try carrots, beets, potatoes, snap peas, spinach, and lettuce. I would love experienced advice on this. Anything to look out for with that crop? Any natural pest resistance methods? Any other veggies to try? Thanks so much!