UC Master Gardeners of Kern County

08/20/2026

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08/20/2026

It’s National Potato Day!

When potato plants bloom, they send up five-lobed flowers that spangle fields like fat purple stars. By some accounts, Marie Antoinette liked the blossoms so much that she put them in her hair. Her husband, Louis XVI, put one in his buttonhole, inspiring a brief vogue in which the French aristocracy swanned around with potato plants on their clothes. The flowers were part of an attempt to persuade French farmers to plant and French diners to eat this strange new species.

How did the potato go from a startling novelty to one of the most important crops worldwide? https://bit.ly/4g8XLrE

📸: Martin Mejia / AP Images

08/19/2026

Kern County has a great climate for growing potatoes. Fall planting can begin late August to early September with harvest after 50 to 70 days. Spring planting is best in late January through February, with harvest after 70 to 100 days.

Three local favorite varieties to grow are:
Yellow: Yukon Gold This variety is popular for making creamy mashed potatoes, in potato salad, and in soups. It has a thin skin that does not need to be peeled for cooking.

Red: Red Lasoda This red skinned variety is well-suited for baking, boiling and mashing, but it holds its shape well and can be used in potato salads and side dishes.

Purple: Huckleberry Gold This purple skinned variety (with yellow interior) is a favorite to grow for UCMG Cassaundra. This potato has a rich and buttery flavor, and can be used mashed, roasted, boiled, baked, and in salads.

Potatoes can be grown in containers (large pots, buckets, or potato grow bags) or in the ground. Be sure the soil drains well and is loosened. You can purchase seed potatoes or grow them from sprouted potatoes. Potatoes grow best in full sun with regular watering. Harvest when plants die back, and allow a couple of weeks for the skins to toughen for storage.

Photo Description: small potato plant with green scalloped leaves, in a garden bed with other plants and a fence in the background, and straw pieces covering the soil

Photo Credit: UCMG Dana Villicano

08/18/2026

It’s Fall around the corner! We hope you can utilize these tips!

08/18/2026

Pollinator mix 💕

08/11/2026

We have an informational session tomorrow! Please come by to our UCCE Kern County Office for more information on our program!

08/10/2026

With our hot summers and ongoing need to conserve water, it's not just about how much you water—it's about how well your soil holds onto that water.

Check out this quick guide to how different soil types affect water retention. The right soil can help you water more efficiently, grow healthier plants, and make every drop count.

What have you done to improve your soil's ability to retain water? Let us know in the comments.

08/10/2026

It's time to start thinking about seed-saving for next year's garden.

Top 6 tips for seed saving:

1. Save seeds from healthy plants and healthy produce. Choose your best plants to save seeds from.

2. Grow open-pollinated vegetables and herbs for seed saving.

3. Know which plants self-pollinate and which cross-pollinate.

4. Let seeds mature on the plant before collecting.

5. Clean and dry seeds, then store in a cool/cold and dry environment.

6. Label and date seed packets.

For more info: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/seed-saving-basics

Photo: "Community Seed Swap" by Howard County Library System is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

08/08/2026

Tip: Resist the urge to overwater on hot afternoons!

Master Gardener Eugene Wong explains, on hot afternoons, it is natural to see some plant with droopy leaves. It is also natural to want to immediately give it some water. But stop, just for a moment. Poke a finger into the soil near the root to see if the soil is still moist. If it is moist, wait until the next morning to water the plant.

What may be happening is the wilting is only temporary for plants that have adequate soil moisture on hot days. Many plants with large leaves such as squash, cucumber, sunflower, and many others may droop because they cannot absorb water fast enouh through their roots to replace the water lost through their leaves.

Adding water at this time is not necessary and may actually be harmful to the plant in some case since the extra water may prevent oxygen from reaching the roots. Plants will often recover in the evening as it cools down. One of the reasons to water plants early in the morning is to allow the soil to partially dry out and allow oxygen to refill tiny airspaces in the soil. Roots take in this oxygen from the soil as part of its processes to make use of available nutrients. Suffocating roots contribute to poor growth and may kill the plant.

Photo description: wilted zucchini leaves in the hot afternoon sun