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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 natural environments may support a healthy relationship with the microbes that live around and on us. Gardening is exercise, too. Digging, planting, weeding, lifting, and walking through the garden build strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. Reaching, bending, and stretching as we care for plants can keep our bodies moving in ways that feel productive rather than like a workout. Perhaps one of gardening’s greatest benefits is mental health. Being outdoors, working with plants, watching seeds grow, and enjoying the sights and smells of a garden can help reduce stress, encourage mindfulness, and provide a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Join Master Gardeners Bill and Artemesia to explore how gardening may be one of the healthiest things you can do - because when you grow a garden, you are growing a healthier you, too.

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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 may take a little coaxing. The key is consistent water (soil moisture). Start now to prepare for California’s second growing season coming up!.

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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 Bananas! If you have the space and a good source of water and fertilizer, you can be successful and have your own fruit in a little over a year. Katrina and Teena always have a great time sharing their gardening experience with you every month on the “In the Garden” that always airs on the first Thursday of the month at 8:30 a.m. PST on 88.9 KUCI Irvine if you are in our broadcast area. You can also find our show on this podcast platform or on our website KUCI.org/listen.

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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 fires in 2025. Imagine this! J. Paul Getty’s inspiration for this site was the Villa of Papyri (Scrolls) near the ancient Vesuvius eruption site . How similar are the consequences between the eruption and the wildfire? How rich is the Greek and Roman mythology and culture woven into garden design and plant selections. Imagine how Roman citizens ate many of the same fruits and vegetables we enjoy today.

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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 many, many benefits have been discovered after connecting a garden curriculum with the student’s academic success. How is that happening? Bill and Joanne will discuss that plus planning/developing, installing, and maintaining the type of garden best suited for the particular school. The big consideration of FUNDING sources will be covered. Tips and tricks for building and sustaining the school garden will round out the program.

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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 to people and the environment.” Master Gardener Sally Richards met with retired UCANR advisor Dr. Cheryl Wilan to talk about pesticides – their labels and proper use. Plus, some direct methods like squishing, squashing, and drowning! All methods are part of Integrated Pest Management! Just as your plants are hungry now, so are the pests that bother your plants. Feed the plants and you are, in turn, feeding those bugs that eat the fresh new growth. Stay on top of them the moment you spot them. Look up what you find on our UC IPM (Integrated Pest Management) website for specific pest notes at Pest Notes Library / Home and Landscape / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM). Another indispensable resource is our Hotline Gardening Questions? - Ask Us! | UC Master Gardeners of Orange County.

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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 Southern California are HOT spots for plumeria culture. This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, Master Gardener and host Bill Brooks talks with fellow Master Gardener Pennie Louwers and past President of the South Coast Plumeria Society Jaki Kamphuis about how to grow plumerias. Learn all you need to know about the needs of the plants (water, temperature, soil, feeding, and propagation) to get you off and growing.

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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 with holes for drainage can work for planting. Edibles, succulents, fruit trees, anything grows in containers. You’ll learn about container projects like Salsa Pots and Bruschetta Pots as well as any other fill-in-the-blank food-themed container garden that suits your fancy!