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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 trees growing in containers. His favorite container is the half-wine barrel—and he can grow two or even three fruit trees in a single barrel! John explains why growing fruit in containers can be an easy and practical option for gardeners with limited space. Container-grown trees can be moved, managed and maintained more easily, and there’s an added safety benefit: many fruit trees can be kept at a manageable height, reducing the need to climb a ladder to harvest your fruit. If you have a small yard, patio, balcony or just want to try growing something different, discover how you can enjoy fresh homegrown fruit—even when space is limited!

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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, strawberries, passion fruit just to name a few. October is the month to begin a cool season vegetable garden in places like coastal California and in the southern states - basically in USDA zones 9-11. In regions of the world with colder weather, cool season vegetables can be planted in the spring or summer. No doubt wherever you live, there are new, exciting cool season vegetable varieties on the market to enjoy. Get inspired!

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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 of Mathematics, History and Social Studies, and of course, Science are incorporated into this remarkable outdoor classroom. Learning outdoors is a key element of student excitement and engagement. The sense of pride when the students see their garden’s bounty featured in the school cafeteria is immeasurable. The surrounding community also benefits and contributes when they purchase the products and produce made and grown at the Top of the World School Garden’s Farmer’s Market.