Try visiting Western Garden Nursery, on Vinyard. They can answer just about any local gardening question!

Depends a little on where you live in town because in some places the soil is poor because it possibly was a Walnut Grove before. That said, I have had a lot of luck with tomatoes as long as you water down low on the plant rather than high as the leave burn quite easily.

I've had luck with tomatoes red and yellow. Bell peppers and herbs grow well too. Home Depot in Pleasanton is handy with their Garden section if you're at that end of town.

Best of luck with your gardening, and welcome to the neighborhood. Most are friendly and warm but in these forums you might not think so. Beware they are a small minority.

Web Link

You may need to amend your soil. It's probably adobe and you can use compost or other organic matter, such as potting soil,to loosen it up but anything you grew in your former location will probably grow here. We have great weather for some form of gardening all year...

After amending my soil, I grow corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and a host of other veggies and flowers...

Go for it and why not plant a fruit tree, if you have the space...

Have fun...:)

Tomatoes and even peppers were commercially grown in some parts of town way back when. You will probably need to add organic material to soil as others have said. Blueberries are not so well suited because our winters are too warm. It's worth a try.

A wonderful plant nursery is Alden Lane in Livermore. They have knowledgeable, very friendly staff, and the place itself is absolutely beautiful! It's set among old oak trees and is a very peaceful, motivating place to go for gardening ideas. It is a bit pricier than Home Depot, but the plants are high quality - you really should go there to check it out! I myself practice survival of the fittest and have some established plants and add annuals to brighten things up. Sunset Magazine focuses on gardens of the west and they have their test gardens in Menlo Park (other side of the bay), another beautiful place to visit for inspiration. Good luck and have fun!

Alden Lane is like a pool of serenity in the chaos of life. I sometimes go there just to get a grip.

I also highly recommend Alden Lane Nursery. You can check out their website at: aldenlane.com
They give free classes on different gardening techniques throughout the year and are always available to answer questions on the best plants to grow in our area. The quality of plants there seems superior to other nurseries in our area. If I find I have some spare time during the day with nothing to do, I'll hop in the car and drive there just to take little stroll under the beautiful oak trees.

Welcome to the area - it is gardening heaven! Two other great places for plants are Armstrong in Dublin, and surprisingly OSH in Dublin has very good plants. I agree that Alden Lane is nirvana! The beauty of this area is you can start a garden any time of year. Growing right now, planted last fall are sugar snap peas, parsley, chard, spinach, chives, rosemary, beets, lettuce. Start soon, when a little warmer, all kinds of tomatoes, peppers, BASIL, cucumbers, garlic, onions, zuchini, cucumbers... you can live pretty much all summer on that and something on the grill! I grow in 1 foot tall raised beds (bottomless) that were originally dug down another foot, added compost and planting mix...you'll never have to dig it again.
Also, get some seeds, don't rely on the nurseries all the time, not that much variety. Most seeds go directly in the garden, add water, and magically, the stuff just grows and grows. Best source for tomatoes is: Web Link
Keep experimenting and Enjoy! ...and plant a lemon and a lime tree immediately, they come in very handy at cocktail time, after a long day of gardening :-)

Thanks you all for your great comments!! I can't wait to visit the places "ya'll" recommended!

Hi Amanda,

We are moving to Pleasanton in April, and we just recently moved here from Texas too! Thank you for posting this great question!

Welcome,
Anna Campbell