Make use of the master gardeners' expertise
|
| An espaliered fruit tree overlooks the Berry Project area, with the pond and the Master Gardener information area beyond, during a pre-pandemic winter Open Garden. (Photo: Kathy Morrison) |
Three hours of Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center this Saturday isn't enough to plumb all the free knowledge available to home gardeners. But it's a start. And the weather will be clear and January-nice.
Here's how to make the most of the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon:
-- Decide which area you most want to visit, and head for that first. The Orchard will be busy all morning, so anyone with pruning questions will want to spend time there early. Learn how the trees are pruned to keep them a manageable size for harvesting.
Most of the fruit trees are off to the right past the Chuck Ingels Memorial Gate, but the citrus trees are past the Vegetable Garden, along the back fence, and the espaliered trees and a few others are between the Berry Garden and the Vineyard. The FOHC's other gardens are: Water Efficient Landscape (WEL), Herb Garden and Compost Area.
-- In the WEL, check for plants showing winter color. Some California natives do bloom in winter, adding interest to what can be a drab time of year.
-- Ask the Herb Garden team about propagating herbs. Many perennial herbs can be grown from cuttings or slips.
-- The Vegetable Garden will have winter and some early spring vegetables in the raised beds. See what's growing now, and ask what will be planted during the next month. (Then return for the Feb. 12 Open Garden and see how things have progressed!)
-- Pruning is also a winter activity in the Berry Garden and the Vineyard. Anyone who wants to grow blueberries, cane berries or grapes will do well to ask about tools and techniques.
-- Say hi to the worms in their new location! The vermiculture area has moved, along with the rest of the Compost Project. Learn how easy it is to set up a worm box and harvest the best "garden gold."
-- Not sure where to take a gardening question? Bring a sample of the problem plant, if appropriate, and stop at the Ask a Master Gardener table, in the center of the FOHC. The master gardeners stationed there will have many resources at their fingertips to find the answer.
The 2022 Gardening Guide and Calendar also will be for sale during Open Garden, for just $10, including tax.
For general information on the Open Garden, including directions to the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, visit this page.
-- Kathy Morrison
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 12
Get your gardening chores and irrigation done early in the day before temperatures rise.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions. This heat will cause leafy greens and onions to flower; pick them before they bolt.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Got fruit trees? If you haven't already done so, thin orchard fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, pluots and plums before they grow too heavy, breaking branches or even splitting the tree. Leave the largest fruit on the branch, culling the smaller ones, and allow for 5 to 6 inches (or a hand's worth) between each fruit.
* Thin grape bunches, again leaving about 6 inches between them. For the remaining bunches, prune off the "tail" end, about the bottom third of the bunch, so that the plant's energy is concentrated in the fruit closest to the branch.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
Powered by California Local
