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Harvest Day workshop spotlight: Grapes, butterflies, compost


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Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2019
Master gardener Carole Ludlum talks about trouble-shooting grapevine problems during 2018's Harvest Day. Grapes again will be a hot topic at this year's event. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Mini sessions offer lots of learning opportunities

So many chances to learn; where to start?

Harvest Day, Sacramento’s annual celebration of gardening and garden know-how, is packed with informative demonstrations and mini-workshops. Set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park, Harvest Day is free and open to the public. No advance registration necessary.

The hardest part: Figuring out which demonstrations to see. Three sections of the Hort Center will host multiple mini-workshops. Here’s a rundown of Saturday’s short sessions:

In the Water-Efficient Landscape:

* 10 a.m.: Creating a Wildlife Habitat. Learn how to bring more beneficial insects, birds and more into your garden.

* 11:15 a.m.: Butterfly Basics. How do you get more butterflies to visit your landscape? Start with the right plants.

In the demonstration vineyard:

* 9:20 a.m.: Pests and Problems in the Vineyard. Get answers to the most-asked questions and solve problems before they start.

Check out the grapevines at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.
Grapevines also will be available for sale by the master gardeners.
Bring cash or checks.
* 10:15 a.m.: Six Steps to Vineyard Success. Know the basics and plan for a good harvest.

* 11:15 a.m.: Vineyard Q&A. Bring questions, get answers to common (and not-so-common) issues with grape growing.

In the compost demonstration area:

* 9:20 a.m.: Making a Worm Bin. Learn how to put together a home for happy worms, who will reward you with garden gold.

10:15 a.m.: Backyard Composting Basics. Find out how to balance the greens with the browns, and create your own fertilizer from kitchen and garden waste.

11 a.m.: Worm Wrangling. These critters are amazingly efficient at creating high-quality compost. Learn how to put worms to work for your garden.

11:45 a.m.: Critters in the Compost Pile. Learn how to tell good critters from unwanted invaders as well as composting basics.

For more on Harvest Day: http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:
Harvest Day UCCE master gardeners vineyards worms composting gardening Sacramento workshops low-water plants Fair Oaks Horticulture Center

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  2. Farmer Fred's GardenBasics.net
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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