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Get expert advice during Open Garden Day

Sacramento County master gardeners host free event Saturday

The orchard at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center includes espaliered fruit trees, above, as well as trees pruned to be "fruit bushes," kept under 7 feet tall to allow easy harvesting. Learn about both types of pruning/training  during Open Garden Day.

The orchard at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center includes espaliered fruit trees, above, as well as trees pruned to be "fruit bushes," kept under 7 feet tall to allow easy harvesting. Learn about both types of pruning/training during Open Garden Day. Kathy Morrison

After three weeks of rain, we gardeners have a lot of pent-up energy – and questions. What should we be doing now to help our gardens be their best – or just survive?

Get those answers Saturday morning – and maybe learn some new techniques – during “Open Garden” with the Sacramento County master gardeners. Admission and parking are free.

Set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park, Open Garden is a chance to hang out with experts as they tackle their garden tasks. At various garden stations, see hands-on demonstrations. Here are some of Saturday’s topics:

* Compost: Sorting home food waste – Compost pile? Worm bin? Organic Waste Can?
* Water-Efficient Landscape Garden: Flowering bulbs and colorful foliage.
* Vegetables: Tasty cool weather crops.
* Herbs: Brighten winter dishes with flavorful herbs.
* Proper pruning methods for: cane berries and blueberries; deciduous fruit trees; and grapevines.

And of course, Sacramento County master gardeners will be available to answer questions and offer advice from local experience. Got a mystery pest or problem? Bring photos or a sample, packed in a sealed zippered plastic bag.

The forecast calls for sun although it will be chilly with temperatures in the 40s; dress warmly with closed-toe shoes. Open Garden will go on, rain or shine.

Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., in Fair Oaks.

For more details: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s 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.

* 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.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy 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.

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