Debbie Arrington among speakers at event this Saturday at Orangevale Library
A treasure trove of seeds awaits at the free "seed libraries" hosted at Sacramento public libraries, including the one in Orangevale Courtesy Sacramento Public Libraries
Ever checked out seeds from a seed library? They're free, and at the Sacramento libraries that offer them, they don't even require a library card.
But then -- what to do with these little treasures? How does the gardener achieve success when growing edible and ornamental plants?
Those questions are the focus of Grow Orangevale, a free event 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 22. It is hosted, not surprisingly, by the Orangevale branch of the Sacramento Public Library, which is one of 17 libraries in Sacramento County with seed libraries.
"We hold this program every year to help promote our Heirloom Seed Library," says Bruce Barber, branch supervisor of the Orangevale Library. The goal is to "provide our community with as much information as possible to produce a successful garden."
Most of the event Saturday will be Q&A sessions with local gardening experts. Sacramento Digs Gardening's Debbie Arrington will appear at 11 a.m. to talk about avoiding common gardening pitfalls.
Also on the agenda: A representative from the Xerces Society will talk about pollinators for the garden, and a member of the Orangevale Garden Club will discuss gardening resources available in the community.
The library is at 8820 Greenback Lane, Suite L, Orangevale; the event will be held in the library's Jane Wise Meeting Room.
To find locations and other information about the seed libraries, go here.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of May 11
Make the most of the lower temperatures early in the week. We’ll be back in the 80s by Thursday.
* 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.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* 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.
* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. 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.
* Remember to weed! Pull those nasties before they set seed.
* Water early in the day and keep seedlings evenly moist.
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