Final event of the year focuses on fall planting, composting and more
Hachiya persimmons ripen on a tree in the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center's orchard. The center will be fully open to the public one last time this year, on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon. Kathy Morrison
Fall is for planting – but what? And how? (And what can you do with all those autumn leaves?)
Find out during a special midweek Open Garden hosted by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Sacramento County.
From 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 11, the Sacramento County master gardeners will open the gates of Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. Admission and parking are free.
This event is your last chance to get their expert hands-on advice in person this year.
“Join Sacramento’s UC Master Gardeners for the final open garden event of 2023,” say the master gardeners. “You will get locally-relevant insights on caring for your garden at the end of the season’s bounty – preparation for 2024. See colorful foliage and late-season blooms like cherry-red pineapple sage against lime green leaves. Feel free to bring your curiosity and questions. Pictures of problem pests or plants, or samples in an enclosed bag or jar, can be helpful.”
Two special presentations will start at 10 a.m.: “Composting at Home” (under the Kiwi Arbor) and “Fall Planting” (in the Water-Efficient Landscape garden).
Among the highlights Wednesday:
Water-Efficient Landscape: Fall clean-up to manage pests and adding bulbs for spring blooms.
Compost: Turning and sifting finished compost. Kids love finding and caring for red wigglers.
Berries: Pruning and amending the soil for the proper pH.
Herbs: See cool-season bloomers such as hyssop, chrysanthemums, dianthus and sages.
Vegetables: Planting cover crops and cool-season veggies to sustain Sacramento year-round.
Orchard: Late-season harvesting, mulching and preparations for frost protection.
Vineyard: Noting color changes that could mean more than normal fall changes.
Also, get a copy of the master gardeners’ 2024 Garden Guide and Calendar ($12 cash or check). These make great gifts, too.
The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, in Fair Oaks Park.
Details: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.
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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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