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Must-views on YouTube: Harvest Day speakers


Karrie Reid in garden
In the Water Efficient Landscape at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, Karrie Reid talks about "Building Resilient Gardens." (Screenshots from UCCE YouTube channel)



I love Harvest Day. Each year I scramble to get to the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, find a parking place and then a seat before the roster of speakers starts. So much great information to soak up!

Well, Virtual Harvest Day 2020 is two days away, and I've already heard both key speakers! And gardeners, it's worth your time to go to YouTube and watch their videos. You'll be all set if you do it now, and then you can watch each speaker live on Saturday as they handle gardeners' questions -- including yours (hint, hint).

"Building Resilient Gardens" is the topic of Karrie Reid, the UCCE environmental horticulture adviser for San Joaquin County. I like her use of the word "resilient" because it covers all the things we worry about for the garden: weather, water shortages and changing climate. Reid talks about the importance of building soils and choosing the right plants for our planting zones.

"Grow Fruit Trees in Limited Space Using Size Control" is the focus of Ed Laivo's presentation. Laivo is a fruit tree and edible-landscaping specialist who helped establish the FOHC orchard. He now works for Burchell Nursery. His effective presentation shows how orchards can be kept to compact size with one hand tool: pruning shears. He hoists poles to show just how tall fruit trees can grow -- and to show the optimum size for a home orchard. (See the screenshot below.)

About 20 other short videos recorded by the Sacramento County master gardeners, covering topics from compost to vineyards, are available on YouTube. Do check all of them out, but aim to start with Teri VanAirsdale's charming welcome video .

Reid will be live Saturday at 9 a.m., Laivo at 10 a.m. They will be followed by a panel of master gardeners at 11 a.m. Find the link for the live event on Saturday on t he Harvest Day page . To send in questions for any of the live shows, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu

And just think, you won't have to rush to find parking!

Ed Laivo with pole to show how tall trees get
Ed Laivo demonstrates the potential height of fruit trees with a pole in his YouTube video.


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Garden checklist for week of May 31

Remember to water early. No more rain is in the immediate forecast.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the early hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

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