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Get growing with expert advice at Saturday's Open Garden

Preparing for spring and summer, Sacramento County master gardeners host free event

Expect the weather to be bright and warm this Saturday for the Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. The Berry Garden, in foreground, will be the focus of a mini talk on soil pH levels and applying sulfur.

Expect the weather to be bright and warm this Saturday for the Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. The Berry Garden, in foreground, will be the focus of a mini talk on soil pH levels and applying sulfur. Kathy Morrison

Want your best vegetable garden ever? Before you plant, get the advice you need Saturday morning during Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park.

From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 16, the UCCE master gardeners of Sacramento County will be out in force to teach by doing – rain or shine. (Fortunately, Saturday is expected to be warm and sunny.)

“Open Gardens are informal free events where you roam the gardens, watch what we are doing, see what we are growing and ask questions,” explain the master gardeners.

Join dozens of master gardeners “among native trees, culinary herbs, raised vegetable beds, a citrus grove and more,” they say. Find out what you should be doing in your own garden by watching and questioning these local experts.

It’s also a wonderful opportunity to get answers to perplexing plant and pest questions.

“Bring samples of your problem plants, bagged insects and questions to the ‘Ask the Master Gardeners’ information table,” they add. “Get one-on-one advice based on the most recent research-based sustainable practices.”

Interested in composting? Learn which bin is right for your space and needs. Get advice on worm composting, too.

Two “mini-talks” are planned:

* Planting for summer color and propagating perennials; and

* How to measure and adjust pH levels with soil sulfur for berries. (This is especially important for blueberries.)

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

The next Open Garden is scheduled for Wednesday morning, April 17.

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

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 2

During this stormy week, let the rain soak in while making plans for all the things you’re going to plant soon:

* During rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. After a good soaking from winter storms, lawns can go at least a week without sprinklers, according to irrigation experts. For an average California home, that week off from watering can save 800 gallons.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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