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Open Garden Saturday at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center


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Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED FEB 4, 2020
This time last year, the cool-weather vegetable garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center was well established. Expect there to be plenty to look at (and ask about) at the Open Garden this weekend. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)
Master gardeners will be on hand with information and advice

Ready to dive into spring gardening preparations? Pack up your questions and head to the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Sacramento County master gardeners will be out in force for Open Garden from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine (or cold). The event and all that expert advice is free.

Open Garden is an informal event, and visitors are encouraged to roam around and view the activities. Each area of the Horticulture Center will be staffed, and master gardeners will answer questions while also offering demonstrations.

At 10 a.m., mini presentations will be offered in these areas:

Herb garden: Preparation for planting
Orchard: Late fruit-tree pruning
Vegetable garden: Growing and caring for strawberries
Vineyard: Cane and spur dormant pruning
Water-Efficient Landscape (WEL): The right tools for the jobs

Master gardeners are happy to show off their compost bins at the Hort Center.
The FOHC also includes areas devoted to cane and bush berries, citrus, composting, native plants and perennials. Ongoing discussions will include creating and harvesting compost, growing cool-season vegetables, scion grafting, citrus fertilizing, and methods to combat peach leaf curl and brown rot disease.

The master gardeners also will be prepared to tackle plant problems and insect identification. Bring a good sample from the problem plant, or the insect in question, in a sealed plastic bag to the Ask the Master Gardener table at Open Garden.

The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, south of the Fair Oaks Library. For information on the UCCE Sacramento County master gardener program, and to view UCCE resources, go to sacmg.ucanr.edu .

-- Kathy Morrison

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:
UCCE master gardeners Sacramento events fruit trees strawberries vineyards grapes composting gardening vegetables herbs Fair Oaks Horticulture Center water-wise gardening

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Sites We Like

  1.  UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
  2. Farmer Fred's GardenBasics.net
  3. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden
  4. Shepard Garden and Arts Center
  5. Placer County Master Gardeners
  6. El Dorado County Master Gardeners
  7. Yolo County Master Gardeners

Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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