Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Find keys to winter garden success

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 8, 2019

Learn to grow your own lettuce and other cool-weather crops during free seminars Saturday at Green Acres. (Photos:

Kathy Morrison)

Learn about cool-weather vegetables at free seminars

Make the most of our second growing season; plant a winter garden.

Learn the basics of cool-weather vegetables during free seminars at 10 a.m. Saturday at Green Acres Nursery & Supply.

All five locations will host this informative Oct. 12 workshop, “From Seed to Supper.” Get advice on how to prep the vegetable beds, what to plant (and when) and how to care for your crops.

Among the vegetables that thrive in Sacramento winter gardens: Lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, chard, beets, onions, leeks, fava beans and peas.

Green Acres are located in Sacramento (8501 Jackson Road), Elk Grove (9220 E. Stockton Blvd.), Folsom (205 Serpa Way), Rocklin (5436 Crossings Drive) and Roseville (901 Galleria Blvd.).

Details and directions: www.idiggreenacres.com .

During Wednesday's Open Garden, the UCCE master gardeners

will tell h ow they prepare the Horticulture Center's vineyards
for winter.

Meanwhile, catch these events Wednesday:

-- The last Open Garden of 2019 at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to noon for this free informal event presented by the UCCE Sacramento County master gardeners. A mini-demonstration at 10 a.m. will focus on "Putting the Vineyard to Bed for the Winter." Ongoing demonstrations will include fertilizing berries, choosing bulbs (in the Water-Efficient Landscape), winter protection for tropical plants and citrus, and using cover crops to replenish the soil in the vegetable garden. The 2020 Garden Guide and Calendar also will be on sale for $10. 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks. Details: http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=457036&g=21788

-- "Garden Til You're 90? Safe and Sane Gardening for All Ages" class. The free class starts at 9 a.m. and is taught by the UCCE master gardeners of El Dorado County. Tools and props that make gardening more comfortable will be presented, including use of different types of equipment. The free class will be held at the Cameron Park Community Services District, 2502 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park. No registration required. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/498781757611021/

-- "Walk With Warren." The walking tour starts at noon Wednesday at the UC Davis Arboretum. More on that here .

-- Kathy Morrison

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners gardening Sacramento grapevines events Fair Oaks Horticulture Center El Dorado County winter vegetables classes garden tools Green Acres Nursery and Supply

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Flowers in My Back Yard Series

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

Local News

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Sites We Like

Garden checklist for week of March 15

Enjoy these sunny days and show your garden some TLC. Don’t forget to water.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower. Take a hoe and whack them at the base.

* Prepare vegetable beds for summer favorites. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce. Last chance this spring to transplant cole family plants such as broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. Soak beet seeds before planting to aid germination.

* Harvest fall-planted lettuce and cabbage before it “bolts” – sending out flower shoots.

* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10 or 4-4-4, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch-thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

* Seed and renovate the lawn, if you have one. Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

Taste Summer! E-cookbook