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Learn how to make a bee house, prune grapes


Mason bees love these kind of "houses." (Photo courtesy
Sacramento County master gardeners)
Sacramento County master gardeners host free demonstrations at Open Garden

Do you want to help bees feel at home? Grow backyard grapes? Make gifts with home-grown herbs?

Learn all those skills and more during a full morning of demonstrations and hands-on opportunities as the Sacramento County master gardeners host an Open Garden, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 9, at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., in Fair Oaks Park.

Open free to the public, these informal gatherings allow visitors to ask these UC Cooperative Extension experts gardening questions while watching them tackle garden tasks. Rain or shine, the event will be held outdoors, so dress appropriately.

At 10 a.m., master gardeners will conduct demonstrations on:

* How to help pollinators, including construction of “houses” for mason bees;

* Cane and spur pruning of grapes for arbors;

* Herbal gift ideas from the garden; and

* Tips for selection and planting of drought-tolerant woody perennials for the water-efficient landscape.

Throughout the morning, master gardeners will be stationed in various areas of the Hort Center. They’ll demonstrate how to winter prune fruit trees in the orchard. In the vegetable garden, they’ll discuss preparation for spring planting. In the vineyard, they’ll show how to fight disease and grow healthier (and more productive) grapevines.

The Horticulture Center has an extensive display on compost
bins. Check them out Saturday. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)
Interested in berries? They’ll share how monitoring soil pH and amendments can lead to greater yields. Also get tips for composting success, including which bins are best and fast-cooking compost "recipes."

In the Water-Efficient Landscape, learn how to use WUCOLS (Water Use Classification of Landscape Species) ratings to choose the right plants for the right place in a drought-tolerant makeover.

Got a puzzling pest or mystery plant? Bring a sample in a sealed plastic bag to the Ask a Master Gardener information table. And if you haven’t already, pick up a copy of the 2019 master gardener calendar and gardening guide ($10), packed with need-to-know information for garden success including how to preserve your harvest.

Details:
sacmg.ucanr.edu.

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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