El Dorado County master gardeners offer free workshop
Tiny seeds quickly become tiny plants -- which become vegetables (in this case tomatoes) before you know it! Learn the best practices for seed-starting in Saturday's class. Kathy Morrison
Growing vegetables and flowers from seed is the most economical way to produce food and blooms as well as add new plant varieties to your garden. But how do you get started?
Learn tips from experts during “Starting Plants from Seed,” a free workshop offered by the UCCE master gardeners of El Dorado County.
Set for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 30, this three-hour class was originally scheduled for earlier in March but had to be postponed.
The class will cover the basics of seed starting while focusing on spring and summer favorites. Participants also get to keep their “homework” – some newly planted seeds.
Master gardeners Debi Valerga, Donna Hauser and Monte Kruger will lead the workshop, to be held at Cameron Park Community Center, Classroom B. The class is free, but space is limited; participants are urged to register in advance. Find the link here: https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=41927.
This class will include “a presentation on the selection and germination of seeds, starting media, containers, growing out, hardening off and transplanting seedlings,” say the master gardeners. “Following the presentation, participants will have an opportunity to plant seeds to take home. Seeds and containers are provided; bring clean gloves to participate.”
Cameron Park Community Center is located at 2502 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park.
Details and directions: https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of April 20
Before possible showers at the end of the week, take advantage of all this nice sunshine – and get to work!
* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, 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.
* Plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* 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.
* 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.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Give shrubs and trees a dose of a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.
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