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Master gardeners' Fair Oaks garden open Saturday for morning strolls

Placer, El Dorado master gardeners also welcome visitors to their sites

This view of the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center shows the pond, the berry garden and part of the orchard. Visit between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday.

This view of the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center shows the pond, the berry garden and part of the orchard. Visit between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday. Kathy Morrison

No rain is expected this Saturday, May 11, which means it should be a perfect time to stroll any of the region's three master gardener demonstration gardens.

The Sacramento County master gardeners open their demonstration garden, the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, about once a month for Open Garden Day. Visitors can walk through the gardens, ask questions and find inspiration in the plantings. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon; admission and parking are free.

Three mini talks are scheduled during the morning:

-- 10 a.m., "Peach Leaf Curl: Let's Get It Straight."

-- 10:30 a.m., Soil solarization.

-- 11 a.m., Harvesting worm castings.

The FOHC includes a berry garden, an orchard, an herb garden, vegetable garden, a vineyard, a composting area and the Water Efficient Landscape, which includes plantings devoted to native plants, wildlife habitat plants, perennials and succulents.

May is an active time in the gardens, and master gardeners will be on site, happy to explain their work or answer any gardening questions that visitors might have.

The "Ask a Master Gardener" table also will be staffed with folks who enjoy a good gardening challenge. Bring samples of pests or problem plants (preferably in a closed bag) to the table.

The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd.,  south of the Fair Oaks Library and park. For more information on Sacramento County master gardener events, visit https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/

The El Dorado County master gardeners undoubtably will be glad for some sunshine while working at their Sherwood Demonstration Garden on Saturday. The garden, located at 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville, is open 9 a.m. to noon. Sherwood features 16 individual garden areas, including a rose garden, native plant area and vegetable garden.

For information on the El Dorado group's events, go to https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/

Further north, the Placer County master gardeners will hold their monthly Open Loomis Demonstration Garden Day, on the grounds of the Loomis Library, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The library is at 6050 Library Drive, Loomis.

"Our garden is a living classroom for the Placer County community that emphasizes sustainable gardening, integrated pest management and backyard food production," they note. The master gardeners are happy to field questions from visitors.

This weekend, incidentally, is a busy one for the Placer master gardener group. Sunday, May 12, is their annual Mother's Day Garden Tour. Tickets for the tour of seven fabulous gardens in Rocklin area are $20 each, with children under 12 admitted free. 

Tickets with maps will be available through the day of the tour (cash or check only) at: Green Acres Nursery at Eisley’s: 380 Nevada St., Auburn;  Green Acres Nursery & Supply: 5436 Crossings Drive, Rocklin,  and
Green Acres Nursery & Supply: 7300 Galilee Road, Roseville.

For more information on Placer County master gardener events, visit https://pcmg.ucanr.edu/

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

FALL

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

WINTER

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 Nov. 16

During breaks in the weather, tackle some garden tasks:

* Clear gutters and storm drains.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* After the storm, seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting them. Do leave some (healthy) leaves in the planting beds for wildlife and beneficial insect habitat.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

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