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. 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
Sites We Like
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.
Contact Us
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