Sacramento County master gardeners invite public to watch and learn at free event
The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center will present its final spring Open Garden Day this Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to noon. The next event will be Harvest Day on Aug. 3. Kathy Morrison
June may rank as gardeners’ busiest month. It’s also when we have the most questions (such as, Why aren’t my tomatoes growing?)
Here’s an opportunity to get the answers you need while being inspired to garden more: Open Garden at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.
On Saturday morning, June 15, the Sacramento County master gardeners open their beautiful demonstration garden to share what they know while fielding the public’s questions. From 9 a.m. to noon, watch the master gardeners in action while also getting up-to-date information and priceless advice.
Admission and parking are free. No pets please.
“Early June in Sacramento is perfect gardening weather,” say the master gardeners. “So much is in bloom that the specific mix changes daily. Come see what the local UC Master Gardeners are up to in the demonstration garden.
“All garden sections from vegetables to berries to fruit trees grapple with the same pest problems, watering issues and new variety opportunities that you do,” they add. “Master Gardeners in each section (of the hort center) can discuss current activities, challenges and discoveries.”
In different sections of the hort center, the master gardeners will offer timely demonstrations:
* In the vegetable area, see a solarization demonstration to combat nematodes. Also, check out the display of numerous All-American selections.
* In the Water Efficient Landscape, learn about “Deadheading: Refreshing Plants for Endless Bloom.”
* In the vineyard, get advice on timely treatment for powdery mildew, thinning canopies for dappled shade and thinning clusters for bigger grapes.
* The herb garden has shifted from spring to summer herbs, complete with new rosemary and basil plants and a storied heirloom apothecary rose.
* Orchard volunteers will be thinning fruit and pruning trees for better harvest and ease of care.
“Have a specific garden question that is vexing you?” add the master gardeners. “Feel free to bring bagged samples of plants or pests to the Ask a Master Gardener table.”
Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, in Fair Oaks Park.
More information: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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?
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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
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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
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Garden Checklist for week of May 11
Make the most of the lower temperatures early in the week. We’ll be back in the 80s by Thursday.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch-to-1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
* Remember to weed! Pull those nasties before they set seed.
* Water early in the day and keep seedlings evenly moist.
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