Garden questions and answers down at The Farm

The first question of the morning was pretty easy: What is that unlabeled crop growing beyond the bush beans?

The three master gardeners on the shift, including myself, took turns going to look. The plants were about 2 feet tall, with bright green maple-like leaves and just the barest hint of a bud forming. Hmm, not a food crop. A plant ID app helped answer the question: American cotton, which of course is a big crop in California's southern San Joaquin Valley. We later spotted a gorgeous early flower underneath all the foliage: This area will be stunning in a few weeks, but likely after the fair is over, alas.

Why the plants weren't labeled is unknown, since each vegetable is well-identified on at least one border of its growing area. That lack of ID for cotton was one of the few missteps apparent in The Farm at the State Fair, which is looking better this year than even last year, and exponentially better than two years ago. The area is being regularly weeded, and the produce picked when it's ready -- no zucchinis that resemble small logs, for instance. The blighted fruit trees noticed in 2022 have been removed. The bush beans look so healthy, the tomatoes lush, the corn tall and full.

The Sacramento County master gardeners have absolutely nothing to do with planning, planting or weeding The Farm, but care about it just the same. For the run of the fair, they field questions from fairgoers from a booth smack in the middle of those demonstration crops, so naturally folks have questions about them. The crops also serve as visuals -- "Come look at this," we'll say.

This year, many of the questions on one weekday required the same four-letter answer: HEAT. The extreme weather has played havoc with plant development, flower production and especially pollination in gardens large and small.

Working up to an answer requires master gardeners to ask questions in return: How much sun is the area getting? Shade? When were the plants put in the garden? How and how often are they watered? Fertilized? Raised beds or containers or in ground? Are there bees evident in the garden?