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Master gardeners host Open Garden Days in two locations

Get advice from experts in Sacramento and El Dorado counties

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAY 19, 2023

The blueberries are ripening at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center -- and the bushes are protected from birds by this extensive netting system. Discover this and lots more during the Open Garden on Saturday. Kathy Morrison

Need some gardening inspiration – or advice? Saturday, May 20, is your opportunity to get expert help at UCCE master gardener events in two counties.

Both Sacramento County and El Dorado County master gardeners are hosting Open Garden Days on Saturday morning at their respective demonstration gardens. These special events are open to the public and offer a chance to watch these experts in action and ask gardening questions.

“Open Gardens are informal free events where you roam the gardens, watch what we are doing, see what we are growing and ask questions,” say the Sacramento County master gardeners.

“Bring samples of your problem plants, mystery pests and questions to the ‘Ask the Master Gardeners’ information table. Get one-on-one advice based on the most recent research-based sustainable practices.”

From 9 a.m. to noon, the El Dorado County master gardeners will be stationed at Sherwood Demonstration Garden, 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville.

It’s a chance for the public to get “a hands-on, interactive experience about research-based, sustainable gardening practices specific to the west slope of El Dorado County, appropriate for all ages and cultures, and reflective of a variety of environments and gardening experiences.”

The Sherwood Garden features 16 individual demonstrations gardens range from the Shade Garden to the Rock Garden. Especially popular right now is the newly planted vegetable garden. (Remember: No dogs allowed.)

Details: https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu.

Also 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, the Sacramento County master gardeners will open the gates of Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, in Fair Oaks Park.

“Bring your family and friends to see the new spring growth in our spaces for ideas to use in yours,” say the organizers. “From vegetables in raised beds, grapes grown in barrels, fragrant herbs, or espaliered fruit trees. You will be delighted you came, and inspired for spring planting.”

Among the specific highlights Saturday:

Herbs: Culinary herbs are in full display for bedding ideas. Smell the scented geraniums, and ask about the newest herb plantings, which are so new they don't have labels yet.

Orchard: Ask how the Orchard Team is transitioning the old part of the orchard to some new trees. Find out what happened to the espaliered O'Henry peach tree up on the hill (above the berries) and learn how the winter weather was involved.

Berry Garden: See the many varieties of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries for our region, and learn how they're netted to protect the crop

Vegetable Garden: The All-America Selections display garden is planted for summer. Check out which varieties of tomatoes were chosen. See the new potato-growing area, which replaced the straw-bale garden.

Vineyard: See the prodigious growth on some of the grapevines, and learn about the newest varieties planted.

Compost Area: Watch a demonstration on how to collect worm castings.

Water-Efficient Landscape: See native and well-adapted shrubs and grasses on display; see what's blooming now that the weather has warmed.

Details: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.

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Keywords:

Sacramento gardening UCCE master gardeners Fair Oaks Horticulture Center El Dorado County weekend events free events berries orchard herb garden vegetables compost Water Efficient Landscape Sherwood Demonstration Garden family events

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

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Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower

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June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

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Garden checklist for week of Aug. 16

During this break in the heat, feed your garden. Make sure to water before and after applying fertilizer.

* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.

* Plant potatoes.

* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers. Also, give them a boost with phosphate-rich fertilizer to help fruiting.

* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.

* Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s still small.

* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don't let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.

* Camellia leaves looking a little yellow? Give them some chelated iron. That goes for azaleas and gardenias, too.

* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot. Then feed fruit trees with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year.

* To prolong bloom into fall, feed begonias, fuchsias and container plants. Always water before fertilizing.

* Fertilize fall-blooming perennials, too. Chrysanthemums can be fed until the buds start to open.

* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials, then give them a boost of fertilizer. Make sure to water plants before feeding. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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