Placer County master gardeners offer expertise at several locations during the month
This image of showy milkweed and a bee is the cover photo for the Placer County master gardeners' 2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar, now on sale. Screenshot from video by UCCE master gardeners of Placer County
This time of year, gardeners have plenty of questions: What happened to my tomatoes? How can I keep my peppers producing? Is this bug a good guy or a bad guy?
The best people to field those questions? Master gardeners. They’re prepared with the latest university research as well as countless hours of experience. When it comes to local backyard mysteries, they (usually) have the answers.
This late summer and fall, Placer County master gardeners are bringing their services to the public via local farmers markets. They’ll staff information tables at 10 farmers markets in September plus one more in August: Tuesday, Aug. 29, at The Fountains of Roseville, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Best of all, the service is free. Bring examples (in a sealed plastic bag or container) or photos to help with plant diagnosis or insect identification.
You also can catch the master gardeners at these locations:
-- Auburn Farmers Market, 150 Auburn Folsom Road, Auburn; 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 2 and 16.
-- Fowler Ranch Farmers Market, Fowler Nursery, 3111 Lincoln Newcastle Highway, Lincoln; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 3 and 17.
-- The Fountains Farmers Market, 1198 Roseville Parkway, Roseville; 8:30 to 1 p.m. Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26.
-- Sun City Lincoln Farmers Market, 965 Orchard Creek Lane, Lincoln; 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 13 and 27.
In addition, they will have a booth at the Auburn Fall Home Show, Sept. 22-24, at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.
More dates are scheduled for October. Check the master gardeners’ website for details: https://pcmg.ucanr.edu/.
Besides getting expert advice, these outreach events are a wonderful opportunity to pick up a copy of the master gardeners’ award-winning 2024 Gardening Guide and Calendar. The theme: “Try Something New … Ever-Changing Gardens.” The master gardeners will sell this invaluable guide at many of their upcoming appearances. Watch the short video they filmed about the Gardening Guide and Calendar here.
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Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
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