Final event of the year focuses on fall planting, composting and more
Hachiya persimmons ripen on a tree in the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center's orchard. The center will be fully open to the public one last time this year, on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon. Kathy Morrison
Fall is for planting – but what? And how? (And what can you do with all those autumn leaves?)
Find out during a special midweek Open Garden hosted by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Sacramento County.
From 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 11, the Sacramento County master gardeners will open the gates of Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. Admission and parking are free.
This event is your last chance to get their expert hands-on advice in person this year.
“Join Sacramento’s UC Master Gardeners for the final open garden event of 2023,” say the master gardeners. “You will get locally-relevant insights on caring for your garden at the end of the season’s bounty – preparation for 2024. See colorful foliage and late-season blooms like cherry-red pineapple sage against lime green leaves. Feel free to bring your curiosity and questions. Pictures of problem pests or plants, or samples in an enclosed bag or jar, can be helpful.”
Two special presentations will start at 10 a.m.: “Composting at Home” (under the Kiwi Arbor) and “Fall Planting” (in the Water-Efficient Landscape garden).
Among the highlights Wednesday:
Water-Efficient Landscape: Fall clean-up to manage pests and adding bulbs for spring blooms.
Compost: Turning and sifting finished compost. Kids love finding and caring for red wigglers.
Berries: Pruning and amending the soil for the proper pH.
Herbs: See cool-season bloomers such as hyssop, chrysanthemums, dianthus and sages.
Vegetables: Planting cover crops and cool-season veggies to sustain Sacramento year-round.
Orchard: Late-season harvesting, mulching and preparations for frost protection.
Vineyard: Noting color changes that could mean more than normal fall changes.
Also, get a copy of the master gardeners’ 2024 Garden Guide and Calendar ($12 cash or check). These make great gifts, too.
The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, in Fair Oaks Park.
Details: https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
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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
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
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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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