Placer County master gardeners offer free workshop
Certain varieties of blueberries do very well in our region, with the right location and right soil. (Also protection from wildlife, hence the netting barely seen here.) Learn the specifics in a free class this weekend in Loomis. Kathy Morrison
This free class is a real treat, devoted to one of the most popular edible ornamental plants – blueberries.
Hosted by the UCCE master gardeners of Placer County, “Sweet, Nutritious and Wildly Popular – Grow Your Own Blueberries” will offer a primer on how to start your own backyard blueberry patch.
Set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, this one-hour workshop will be held in person at Loomis Library, 6050 Library Drive, Loomis. No advance registration is necessary.
“Imagine waking up during spring and summer and walking out to your garden to pick fresh blueberries,” say the master gardeners. “Learn the basics for planting and caring for delicious blueberries in your home garden.”
Native to the eastern United States, blueberries can be a little tricky for California home gardeners. Most blueberry varieties need a different variety for pollination, but which pairings are most effective?
Blueberries also need “chill hours” – extended time under 45 degrees – to flower and set fruit. Southern highbush varieties such as Misty and Sunshine Blue need less chill than northern highbush varieties – an important factor to consider for Sacramento-area gardeners.
To do their best, blueberries need acidic soil, making them a good companion to azaleas and other acid-loving plants.
Popular blueberry varieties for home gardens are semi-dwarf (under 3 to 4 feet) and often evergreen, making for handsome plants year-round. Their early spring blooms look like little white to pale pink bells. But it’s those delicious blueberries that make this home crop so desirable.
Find out how to get blueberries off to a great start and to keep them producing for years to come.
Details and directions: https://pcmg.ucanr.edu/.
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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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