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Many opportunities Saturday to explore and learn

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED FEB 6, 2020

It may not be shorts weather this weekend, but Soil Born Farms' American River Ranch still will be a lovely place

to stroll Saturday. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Fun gardening events around the region this weekend

Another sunny weekend is heading our way. If you haven't already made plans for Saturday, Feb. 8, you might want to check out these events:

-- Second Saturday Open Garden Day at the Sherwood Demonstration Garden, 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville, 9 a.m. to noon. The garden, run by the El Dorado County master gardeners, will be open for roaming. Discover the beauty of the 16 individual gardens. Docents will be available to answer questions. Free, but parking at the site (part of the Folsom Lake College El Dorado Center) is $2, exact change required.

-- Rose Pruning Demonstration. It's still pruning season, especially for foothill gardeners. If you visit the Sherwood Demonstration Garden in the morning, stick around from 1 to 4 p.m. for the free demonstration by Master Gardener Eve Keener. (You'll already have paid for parking, after all.) For more information on the El Dorado County master gardener offerings, go to mgeldorado.ucanr.edu .

-- Family Nature Walk at Soil Born Farms, 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova. Starting at 9 a.m. until about 11 a.m., naturalist Cliff Hawley will lead a walking tour of the American River Ranch, exploring plants, animals and relationships among them that make up the ranch environment. Family friendly, but recommended for kids ages 5 and older. $10 tickets; proceeds support the American River Ranch Restoration and Development Fund. Information and tickets here . Soil Born also will be open for Saturday at the Farm, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with cooking demonstrations, fresh produce for sale, live music and kids Valentine's Day activities, among other offerings. www.soilborn.org

-- Grape Pruning Workshop, at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road, Building 400, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., offered free by the Yolo County master gardeners. Doug Mackenzie will present strategies for developing vines from recently purchased plants to fully developed vines, and for pruning fully mature vines. Participants will be able to experience pruning vines at the WCC demonstration garden after the lecture. Bring clippers and/or mini-loppers. Information here .

-- Backyard Chickens Workshop, at the Esparto Regional Library, 17065 Yolo Ave., Esparto, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The free workshop, also a presentation of the Yolo County master gardeners, will cover the basics of keeping chickens. All the offerings by the UCCE master gardeners of Yolo County can be viewed at http://yolomg.ucanr.edu/

And see our posts from earlier this week on two other Saturday events: the Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center and the Weavers and Spinners show at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center.

-- Kathy Morrison

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Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners Sacramento grapevines Shepard Garden & Arts Center events roses chickens gardening Yolo County Sherwood Demonstration Garden walking tours El Dorado County Soil Born Farms

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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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