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Winter is coming! Wait, what?


Hoping to grow fall and winter crops like these? There are several opportunities coming up to learn about cool-weather planting. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)
Get advice on planting cool-weather and cover crops

As much as we don't like to think of dark, wet winter in the middle of summer, it is the best time to plant crops for the colder months.

A free workshop this Saturday by the Placer County master gardeners will have all the information on planting a winter garden before winter. Learn which crops grow best (think greens, peas and the like) and also how to protect your soil from winter damage with cover crops.

The workshop begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Loomis Library, 6050 Library Drive,  Loomis.  It will last about 1 hour.

The master gardeners also will offer a "Growing Winter Vegetables" workshop from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Roseville Utility Exploration Center, 1501 Pleasant Grove Blvd., Roseville. This workshop requires a small fee and pre-registration: (916) 746-1550.


The El Dorado master gardeners will offer their own workshop on fall and winter vegetables on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Government Center hearing Room, Building C, 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville.

But El Dorado gardeners really on the ball can visit the master gardeners' Sherwood Demonstration Garden this Saturday, Aug., 3, for a free guided tour starting at 9 a.m. Or visit on Aug. 10 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., during Second Saturday Open Garden, to hear all about planting cole crops, those winter favorites including kale, broccoli, bok choy and cabbage.

The Sherwood Demonstration Garden is at Folsom Lake College's El Dorado Center, 6699 Campus Drive. $2 parking fee; exact change required. For information, go to mgeldorado.ucanr.edu .

-- Kathy Morrison

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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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