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 May 5
Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:
* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.
* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.
* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* 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, pumpkins, 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.
* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
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