- Author: Lee Miller UCCE Master Gardener
- Author: Lee Miller UCCE Master Gardener
SHRUB OR TREE: Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia Indica, comes in tree sizes and in smaller shrub or bush sizes. It is a plant that has been bred into a variety of sizes and flower colors: white, pink to deep red and purple. Standard single and multi-trunk trees can grow to 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. There are also smaller varieties at 6 to 12 feet tall, semi-dwarf varieties ranging from 3 to 6 feet tall, and dwarf shrubs 2 to 5 feet tall. They are widely planted in California as they handle our hot climate well and are drought tolerant. They can be grown with a single trunk or multi-trunks. They need full sun with a minimum of 6 hours per day. They bloom from July to October.
- Author: Sue Davis, Master Gardener
January, February, and March
The weather may be dreary but there are still chores to consider this wintery season. Hopefully, there are enough pleasant winter days to get them accomplished.
January Ideas
ONE – Plant deciduous flowering cherries and plums, dormant fruit trees, Japanese maples or a bare root rose if there is room in the landscape. Deciduous vines like Akebia and Boston Ivy can be planted this month, as well. If room in the landscape is limited, pick up a few summer blooming bulbs (such as dahlias, gladiolus, lilies and begonias) and plant them in the ground where they will add color to the landscape or in a pot that can be moved at will.
TWO – Sharpen pruning tools, then dry them and rub them lightly with oil to prevent rust.
THREE – Prune your roses with those sharp pruners. Vines, fruit and shade trees and grapes will benefit from a good pruning if there are no roses needing a pruning. Avoid pruning apricots and cherries until after harvest. Be sure to clean your pruners after you are finished.
FOUR – Don't' forget to water houseplants, especially if the heater has been on. Remove landscape plants that are not doing well. It will make room for a new, healthier, native plant that will take less water once established.
FIVE - Now is a great time to order your favorite seeds for your summer vegetable garden.
In February
ONE – These days can be dreary. Repot houseplants and succulents or plant some early blooming plants like flowering plums, lavender, and rosemary. Good California natives to consider are Ceanothus and manzanita.
TWO – Spread some love. Give a small native California plant to a friend, a neighbor, a family member, or yourself. The plant will flourish in our climate and need far less water than other specimens once it reaches maturity
THREE – Nursery's should have edibles available to plant. Look for potatoes (great fun for children to plant now and search for once they're ready to harvest), onions, garlic, asparagus, and rhubarb. Snails and slugs love rhubarb leaves, so plan accordingly.
FOUR – Feed citrus trees with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that contains additional nutrients such as Magnesium, Boron, Copper, and Zinc.
FIVE - Now is the time to start indoor seeds for your summer garden. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and others can all be started now.
SIX - Protect frost sensitive plants from cold injury when freezing or frost are predicted.
SEVEN - Mid February is your last chance to treat your peach or nectarine tree for Peach Leaf Curl.
EIGHT - Look for Fire blight (oozing and dead limbs) on pome plants such as apple, crabapple, pear, and pyracantha. If a problem in the past, apply blossom sprays to prevent new infections.
March Notes
ONE – Fertilize this month! Give new plants a strong start and established plants a helping hand. Garden plants, houseplants, vegetables, and cacti will all benefit from some fertilizer this month.
TWO - Prune suckers from trees and shrubs. Also prune freeze damaged plants now unless the freeze damaged plant is a spring blooming shrub. In that case, wait until after the shrub has flowered.
THREE – Check drip irrigation for leaks in the lines and make repairs as needed. Flush out sediment from filters, check screens for algae and clean with a small brush, if necessary. Make sure all emitters are dripping water. If some are clogged, replace them (if you can't remove one, install a new emitter next to it). Add emitters to lines if plants have grown significantly since the system was installed. Put new batteries in your electronic drip controllers and check the settings. Checking, repairing, adding/changing emitters and all the other things involved in readying drip irrigation for the coming season often takes longer than anticipated. Feel free to make this chore last two weeks.
FOUR – Head into your local nursery to see (and maybe purchase) annuals, vegetables, and perennials that are available now to fill in those bare spots in the landscape.
FIVE - Eliminate standing water e.g., in gutters, drain pipes, and flowerpots to prevent mosquitoes. Store containers upside down, cover, or dispose of them so mosquitoes can't lay eggs.
Information gathered from:
UC IPM
Sunset Garden
Farmer Fred
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That way, you can experience the benefits of a vegetable garden throughout the year, which include:
- Increasing your gardening skills with new challenges
- Saving money and enjoying fresher, more flavorful vegetables that are free of pesticides
- Trying new or hard-to-find varieties
- Sharing your harvest with family and friends
- Enjoying getting some exercise outdoors
- Reducing your carbon footprint by avoiding produce that is shipped to your area
You may want to use only a portion of your planting area for winter vegetables so that you will have room for planting warm-season vegetables in the spring without having to tear out your winter vegetables prematurely. The areas that are not planted with vegetables will benefit from a cover crop—such as clover, field peas, vetches, or fava beans—which will improve the soil in multiple ways. See the Fall, 2018 edition of Garden Notes for more details on growing cover crops.
San Joaquin County is in the Sunset climate zone 14, described as an inland area with some ocean influence. Sunset climate zones are considered more useful to gardeners than the USDA zones because they take into account not only the winter minimum temperature (which is the basis for the USDA zones), but also summer highs, lengths of growing seasons, humidity, and rainfall patterns. Of course, microclimates within our zone and even our gardens can have a big effect on how plants grow.
What to plant
You can see from the chart below that beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, chard, garlic, lettuce, onions, potatoes, and shallots can be seeded or transplanted in the winter months in our area. Other vegetables that you may wish to plant include arugula, asparagus, bok choy, collard greens, kale, leeks, mustard, parsnips, and romanesco broccoli. Even tomatoes can be started indoors or in a greenhouse during the winter. Generally, you should start plants indoors 6-8 weeks before you plan to plant them outside.
How to plant
Additional information about when and how to plant selected vegetables can be found in a chart in the California Master Gardener Handbook. If you are interested in learning about when and how to plant broccoli in the interior valleys, for instance, you will see that the best time is December through February, followed by July, and that the plants should be spaced 12” to 18” apart in rows that are 36” apart.
Vegetables can be planted in ground level plots, and some--such as broccoli, greens, onions, and potatoes--work well in containers. Raised beds are an excellent way to grow vegetables, with several advantages:
- They generally provide higher yields in less space
- The soil is easily amended
- Drainage is improved
- They are easier to maintain
- They allow for earlier planting because the soil warms earlier in the spring
- They can easily be covered with floating row covers for frost protection
Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden
The main nutrient that vegetables need is nitrogen, which is naturally low in most California soils. It can be added alone in the form of organic or inorganic fertilizer, but a complete fertilizer that contains phosphorus and potassium is beneficial too. One of the advantages of using an organic fertilizer—such as bonemeal, cottonseed, or fish emulsion—is that it usually contains a broader range of nutrients which are released more slowly. However, they are more expensive than inorganic fertilizers and the exact amount of nutrients they provide varies. Manure will also improve soil structure (but not soil texture—the mix of sand, silt, and clay) as well as providing fertilizer. Manure from farm animals such as cows, horses, sheep, goats, and chickens can be used, but never pig manure or pet waste, because of the risk of exposure to the parasites these may contain.
Manure that has been composted to a temperature of 140° Fahrenheit should be safe to use in that the weed seeds and pathogens such as E. coli have been killed. If manure has not been heated in a compost pile, the USDA National Organic Program suggests waiting 120 days from application to harvest for edibles that grow in or touch the soil. For other crops, the recommended wait time is 90 days from application to harvest for these edibles. Another consideration is that fresh manure does not supply nutrients in a form that is usable by plants. It takes at least a month to decompose and for the excess mineral salts to be leached away, so it should be added to the soil at least a month before planting.
Additional fertilizer—either organic or inorganic--should be applied when seedings are 3-4 inches tall, with a side dressing of dry fertilizer in a trench at least 4 inches away from the plants. This will encourage growth without burning the roots. Exceptions to this guideline include tomatoes, melons, squash, and similar warm season crops. In these plants, too much nitrogen encourages leaf growth rather than fruiting.
Winter is often thought of as a quiet time for gardeners—a time for perusing seed catalogs and planning for the spring—but in our area, there is much more that can be done. Growing a winter vegetable garden can be quite rewarding and productive, and if that is not feasible, growing cover crops to improve your soil is another way to make the best use of this season.
Additional information:
Climate zones
https://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/Your_Climate_Zone/
https://www.sunsetwesterngardencollection.com/climate-zones/zone/northern-california
Pest management for vegetables
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/veggies.html
Soils and fertilizer in the garden
https://ucanr.edu/sites/gardenweb/Vegetables/?uid=26&ds=462
https://extension.psu.edu/wise-use-of-manure-in-home-vegetable-gardens
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/safely-using-manure-garden/
Using raised beds for vegetables
https://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/Vegetables/?uid=20&ds=462
- Author: Flo Pucci, Master Gardener
Is your garden soil as productive as you want? Need to make some enhancements?
Soil amendments may be the solution to improve the quality of your soil, but before making any additions or changes to your soil, it is best to understand what soil amendments are and how they could improve your soil. Remember, soil improvement will not overcome poor design, plant choice, incorrect planting, and lack of care.
What is Soil?
Soil high in sand tends to drain fast and is predisposed to drought, whereas soils high in clay store water, are heavy, and not permeable to air and water. Loam soils feel like they have an equal amount of sand, silt, and clay.
Soil formation results in layers like the layers of a cake. The topsoil is where the most organic matter resides and where most biological activity occurs. The subsoil layer tends to be brighter in color and finer textured than the topsoil, and the subsoil is prone to be low in organic matter and is generally less fitting for plant growth.
What makes soil productive?
Any soil, no matter how compact, can be improved by adding organic matter, becoming a nutrient-rich environment for any plant. Like humans, roots and soil organisms breathe and require sufficient air and water to thrive. As a result, good soil is not “solid,” instead, between 40 and 60 percent of the soil volume is pores. The pores may be infused with water or air, making both available to plants. The minor pores store water, and the largest pores control the aeration and circulation of water through the soil and are primarily the result of earthworm or root growth.
Fertile soils are a dynamic community of many genera of fungi, bacteria, insects, and mites that depends on organic matter as a fuel source. Without these organisms, minimal soil formation would take place. Therefore, these organisms, with earthworms and plants, provide the glue that holds the soil together and gives it structure. Consequently, rich soil provides physical support, water, air, and nutrients to plants and soil-dwelling organisms.
What is an amendment?
Amendment: Any matter added into the soil to enhance its physical attributes, such as water retention, permeability, drainage, aeration, and structure. They are indirectly affecting plant growth.
Mulch: Organic or inorganic materials added to the soil surface to help inhibit weed growth, conserve moisture, and add organic matter to the soil as they break down.
Fertilizer: Directly affects plant growth by improving the supply of nutrients in the soil. Amendments may act as fertilizers by providing nutrients.
Organic material improves the soil structure and can be added to sandy soil to increase nutrient and moisture retention, help clay soils loosen, and provide better aeration and drainage. Compost is the most accessible organic material and can be purchased at garden supply stores. Examples of organic amendment include animal manure (Manure from farm animals such as cows, horses, sheep, goats, and chickens can be used, but never pig manure or pet waste, because of the risk of exposure to the parasites these may contain), compost, grass clipping, leaf mold, straw, wood chips, wood ash, and worm casting.
Inorganic amendments are either mined or artificial; they may improve soil texture and structure and aid in pH adjustment. Examples of inorganic amendments include greensand, gypsum, lime, perlite, pumice, and sand.
Topsoil may be added to raise the soil level to a minimum depth of 6 to 8 inches. If you add topsoil, it should be mixed into the existing soil. Do not just lay it on top of the old soil; this may create a layered profile, making it difficult for water to move through or for plant roots to penetrate.
Soil pH
The ideal soil pH ranges from 5.5 – 7.0. Soils with a pH of 5.5 or lower are too acidic. Lime can be applied to raise the soil ph. Soils with a pH of 7.0 or higher are too alkaline and can be modified with elemental sulfur. A soil analysis may help determine what kind of amendment may be needed.
In conclusion, knowing what type of soil your garden has will help determine what kind of amendment may be needed.
For more information:
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/SITEPREP/soilamen.html
https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/BASICS/COMPOST_-_OTHER_SOIL_AMENDMENTS/
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/add-organic-matter-improve-garden-soils
https://www.lotusland.org/greengarden/building-sustainable-gardens/
https://www.thespruce.com/compost-black-gold-for-your-garden-soil-1403130