Curious to learn more about pollinators and the plants that attract them? Join our Master Gardener instructor for a class to learn about these fascinating insects while enjoying the Turlock Community Gardens. If you haven't been to this hidden gem of a community garden before, we invite you to stop by. The garden has pollinator plants, so you'll be able to see some real examples of plants and even witness some pollinator interactions! You don't need to have a plot at the garden to attend. We hope to see you there, rain or shine.

When: Saturday, April 30, 2021 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Where: Turlock Community Gardens 
Address: 4105 Crowell Road, Turlock 95382
Instructor:
Cost: Free
What to bring? You may want to bring a folding chair, water, hat/jacket depending on the weather.

When I was in the 6th grade, we were given an assignment to read books from several different topics (i.e. history, famous people, a classic) and write a book report on each. Being a voracious reader since pre-school, I quickly went through all the assigned topics but one. . .science. Sadly, we hadn't had much exposure to science in elementary school. 

My teacher commented the deadline for doing the assignment was coming up and I wouldn't get an ‘A' in English if I didn't complete the project. I responded I didn't know of any science books to read. He suggested I go to the school library. 

I told the librarian of my situation and she guided me to a book about honeybees. I liked bees (though I'd been stung once!) but knew little about them other than they spent time around flowers. That book revealed the complex and fascinating world of honeybees to me. I was enthralled. I have been enamored with bees and science ever since. I eventually obtained degrees in science and education which led to a worthwhile career that included being a biology instructor, museum educator and lab technician. All because of a book on bees. . .I am forever grateful to my 6th grade teacher and the school librarian. 

All About Bees Talk

As a Stanislaus County Master Gardener, I have the privilege of joining fellow Master Gardener Heidi Aufdermaur in presenting a talk on “All About Bees,” to share my love of bees. Learn why they're so valuable, different kinds of bees, (there are over 1,600 native bees in California!), their life stages and habits, why they're in trouble, and how home gardeners can help bees thrive. I hope you'll join us! 

When: Tuesday, April 26, 2021, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: Harvest Hall Rooms D & E at the Agricultural Center at the corner of Crows Landing and Service Road in Modesto
Address: 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, CA 95358
Cost: Free
Instructors: Master Gardeners Heidi Aufdermaur and Denise Godbout-Avant
Questions: call (209) 525-6862
Sign Up online: http://ucanr.edu/bees/2022

Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Stanislaus County Master Gardener since 2020.

We are excited to announce our partnership with Stanislaus County Libraries! Our Master Gardener volunteers are now offering gardening classes at local library branches, which, coincidentally, are the perfect place to check out gardening books! Here is our April Schedule of Classes along with the class descriptions:

Date & Time	Class Topic	Library Branch
Wed, April 13 @ 2:00 p.m.	Pollinators	Patterson
Tues, April 19 @ 6:30 p.m.	Culinary Herbs	Oakdale
Mon, April 25 @ 6:15 p.m.	Vermicomposting	Modesto
Wed, April 27 @ 6:00 p.m.	Culinary Herbs	Turlock

 

Vermicomposting: Did you know some worms can help eat kitchen waste? See a "worm hotel" and learn more about these fascinating critters. Take home a list of instructions on how to create your own. Fun for the whole family!

Growing Culinary Herbs for Beginners: An introduction to growing herbs and ways to use them in cooking. Find out which herbs you can grow on an apartment porch or in an outdoor garden. Touch and smell some herb samples. 

Attracting Native Pollinators to Your Backyard: Learn how to identify helpful native bees, wasps, bumble bees, flies, and other pollinators that live in your garden! We'll also teach you about which plants these pollinators prefer.

Contact your local library branch to find out more. Missed a class you'd like to take? Look for it at another library branch in the future.

The practice of fruit “thinning” is important for increasing the size of tree fruits. Often, fruit trees set such heavy crops that individual fruits do not grow to a satisfactory size.  Limbs may break because of the overload of fruit, and the drain on  nutrients and stored carbohydrates in the tree may be so great that no flower buds develop for the following year. This may force the tree into an alternate bearing cycle, which means heavy production one year, very light production the following year.

When you remove young fruit from a limb, the remaining fruits benefit from the reduced competition for mineral nutrients, light, water and  plant foods produced by the leaves. By thinning early, you also increase shoot and leaf growth. This results in extra leaves that produce more sugars and other materials necessary for sizing the remaining fruits. Thinning also helps prevent limb breakage caused by heavy crops.

Also, if you thin carefully, you can remove mostly small and cull fruits - those with rub damage, hail marks, disease spots and other blemishes.  

You already thin fruit when you prune your trees, since nearly every pruning cut removes some flower buds. In fact, pruning is the only practical way of thinning cherries and nut crops. However, it is still necessary to hand thin stone fruits such as apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums and pome fruits such as apples and Asian  pears. Species that rarely need hand thinning are almonds, avocados, bushberries (such as Boysenberries), cherries, citrus, European pears (such as Bartlett), pistachios and persimmons.

How much to thin depends upon the tree species. With peaches and nectarines, it's important to make room on the branches for each fruit to grow to 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Thin by pulling off 3/4 to 1-inch long fruit in April and May, leaving one fruit every 6 inches. This results in more fruit on the ground than on the tree, but it's important to produce large, flavorful fruit and to minimize limb breakage.

Thin apricots when the fruit is about 3/4 inch in diameter, leaving 1 apricot every 3 inches. Thin plums when the fruit is 3/4-inch-long, leaving 1 plum every 4 to 6 inches. Thin apples after the usual May drop. Leave 1 apple every 6 inches or allow only 1 apple to remain per  spur. Asian pears should be thinned to leave only 1 fruit per spur.

While it's best to thin early in the season, it is never too late to do some thinning where trees are having difficulty sizing the crop. Removing small fruit from overloaded trees, even shortly before harvest, will pay off in larger average fruit sizes.

Grape varieties such as Thompson seedless may also benefit from fruit thinning. Removing entire clusters after the berries have set helps to enlarge the berries on the remaining clusters. Remove undersized or misshapen clusters first.

 Ed Perry is the emeritus Environmental Horticultural Advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Stanislaus County where he worked for over 30 years.