When: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: on Zoom.
Please sign up to receive the link by August 25, 2020 at 4 p.m.
If you don't have Zoom or have to miss the class, watch it later on our Stanislaus County UCCE Master
What can you grow? Asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard greens, lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard (just to name a few.)
Please join UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners Rho Yare and Terry Pellegrini on Zoom to learn tips for having a successful fall vegetable garden. Topics will include:
-Vegetable gardening basics.
-Which fall vegetables grow best in the Central Valley of California.
-When to plant and planting methods.
-When to harvest.
-Library books you can download free from the Stanislaus County Free library!
There will be time for questions along the way, so be sure to type yours in the Q&A box. Also, get ready for some fun polls about your favorite vegetables to grow!
When: Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: on Zoom.
How: sign up to receive the link by email at: http://ucanr.edu/fallvegs/2020
Please sign up to receive the link by August 25, 2020 at 4 p.m.
If you don't have Zoom or have to miss the class, watch it later on our Stanislaus County UCCE Master Gardener YouTube Channel!
As a gardener, I get really excited to plant some of my favorite foods. Broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard, kale, and lettuce always grace my table each fall and into the winter months. Carrots and sugar snap peas greet me next to my front door. Green and purple cabbage have even lined my walkway tempting me with thoughts of the sauerkraut that will be made from their crunchy heads.
While the majority of my experience has been with planting my veggies in raised beds and in ground, when I was first starting out on my gardening venture I planted several varieties in pots and containers. Lettuce, carrots, sugar snap peas, have all grown well for me in containers.
The best thing about growing lettuce, especially romaine, is that you can harvest the lettuce throughout out the season. By snipping off the older, outer leaves, you can keep your lettuce growing and extend your harvest. I usually sow my seeds every two weeks just to make sure I have lettuce all fall and winter long.
Sugar snap and snow peas are great for containers. I've normally use transplants from the nursery but seeds will work just as well. Choose a container that is quite sturdy as these peas like to have a trellis to grow upon. Place a homemade trellis in the pot and place your transplants or seeds about two inches away from the trellis. Alternately, I have placed my peas in pot next to a pretty trellis leaning against the garage wall and they have loved it. The best thing about growing peas is the more you harvest, the more they produce.
Carrots, for me, are a little trickier. First time I tried them the container wasn't deep enough and I had these little stunted carrots. Choosing a deep container or pot, at least 12” led to better success and a very tasty treat. Remember to thin out your carrots as well or you'll have some very interestingly shaped and twined carrots. They are still edible, but don't look very pretty.
Yes, fall is one of my favorite times of year. Not just for the weather, but for the abundance of produce that we can grow here in the Central Valley. Fall veggie container gardening is a great way to get started on your adventures in gardening.
Terry will be co-teaching our upcoming Fall Vegetable Gardening class on August 25. Save the date! More details coming soon.
- Author: Anne E Schellman
We are excited to announce our program's THIRD online class is now available on our new YouTube Channel! Please watch the video and subscribe to our channel.
Herb Gardening was recorded on June 30,2020. Our speakers' included two very talented Stanislaus County Master Gardeners, Terry Pellegrini and Rho Yare. The class offered fun insights on growing and using herbs in the garden, with some fun tips for how to use them, and a word from our local Stanislaus County library on herb books you can check out.
To get a free copy of our Herbs in Your Garden publication, please visit our publications page where you can find this and many more free publications for download. http://cestanislaus.ucanr.edu/Gardening_Publications/
- Author: Heidi Aufdermaur
About 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators. Most pollinators (about 200,000 species) are beneficial insects such as honey bees, native bees, butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. As the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. So what are some ways in which gardens can be made more attractive for the pollinators of all kinds?
First, know the pollinators. Everyone knows the European honey bee, which was imported 400 years ago and brought to California around 1850. But did you know there are over 4,000 species of native bees in the United States, of which 1600 are found in California?
Approximately 70% of native bees are solitary ground nesters, while 30% are cavity nesters. As well as providing pollinator-friendly plants to your yard, help ground nesting bees make their homes in your garden, by leaving a sunny area mulch-free. For cavity nesting bees, provide artificial nest sites, which are easy to construct or purchase from commercial outlets.
Hummingbirds, with their long beaks and tongues draw nectar from tubular flowers. Pollen is carried on both the beaks and feathers. To attract these fun loving birds to your garden, be sure to include bright colored tubular flowers in your landscape.
Butterflies are eye-catching, as are the flowers that attract them. Not only are specific flowers important, but also providing open areas such as bare earth and large stones where butterflies may bask and moist soil from which they may get needed minerals. To support butterflies, a gardener may also be willing to accept slight damage to host plants that provide food for the larval stage of the butterfly.
Moths are mostly evening fliers attracted to flowers that are strongly sweet smelling, open in late afternoon or night, and are typically white or pale in color. Moths are easy to differentiate from butterflies if you look at their antennae; moths do not have a swelling at the end of their antennae whereas butterflies do.
Bats are nocturnal pollinators that play an important role in the pollination of agaves and cacti in the Southwest, however not necessarily in our specific region. Bats are usually found visiting light-colored flowers that open at night and often produce copious amounts of pollen and nectar.
Flies are not typically thought of as pollinators, however, many masquerade as bees in the garden. Syrphid flies, also called hover flies, are considered to be very important pollinators in agriculture.
Over 30,000 species of beetles are found in the United States, they may not be efficient pollinators but they do play a role as they visit flowers to sip nectar or feed on the flower parts. This activity may result in pollination. Some have a bad reputation because they damaging plants.
If you haven't seen it yet, please watch our YouTube video, Native Pollinators, to learn about different kinds of bees you may find in your garden.
National Pollinator Week is a campaign by the Pollinator Partnership.
Helpful Resources
How to Attract and Maintain Pollinators in Your Garden. Free ANR Publication
Build Bee Houses. Free publication from Michigan State University.
US Forest Service: Pollinators
Heidi Aufdermaur is a graduate of the 2019 Class of Master Gardeners in Stanislaus County.