Did you know? Fruit trees can be kept under 6' tall so you can easily access the fruit. Surprisingly, although the trees are small, you will still get plenty of fruit!
UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners hope to see you at a local Stanislaus County library branch to learn more.
- Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. – Salida Library
- Monday, December 12, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. - Ceres Library
- Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. - Patterson Library
- Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. - Turlock Library
Backyard Orchard:Growing deciduous fruit trees is not for the faint-hearted. Trees such as apples, apricots, plums, pears, peaches, cherries, are not all pruned or managed the same way. Winter is the best time to plant a fruit tree, as you can purchase them as “bare root” fruit trees at a lower cost. You will learn how to correctly plant a bare root fruit tree, and how to prune it in the future to keep it small. This class does not include citrus, a separate class taught next spring.
Due to holidays conflicting with class dates, this class won't be offered at Riverbank, Oakdale, and Modesto Library locations.
Contact your local library branch to find out more. Missed a class you wanted to take? Watch it on our YouTube Channel! http://ucanr.edu/youtube/ucmgstanislaus
*Unfortunately, deciduous fruit trees that lose their leaves like apple, plum, pear, apricot, and cherry, have root systems that grow too large for containers. Luckily, you can plant many citrus tree varieties in containers.
- Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. – Salida Library
- Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. – Patterson
- Monday, November 14, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. – Ceres Library
- Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. – Oakdale Library
- Monday, November 28, 2022 at 6:15 p.m. - Modesto Library
Gardening on a Dime
Prices for everything are going up, including plants, seeds, and supplies. Take this class to learn some creative ways to garden reusing items you may already have, learn how to save your own seeds, and how to propagate (make more of) plants. In a hands-on exercise, you will learn how to harvest, save, and label pepper seeds, and then take them home to plant next spring!
Due to holidays conflicting with class dates, this class won't be offered at Riverbank or Turlock Library locations.
Contact your local library branch to find out more. Missed a class you wanted to take? Look for it at another library branch in the future.
- Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. Vermicomposting - Riverbank Library
- Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. Pollinators in Your Backyard - Oakdale Library
- Monday, May 23, 2022 at 6:15 p.m. Pests in Your Vegetable Garden - Modesto Library
Class Descriptions:
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.
Pest Management in Vegetable Gardens: Wondering what chewed your plant or if your vegetable plant has a disease? Take this class to get better at identifying pests as well as beneficial insects, and learn about less toxic ways to manage pests.
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!
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.
- Author: Anne Schellman
|
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.
- Author: Rhonda Allen
It's a joy to walk along the tree lined path and discover a variety of native plant species you might not know about. This garden recreates natural environments that are dwindling.
The garden was started as a community effort with support from the City of Modesto to improve a neglected strip of land and provide a usable space for the neighborhood. Much of the assets in the garden came from donations and neighborhood efforts. Modesto Subaru also came on board as a supporter to help with needed improvements. 
The garden has sections of interest, such as a children's play area, where a little lending library can be found and activities such as tic tac toe and hopscotch. Rustic wood benches are scattered along the path for rest and view stops. The city provided 32 valley oak trees which form the backbone of the garden along the path.
During the spring months there is much color to enjoy. Look for white poppies, yarrow, daisies, and mock orange in the white garden area.
The blue garden hosts blue eyed grass, ceanothus, Cleveland sage and other bluish blooms. The striking dark blue blossoms on the ceanothus are a must see and attract large numbers of bees, both native bees and honeybees.
Another developing color area is the yellow garden, which has sunflowers, wallflower, and other asters.
You may find your own favorite plant or color spot as you walk along the trail and explore. Many area residents come back weekly to see which plants are newly blooming. The garden changes constantly,
The increase in bird and insect visitations is a reminder of what communities can do to help support our natural environment.
If you see some plants that inspire you, consider planting these species in your home landscape to provide a food source for our native pollinators, which are in desperate need of habitat and nutrition that these plants can provide.
Enjoy your walk!
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You can learn more about the La Loma Neighborhood Garden by visiting their website at https://sites.google.com/prod/view/lalomanativegarden
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Rhonda Allen is a Master Gardener trainee. She is set to graduate and become a Master Gardener this June!
