We hope you can join UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners Rho Yare and Ted Hawkins for our Zoom Warm Season Vegetable Gardening class on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Now is the time to start thinking about which delicious vegetables you want to grow in your garden. Ted and Rho will go over all the possibilities with you in this class.

Spring Vegetables

These vegetables don't mind the cold and can be planted from seed in February. They may grow slowly, but as weather warms they will grow more quickly. Lettuce, Swiss Chard, arugula, mustard greens, and other leafy greens do well. Radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, and happy during this time as well. However, by late spring/early summer, many of these plants can't take the heat and may “bolt,” sending up flower stalks that the bees enjoy.

Summer Vegetables

You can plant these vegetables from seed or transplant in late March. They prefer warm weather and may “sulk” and grow very slowly if you plant them too early. These vegetables include melons, squash, winter squash, corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Hope to “see” you there!

We hope you will join us online for an evening about how to have a successful vegetable garden. If you are a veteran gardener and would like to share your favorite varieties and successes, we hope you will join us and post your favorite vegetables, varieties and other tips in the chat.

Where*: On Zoom. You will receive a link the morning of the class. 
When: Tuesday, February 22, 2022 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Register at: http://ucanr.edu/spring/veg/2022
Instructors: Master Gardeners Rho Yare and Ted Hawkins 

 

Groundhogs are infamous for announcing the arrival of spring for folks in the eastern part of the United States. Groundhogs hibernate, so if Punxsatawney Phil pops up out of his den and sees his shadow today, it's said there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, spring comes early.

In California, we can't rely on Phil. Instead, we have gophers which are active all year. This makes them an unreliable source of information about the start of spring, since they are constantly popping up out of their burrows. Incidentally, spring officially starts on March 20 this year.

For gardeners, the presence of gophers can be frustrating. Most can tolerate a few insects on plants, or a small patch of a disease that can be cut off. However, just one gopher can consume an entire vegetable garden or dig multiple holes in the lawn and landscape in a short amount of time.

What made the holes in my garden or landscape?

If you see a hole, it might be a gopher or a mole. Gophers digging in lawns and landscapes leave holes that look like the photo to the right. Typically, they are crescent or horseshoe in shape. As they dig tunnels, gophers move fresh soil to the surface. You can usually see a plugged hole next to the mound.

Moles are another burrowing animal that also create mounds. However, their mounds are more circular, as shown in the photo in this post.

To learn more about gophers and how to control them, visit the UC IPM Pest Notes: Pocket Gophers. 

If you suspect the holes in your landscape or garden are made by another animal, read the UC IPM Pest Notes: Ground Squirrels.

Citrus trees can be planted any time after the danger of frost has passed, which in our area is usually around mid-to-late March. It's a good idea to plant citrus early – try to have your trees in the ground by May – because a sudden hot spell may damage trees that are not well established. Citrus trees planted during the cool spring months will be better able to withstand the cold weather of their first winter than trees planted later in the year. Your favorite nursery or garden center should have a good supply of new citrus trees right about now.

Citrus trees grow best in loam or sandy loam soil, but you can grow them in most soils that have good drainage. If your soil drains poorly, you might try planting in a raised bed or on a mound. Plant your trees in an area that receives full sun, and allow enough room for the tree's mature size.  I don't recommend planting in a lawn area because it's difficult to irrigate both the citrus and the lawn correctly. Also, the grass tends to absorb many of the nutrients needed by the tree.

In the nursery, citrus varieties are budded onto suitable rootstocks and grown for one or two years. Trees are sold in containers. Choose a one or two year old tree, but avoid older trees that have been held in containers so long that they're root bound.

Dig the planting hole just deep enough to plant the tree at the same level that it was in the nursery. The diameter of the hole should be about 6 inches larger than the root ball. If the hole is too deep, the tree will settle too much after planting.  Trees that settle too deep are likely to be killed by crown rot, a fungus disease that frequently develops where the soil covers the bark of the tree.

You can place balled and burlap-wrapped trees in the planting holes without removing the cloth sacking that covers the roots. Plant them a little higher than they were in the nursery, allowing about 3 inches for settling. Try to have the uppermost roots branch out at about ground level after the trees have settled.

You should handle trees in containers in much the same way. Carefully remove the container and place the tree in the hole at the correct depth. Be careful not to break the ball of soil surrounding the root system. After you have the tree properly placed, fill the hole three-fourths full of soil and tamp the soil around the root ball. Then finish filling the hole. Be sure to form a basin around the tree and irrigate thoroughly.

Do not put any fertilizer in the hole when planting your tree because it may damage the roots. It's safer to apply fertilizer to the surface of the soil after you've planted. If you use manure, use it lightly because roots may be damaged by salts which manures contain.

Citrus trees do very poorly in dry soil, so be sure to pay close attention to irrigation, especially during the first summer.

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.

Ready to get your spring garden in the ground? Not so fast! In Stanislaus County, our weather patterns have featured rainstorms, low temperature drops, and highs in the 70's, only to repeat the rainstorms and low temperatures. These periods of sunshine remind us that spring is on the way. However, spring is not quite here yet!

March 20 is the first day of spring for 2021. After this date, there is less of a chance of frost which can damage vegetable plants like tomatoes.  Many vegetables prefer warm soil temperatures, and may “sulk” during cool weather.

You don't have to plant early to get the first tomato in your neighborhood. Many vegetables work well planted in April and still have plenty of time to produce.

We hope you will join our Master Gardeners for an evening talking all about how to have a successful vegetable garden.

Where*: On Zoom. You will receive a link the morning of the class. 

When: Tuesday, March 23, 2021 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Register at: http://ucanr.edu/spring/veg/gardening/2021
Instructors: Heidi Aufdermaur & Johnny Mullins