The Master Gardeners have had a presence at the Erickson Ranch and Dahlia Farm for many years. We have gone to “the Ranch” as many as 3 to 5 times each growing season. We provide a support table with pest notes, compost information, copies of ‘Seeds for Thought’, and info related to the theme of the event.  

During the August event, the focus was on tomatoes, so we provided handouts about growing tomatoes, the vegetable planting guide by Dr. Robert Norris, and a page of the assorted tomato diseases and pests with photos. We had many clients with questions about their gardens and heard their stories about tomato successes and tomato failures. We answered questions and made suggestions for next year.

In September at the “all About Peppers” event, we provided the same support table but added info on planting peppers. We listened as people asked us how to get rid of white flies, tomato horn worms, and mildew on their plants.

Saturday was the last event for 2013 and the focus was on pumpkins. There were pumpkins to purchase, pumpkins to carve, and wagon rides out to the pumpkin patch. The Master Gardeners had the support table full of the usual information and added Halloween masks for the kids and instructions on how to build your own scarecrow. The families came in groups including grandparents, parents with babies in strollers and young children. The Erickson’s had their produce, flowers and jams for sale. The Charlie Wade Blues Band entertained the crowds. Nick, the BBQ man was cooking across the blacktop from Angelina’s biscotti table. Lucas was selling home grown plants while Cindy was making crafts with kids (headbands with fresh flowers being a favorite). Suisun Wildlife Rescue Center had an assortment of birds and reptiles on display. Under a white tent, children were carving pumpkins letting their creative juices flow. It was an entertainment extravaganza. And the best part of all was the six MG’s who volunteered in two shifts and were able to educate the crowds and enjoy the day! A real win-win!

Every year I look forward to choosing my fall display of winter squash to both enjoy as art as well as blend up in a hearty curry soup. As a fanciful display, I pile the squash and gourds up near my front door as a cheerful welcome home for my family and friends.  The other day my first beauty arrived.  It is peculiar, a grayish blue with deep vertical grooves surrounding the body. My neighbor calls it "Old Man Squash", it is so cute.  I doubt that it will ever end up in a soup. In the last few years, I have noticed that even our local grocery stores are carrying an extensive collection of these beauties, far beyond the usual "Jack 'O Lantern" pumpkins.  I am anxious to check out the roadside stands throughout our county to see what colorful gems they have grown this season. 

If you get energetic next spring you might want to check out some of the seed sources now for an extensive variety of squash seeds to choose from.  I found the following sources have quite a few of the more unusual varieties out there:  www.botanicalinterests.com, sustainableseedco.com, www.seedsavers.org, nativeseeds.org, victoryseeds.com and rareseeds.com (Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company). 

Reading through some of the squash descriptions reminded me of the legendary companion planting "Three Sisters", corn, pole beans and squash (or pumpkin).  Each sister contributes to the group.  The corn offer support to the pole beans, the beans fix nitrogen from the air and bring it into the soil for the benefit of all three, the bean vines wrap around and hold them together and the squash leaves provide cooling shade for the  soil and prevent weeds from intruding.  By the time European settlers arrived on the east coast, the Iroquois had been following this planting practice for over three centuries.  In legend these plants were seen as a gift from the gods, always to be grown together, eaten together and celebrated together.  

Persimmons are one of the last fruits of the season and among the most colorful with dramatic autumn leaves and bright orange fruit. October is the month that persimmons ripen in our area and the fruit can be used in many ways from fresh or dried fruit to an ingredient of cookies, puddings or salads. The bright orange fruit also makes a colorful addition to autumn displays.

The species originated in central China and the persimmon cultivars commonly grown in California, Diospyros kaki spp., were originally cultivated in Japan. Between 1870 and 1920, the USDA introduced several Chinese and Japanese cultivars to the southern and western U.S. but now most persimmons are of the D. kaki species and are grown in the San Joaquin Valley. The native North American persimmon species, Diospyros virginica, is not found in California and the fruit is inferior to the cultivated species.

Persimmons are deciduous trees and the leaves turn dramatic colors in the autumn. The bright orange fruit will remain on the tree after the leaves fall creating a beautiful specimen for photography. The bark of a persimmon tree is deeply fissured with distinct rectangles. The species is in the ebony (Ebenaceae) family and persimmon wood and bark are dark. Persimmon trees are both colorful and drought resistant. but adequate water is required for an adequate fruit crop. Persimmons grow as a single or multi-stemmed tree and reach approximately 25 feet at maturity. Inconspicuous flowers are borne in the leaf axils of new growth from one-year old wood. Most cultivars are parthenocarpic. The set fruit remains inconspicuous and green until ripening to a bright orange fruit.

Persimmon trees are either male or female and sexual expression can vary from year to year. Most cultivars are parthenocarpic and set seedless fruit without pollination. Persimmons are classified into two general categories, those bearing fruit that is astringent until soft ripe and those whose fruit is not astringent; within each category are cultivars whose fruits are influenced by pollination (pollination variant) and those that are not (pollination constant). Fertilization of pollination variant cultivars results in the formation of seeds and fruit with a different flavor and texture than from non-pollinated fruit. Persimmon trees often set abundant fruit and although some self-thinning occurs in late spring, the largest fruit result from judicious hand thinning to one or two fruit per twig in May or June. Persimmons are easily planted as bare root trees in early winter and the two main cultivars grown in California are readily available from local and mail order nurseries.

Persimmons are relatively disease and pest free. The primary insect pests of persimmons are mealybug and scale in association with ants. Vertebrate pests including gophers and ground squirrels can scour roots and girdle trunk stems. The ripe fruits are a favorite of many vertebrates including squirrels, rats, opossums, deer and, of course, birds.

The two most widely grown cultivars in California are the astringent variety ‘Hachiya’ with oblong, conical fruit and the non-astringent variety ‘Fuyu’ with flat, faintly four-sided fruit. Astringent varieties can be harvested when fully colored but still hard and ripened at room temperature off the tree, or stored hard in the refrigerator for up to a month before being allowed to ripen. Although tree ripening will improve astringent fruit, birds will likely destroy the crop as it ripens fully. Non-astringent varieties can be harvested when fully colored and allowed to soften slightly off the tree. Non-astringent persimmons will soften significantly even when refrigerated when stored with other fruit.

Although astringent fruit must be jelly-soft before being edible, the soft fruit can be used in cookies, breads and puddings. The fruit contains considerable pectin and will add significant body to a smoothie! Non-astringent fruit can be eaten like an apple or added to autumn salads. All persimmons make excellent dried fruit and drying will remove the astringency from hard astringent fruit. Astringent fruit can be dried by hanging from the stem, either peeled or unpeeled and results is a sweet date-like confection.

Persimmons should be harvested by cutting the stem with hand shears, leaving he calyx intact. The stem should be cut close to the calyx unless a short piece of stem is required for drying. Harvested fruit should be handled with care, even if hard, to prevent bruising.

References:

UC Davis Fruit and Nut Research and Information Website for Persimmons (2013)

http://fruitandnuteducation.ucdavis.edu/education/fruitnutproduction/Persimmon/

Pomegranate Fruit Facts (1996) - California Rare Fruit Growers

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/persimmon.html

Some things I expected on our recent trip to Scotland in early October.  I knew that the thistle was the national flower.  I had heard about the rowan tree from my mother in law. It was nice to see it in person and find it with a full flush of red berries. Since we were going in October I wasn't quite sure what else to expect.

The first thing I noticed was begonias of all colors in municipal and business plantings.  They tended to be planted in large masses as well as hanging planters. The next observations were made on a hike through the Pass of Killiecrankie which links the highlands and the lowlands of Scotland. This wooded area was bursting with fungi and mushrooms. I even found the mushroom from all the fairy tales the one with the white stem and red cap with white polka-dots. I was also impressed with the amount of ruby red rose hips from wild Rosa canina that we saw here and throughout Scotland. I could only imagine how beautiful these must be in flower in the springtime.

We visited Dunrobin Castle which has some beautiful gardens supposedly inspired by Versailles.  I was shocked to find Gunnera mannicata, Giant Rhubarb flourishing there.  I generally think of these in South America or trendy garden show displays not Scottish gardens.   Later I was astounded to see a six foot tall Viking topiary made of succulents on the greens of a town named Largs. Largs was the site of a famous Viking-Scottish battle. The grounds also had a flat" picture" of a Viking battleship, also done in succulents. 

I think that is one of the things I like best about traveling, the surprises you encounter that go against your expectations. They shake you up a bit and make you look at everything with fresher eyes.  And if you are lucky, that feeling can continue on when you get home.