- Author: Barbara Kissinger Santos
Where to plant
Planting seeds
Once the seedlings emerge you will need to thin them. For me this is the hardest part of gardening, removing perfectly good seedlings to give others the chance to grow. But it is especially important with root crops like carrots because leaving too many seedlings causes them to compete for limited nutrients and space and results in a poor crop. So, toughen up, identify the hardiest seedlings, and thin them to a minimum of ¾ inch apart to as much as 2 inches apart depending on anticipated root size. Pulling them can disrupt nearby seedlings so cutting them at ground level can be a better option. If you can't bring yourself to do it, do like I do and pretend the ones you are thinning are weeds. Check back at least weekly and remove any late sprouting seedlings.
Young seedlings are fragile and should be watered using the mist option on your hose nozzle or with a drip system. Only light watering is needed. Once your plants are past the seedling stage the important growing occurs beneath the soil so make sure the soil is moist throughout the root zone.
Fertilizing
Carrots use a lot of nutrients and can benefit from a light application of fertilizer. Use a fertilizer with a balanced amount of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) such as 5-10-5, 5-10-10 or 12-12-12. Follow manufacturer recommendations on the amount and method to apply as it will vary based on the amount of NPK per pound of product. More fertilizer can be applied while plants are growing, generally starting after plants are 3-4 inches tall. Add to the sides of the row and water in or apply through your drip system. Light application every 3-4 weeks is preferred to one heavy application.
At last, harvest
Most varieties of carrots are ready to harvest 90 days after planting. Harvesting too early yields undersized carrots that may not have the flavor and texture you were hoping for. If left in the ground for too long they will become tough and may crack. Check the root size by digging the soil around the carrot and harvest when they are the size you want.
Read more about carrots in the following UC IPM publication
Cultural Tips for Growing Carrots: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/carrot/cultural-tips/index.html?src=307-pageViewHLS
Barbara Kissinger Santos has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2024.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
In support of our employees and program participants who may require reasonable language accommodations, we are delighted to announce that UC ANR Human Resources has established agreements with new vendors to enhance our interpretation and translation services. This will enhance our ability to support units/departments, organizations and programs hosting UC ANR-sponsored events and providing information. Our aim is to ensure that our services and communications are accessible and inclusive, fostering an environment where our employees and participants can engage fully and meaningfully.
Translation involves converting text from one language to another while preserving the meaning, whereas interpretation involves conveying spoken words or signs from one language to another in real-time or after a brief pause. Translation is typically written, while interpretation is usually spoken or signed.
Please review our Interpretation and Translation Services Support site for additional information on process, contact information and fees.
Interpretation services fees may be covered by Human Resources through Dec. 31, 2024.
Interpretation Fees
Phone Interpreting: $0.74/per minute
Video Interpreting: $1.25/per minute + $30 app fee
Video ASL: $2/per minute + $30 app fee
ASL Interpreting – Eaton Enterprises: $140 per interpreter first 2 hours flat rate
Translation Fees
Translation fees vary, depending on the scope and type of document being translated. Language Line will review documents and provide a quote.
To use these interpretation or translation services, request assistance in adding language access services into contracts and grants, or for further information, please reach out to Jodi Rosenbaum, UC ANR's dedicated Accommodation Coordinator, at disabilitymanagement@ucanr.edu.
In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applicable federal and state law, UC ANR is committed to providing persons with limited English proficiency with meaningful access to University programs and activities and that university policy does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, including language proficiency.
Thank you for your continued commitment to creating an inclusive work environment within the UC ANR community.
Bethanie Brown
Interim Executive Director of Human Resources
- Author: Ben A Faber
Each year the California Avocado Commission partners with Land IQ to produce a Statewide Avocado Acreage and Condition Analysis report utilizing digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools to survey California avocado groves. This data helps the Commission make informed budgeting and marketing decisions and provides industry members with spatial data concerning crop type, location, condition and density. See the full 2023 Report HERE.
According to the report:
- In 2023 there were 52,534 planted avocado acres
- The majority of growing acreage is located in Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Luis Obispo Counties with a total of 50,818 planted acres
- The five top-producing counties reported 1,059 new/young acres and 3,399 topped/stumped acres
The report also provides acreage data by zip code, county, condition, year planted and density.
The California Avocado Commission's crop estimating team in conjunction with Land IQ uses the latest in remote sensing techniques to assess avocado acreage in production. As technology continues to advance refinements in our fourth generation of remote sensing techniques were applied to satellite imagery collected during spring and summer months. The imagery processing techniques include; segmentation into homogenous polygons, retention of tree crop polygons, calculation of average crop canopy moisture and vegetation indices, analysis of change maps from previous inventories, and classification of avocado groves into four categories; producing, topped/stumped, new/young, and abandoned. Aerial imagery (for a real-world view), and satellite imagery (for spectral and temporal data) are integrated into previously classified avocado acreage and analyzed for current condition of California avocado acreage statewide.
from CA Ag Net: https://californiaagnet.com/2024/07/29/california-avocado-acreage-increases-2023-report-available/
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
While many gardeners are aware that composting is beneficial, they are often unsure of what is involved and how to get started. The Stanislaus County UC Master Gardeners October library talk topic for October is “Composting Basics,” so this is your opportunity to learn how to do this fun, satisfying, environmentally friendly process! Discover what you can and cannot compost, what “greens” and “browns” are (and how many you need of each in your pile), different methods of composting, and how to troubleshoot when issues come up.
So come to the library nearest you to get the dirt on composting!
Resources
UC ANR Publication #8037 Compost in a Hurry. https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8037.pdf
UC ANR Environmental Notes, Sacramento Master Gardeners, Composting for the Home Gardener https://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/163139.pdf
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County since 2020.
/h3>
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's not as easy as it looks, but entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, makes it look easy.
If you attend the Bohart Museum open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus, you'll learn how he does it.
Indeed, it is no easy feat to pin a butterfly or moth. Just ask research entomologist Tom Zavorink, a Bohart Museum associate.
"Personally, I am astounded by the thousands upon thousands of butterflies and moths that Jeff has prepared for display or scientific study," Zavorink told us back in 2015, when the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences selected Smith for its Friend of the College Award.
"This is no small task," Zavortink said, "because butterfly and moth specimens are usually brought from the field in envelopes or boxes with their wings folded over their backs or around their bodies, and preparing them for display or scientific study involves relaxing them in a humid chamber so their wings and legs can be manipulated, carefully spreading open the wings, positioning them on a flat surface, and securing them in that position until the specimen dries again. This is an onerous task that many entomologists, myself included, shun because we don't have the time, manual dexterity, or patience it takes to prepare quality specimens."
A Bohart volunteer since 1998, Smith has spread the wings of some 180,000 moths and butterflies, typically 6,000 or more each year for the past 30-plus years. He has crafted and donated some 2,475 wooden specimen drawers, including 110 so far this year. He also has donated some 100,000 specimens (primarily butterflies, moths but a few other insects, including beetles) to the Bohart Museum.
The Lepidoptera collection now totals about 750,000 specimens. Lately Smith has been redoing the header labels in the unit trays for much of the Lepidoptera collection, "making the new ones in the better format where the geographic ranges of the various species and subspecies are on the label. This is so helpful when it comes to placing new material into the collection."
When Smith received the Friend of the College award, Bohart director Lynn Kimsey, now UC Davis distinguished professor emerita, said: “You could not ask for a better friend than Jeff Smith. He has brought us international acclaim and saved us $160,000 through donations of specimens and materials, identification skills and his professional woodworking skills. This does not include the thousands of hours he has donated in outreach programs that draw attention to the museum, the college and the university.”
“When Jeff was working for Univar Environmental Services, a 35-year career until his retirement in 2013, he would spend some of his vacation days at the museum. Over the years Jeff took over more and more of the curation of the butterfly and moth collection. He took home literally thousands of field pinned specimens and spread their wings at home, bringing them back to the museum perfectly mounted."
Smith engages in public outreach at the Bohart Museum's open houses, which include open houses with various themes, plus UC Davis Picnic Day, UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, and Take-Your-Daughters-and-Sons-to-Work Day. In addition, Smith annually presents an evening spreading class to the UC Davis Entomology Club as well as an annual presentation to Bio Boot Camp. He also speaks at 12 to 15 other venues per year, engaging students at School Science Days and in individual classrooms.
"We will have an overview of terrestrial arthropods which encompasses everything from insects, arachnids, millipedes, isopods and centipedes," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordination. "We will also showcase some of the trapping/catching methods we use, for example, nets, lights, pitfall traps and malaise traps."
"We also get asked a lot of questions about our own collection and why the specimens don't decay," she added. "We will highlight the different curation techniques from pinning, point mounting, preserving in alcohol and mounting on slides."
Also planned is a tribute to the late UC Davis professor Richard "Doc" Bohart (1913-2007), who founded the insect museum in 1946, served as the first director, and compiled 32 years on the UC Davis entomology faculty, Sept. 28 is his birthday anniversary and a cake to celebrate what would have been his 111th birthday will be served.
Kimsey, his last graduate student, remembers him in the audio of a newly produced video by Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of molecular and cellular biology and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. Kimsey provides the narrative and images. Leal added excerpts from a 1996 Aggie Video production when Kimsey interviewed Bohart. (See https://youtu.be/3YqnK-CpbJE)
The Bohart Museum houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also is the home of a petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and more) and an insect-themed gift shop, stocked with t-shirts,hoodies, books, posters,jewelry, stuffed animals, and insect collecting equipment.Museum director is professor and arachnologist Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
For more information, contact bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.