We are getting close to the typical average last frost date at March 3rd. So now is the time to start some cucumber, squash or melon seeds indoors.
Starting Mix
First, you need some seed starting mix. You can use ready-made mixes, or you can make your own by using potting soil mix you have on hand. Since I always have some potting soil mix on hand for use in containers or up potting starts, I use that. I suggest screening it through a ¼ inch hardware cloth sieve to take out any larger pieces which might block the seeds from poking through the mix.
Once the soil is hydrated, add it to the seed trays. Since cucumber, squash, and melon seeds are larger seeds, they are planted at about twice their size or roughly ½ inch depth.
Next, place your starter tray on a rack or designated place, covering it with a humidity dome. If you have plant-start heating mats, they can be very helpful by warming the soil, but are not absolutely necessary. It is customary to “bottom” water seeds, so add water to the tray your seeds are in. The soil should be moist enough from the initial wetting process described above, thus only a little water should be needed in the tray. Add water only when soil dries out slightly. After about 15 minutes, if any water remains in the tray, drain it. The humidity dome should stay on until the seedlings begin to show.
Seedlings
The Armenian cucumber seeds in these photos germinated over five days from February 17th through the 22nd with the humidity dome being removed on February 22nd.
At this point the seedlings should be placed under grow lights slightly above their height. Adjust the height of the light as the seedlings grow. If the grow lights are too high, the seedlings will likely become “leggy,” because they are stretching to reach more light. This will cause them to be weaker due to the main stem being too long and thin, and likely top heavy. The first set of leaves on the seedlings are the cotyledon leaves. The next set of leaves you will see are the first true leaves and the cotyledon leaves will likely drop off.
Preparing Plants for the Garden
Hardening off is the process of acclimating the new seedling to the outdoors. This starts by moving them outdoors the first day for perhaps 2 hours. This continues daily, increasing amount of time of outdoor exposure each day for about 1 week. By then your new starts should be able to handle being transplanted into your outdoor garden.
If you prefer not to jump start your growing season by starting seeds indoors, cucumbers, squash, and melon seeds can be started in the ground in late March. Just be sure to check the long-range weather forecast to see if any possible freezing temperatures might happen.
Tim Long has been a UC Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2020. All photos are by the author.
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Skylar Peters
Happy March! The days are starting to get longer, which means the spring gardening season is about to begin. As temperatures begin to warm, it's the perfect time to start tackling tasks in the garden. Whether you've been hibernating and taking a break from gardening this winter, or you've been planning your spring garden for months, we have some gardening tips to help your garden thrive.
1. Clean up your garden just before the growing season swings into full gear. March is the perfect time to clean up your garden. If you haven't already be sure to:
- Prune dead branches to keep your trees healthy (for more information check out this pruning resource.)
- Prune summer-flowering plants that bloom on new wood such as crape myrtle
- Pull weeds once garden beds aren't water-logged
- Remove dead leaves or plant debris
- Clean your garden tools
2. Fertilize your lawn. The most important nutrients for lawns are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. But most lawns only regularly need nitrogen. To give your lawn the nitrogen it likely needs, you must decide between a:
- Slow-release fertilizer that lasts 8-10 weeks (typically marked on the package as water-insoluble nitrogen or WIN)
- Soluble fertilizer that lasts about 4 weeks
3. Check your irrigation system to see if it needs maintenance. Adjust your irrigation controller for the appropriate season. Plants don't need as much water in late fall, winter, and early spring as they do in the summer months. Adjusting your watering schedule can save water and rescue plants from being overwatered. Do a walkthrough to check your irrigation system for any leaks or problems.
Common irrigation problems and solutions | |
---|---|
PROBLEM |
SOLUTION |
broken sprinkler |
replace with a sprinkler that applies water at the same rate |
unmatched sprinklers |
replace with sprinklers that apply water at a common rate |
sunken sprinkler risers |
raise the sprinklers or replace |
crooked sprinklers |
straighten to an upright position |
turfgrass growing around sprinklers, other plants blocking sprinklers |
mow, prune or remove plant material |
sand or debris plugging sprinklers |
flush out sprinklers to remove debris; replace sprinklers as necessary |
4. Look for standing water in your landscape and containers. It is crucial to ensure that there is no standing water in your yard or garden, as it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
5. Plant cool-season vegetables. March is still a good time to plant cool-season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli. These crops love the cooler weather and will thrive in your garden this time of year. Make sure to plant them in a spot that gets plenty of sun and has well-draining soil.
6. Start warm-season seeds indoors. If you're planning on growing warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants, now is the time to start your seeds indoors. Learn more about seed-starting from our recent blog: Get a Head Start on Your Garden by Starting Your Vegetable Seeds Indoors.
7. Grow herbs. March is an excellent time to grow herbs that can enhance the flavors in your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Herbs can be grown indoors (e.g., in a kitchen window) or outdoors in a pot, raised bed, or in the ground. Herb leaves and herbaceous stems are an incredible addition to most food. Try a new chimichurri recipe or herbed veggie dish this spring.
8. Look out for ladybug hatchlings. While inspecting your garden for pests, keep an eye out for newly hatched ladybugs and refrain from disturbing them. Ladybugs can be extremely beneficial to your garden as they prey on aphids that can be harmful to your plants. For additional information on ladybugs, you can refer to UC IPM's Lady Beetle information.
9. Plant flowers to attract butterflies and support your local pollinators. Some great pollinator-supporting plants include:
- Milkweed
- Lantana
- Honeysuckle
March is an exciting time in the garden as it marks the beginning of the growing season. As the temperatures start to rise there's a lot to do in the garden from maintenance to planting. It's time to start putting in the work that will pay off when you see your beautiful spring garden.
Ask your local UC Master Gardener Program
Have a gardening question? UC Master Gardener volunteers are available to help. Click here to Find a Program and connect with your local UC Master Gardener Program. You will be redirected to your local county website and contact information. UC Master Gardener volunteers are available to help answer questions for FREE. Happy gardening!
/h4>Spring and Summer Vegetables From Your Very Own Garden
By Pat Hitchcock, U.C. Master Gardener of Napa County
When should home gardeners start planting their spring or summer vegetable patches? A recent warm spell with near record-breaking daytime temperatures might have inspired you to consider getting some seeds and plants into the ground.
Your dreams of fresh produce might have been encouraged if you saw all the vegetable seedlings at local nurseries. However, nature is probably not finished with winter yet. Many of those nursery seedlings will not thrive if we have chilly days and nights ahead.
A look at the data can be enlightening. Here are the average monthly high and low temperatures for Napa: February, 62°F and 42°F; March, 67°F and 44°F degrees; and April, 71°F and 45°. But these temperatures are averages, which means that many days have lower lows or higher highs. The record shows that our area has a 90 percent chance of experiencing frost in January, dropping to a 10 percent chance in April. So there is still some chance of frost in the next eight weeks.
What does this mean for vegetables? Annual vegetables belong to several different plant families, but they may be loosely divided into two kinds: cool season and warm season. Cool-season vegetables grow best and produce the highest quality crop when average temperatures are 55°F to 75°F, and they usually tolerate slight frost when mature. In contrast, warm-season vegetables require long, hot days and warm soil to mature. They grow best when average temperatures are 65°F to 95°F, and they are damaged by frost.
March and April are much better for cool-season vegetables than for warm ones. Not only are the temperatures better suited to cool-season produce like broccoli, but they are anathema to warm-season vegetables. If we get frost, these tender plants would need to be protected from exposure that would otherwise kill them. The soil right now is pretty cold as well, and the heat-loving vegetables would not grow much until both soil and air temperatures warm up.
Fortunately, there are a lot of cool-season vegetables and many of them mature in 45 to 70 days. The list includes radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, kale, spinach, Asian greens, broccoli and cauliflower. So you can plant these cool-season vegetables now and be finished with harvesting in May, in time to plan warm-season veggies. If you have limited garden space, this is one way to maximize production.
In Napa Valley, May is the first month when the average night temperatures hit 50°F, while daytime highs are 76°F on average. Over the summer and into early fall, daytime temperatures climb to the 80s and low 90s and nighttime averages stay in the 50s. These temperatures provide a four- to five- month growing season for the vegetables that need warm soil and warm air to thrive.
The long growing season is helpful because many warm-season plants need a lot of time to mature. In many cases, the part we eat is a fruit, botanically speaking. Melons, tomatoes, winter squashes and pumpkins are all fruits that we eat when ripe. Sweet corn, green beans and summer squash are immature fruits.
May is also the month when soils have warmed enough to plant warm-season produce. Although nurseries sell seedlings of many vegetables for you to transplant, several warm-season crops do better when started from seed planted directly in the ground. These include beans, squashes, cucumbers, melons and pumpkins. The minimum soil temperature needed for these seeds to sprout is 60°F. If you plant the seeds in cold soil, they will not sprout and may rot. In warm soil, the seed will come up readily, rapidly establish a good root system and grow well.
Is it time to plant vegetables? Yes, as long as you choose cool-season plants. Hold off on summer's heat-loving crops until the weather is warmer.
Workshops: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will lead a workshop on “Growing Spring and Summer Vegetables” on Saturday, March 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Learn the requirements for success with summer vegetables from seed to starts. Topics include soil types and temperature; when to plant seedlings; how to water, fertilize, harvest and manage pests and diseases. On-line registration (credit card only); Mail-in/Walk-in registration (cash or check only).
The workshop will be repeated on Sunday, March 13, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Register for the Yountville workshop at the Parks and Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or on its web site.
Compost Workshops: on March 5 starting at 9 am and again at 11 am and Worm Composting on March 19 at 9 am. Preregistration is required. Find more information and registration links at our website http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
- Author: Brittanny N. Zweigle
What does that mean – a healthy lifestyle... and how are we supposed to bite into it? How does one choose to be healthy? Biting into a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be as hard as it sounds. Making healthy lifestyle changes should be easy and positive. Just making small adjustments or additions to your diet and lifestyle will help you become healthier overall.
Here are five tips to help you bite into your healthy lifestyle:
Eat breakfast – taking a bite into breakfast is one of the easiest ways to improve your health. Aim for 3 of the 5 food groups. Try a bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and dried fruit, and enjoy it with low-fat milk. Or indulge in a spinach quesadilla made with a whole wheat tortilla, low-fat cheese and spinach! Need something quick? Toast a whole wheat waffle or English muffin, add peanut butter, and run out the door with a piece of fruit.
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables – try to add 2 servings of fruit and 2 ½ servings of vegetables into your diet every day. Add them in as a part of a healthy snack. Try combination snacks like carrots, or celery with hummus or peanut butter. Enjoy low-fat yogurt or cheese with a piece of fruit, or mixed nuts with some fruits or veggies.
Watch Portion Sizes – do you know how much you are actually eating? Get out the measuring cup and see how close your portions are to the recommended serving size. Most of us eat a lot more than we think we do. Try using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate; you'll naturally eat less, because the plate is smaller.
Be active – Children and teens need 60 minutes of physical activity a day, adults should aim for 30 minutes to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. You don't need do it all once! Either go for a walk on your break, take the stairs, or park further away to sneak in extra steps. After dinner have the family go for a walk or ride your bikes together. It's easy to rack up the minutes when you're having fun.
Drink more water – One of the easiest healthy lifestyle changes is to drink water instead of sugary beverages. Cutting the sugar sweetened drinks can be hard. Start by choosing a bottle of water instead of a soda, and naturally decreasing from there. Let thirst be your guide.
For more ways on how you can bite into a healthy lifestyle, visit http://www.nationalnutritionmonth.org/nnm/. Enjoy their resources and other tips on how to keep you and your family healthy!
- Author: Jane Faris
- Watch out for frost in March. Wait to prune out frost damage until after the threat of frost has passed. Plant foliage can provide protection from further frost damage.
- Continue to prune roses and deciduous trees before new growth appears.
- Bare-root season is almost over so buy and plant now.
- Sow seeds of summer vegetables and annuals indoors.
- Plant annuals like alyssum, coreopsis, foxglove, geranium, marigold, pansy, Shasta daisy, snapdragon and stock.
- Set out summer-blooming bulbs including amaryllis, callas, cannas, lilies, and tuberous begonias.
- Add soil amendments such as compost, leaf mold, peat moss, aged manure, rice hulls, and earthworm castings.
- Invigorate your plants. Fertilize roses, citrus, and all flowering plants that are about to bloom.
- Trees, shrubs, and cool season lawns could use a high nitrogen fertilizer such as a 16-16-16.
- Feed azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons after they bloom.
- Pull weeds now while they are small and manageable.
- Remove aphids from plants with a strong spray of water or use an insecticidal soap if necessary.
- Watch for snails and slugs. Prevent a population explosion later by eliminating them now. Try handpicking in early morning or at night.