Master Gardeners Workshop - Winter Vegetables

By Terri Sonleitner Law UC Master Gardener

Q. What vegetables can I plant in my garden now?  Cameron, San Luis Obispo.

A. There are many cool season vegetables you can plant now, which produce well from seeds or from transplants, in the cooler months of the year.  Among these vegetables are broccoli, carrots, chard, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, spinach, onions and most Asian greens.  In San Luis Obispo County, many herbs such as chives, parsley, rosemary and thyme are also hardy year round.

A chart of recommended vegetable planting dates is available through the University of California:  http://ucanr.org/sites/gardenweb/files/29040.pdf

If planting and keeping a kitchen garden over the cooler months seems daunting, come to the Master Gardener October “Advice To Grow By” workshop! We’ll feature a talk on kitchen gardens, including how to prepare the garden, grow and enjoy winter vegetables.  It will be held in our demonstration garden, the Garden of the Seven Sisters, 2156 Sierra Way, in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, October 20 from 10:00am to noon.  Bring a hat, dress for the weather and bring your vegetable and herb gardening questions for our Master Gardener experts.

Q.  Every year we’re faced with an invasion of some kind of pest.  Once it was mice, and ants are always a problem.  What can we do to thwart these pests?  Bobbie, Templeton.

A. We have a great resource available! Information on most pests found in California is only a few keystrokes away. The University of California Agricultural & Natural Resources website has a searchable database of research-based information on household pests at the UC IPM Online website: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.house.html

The Master Gardener’s next “Advice To Grow By” workshop will also feature a timely talk about our most common winter pests, ants and mice, including their habits and effective control methods. Come to the workshop on Saturday, October 20 from 10am to noon, at the Garden of the Seven Sisters, 2156 Sierra Way. Park in the lot adjacent to the garden and bring your timely pest questions for the Master Gardeners.

For more information about Vegetable Gardening, visit The San Luis Obispo UC Master Gardeners Website.  You can find the Cool Season Vegetable Planting Guide for SLO County  (aka Crop Circle) there!

Garden Based Learning Committee of the UCCE Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo presents….GBL Teacher Training

Curriculum Connections to School Gardens

Saturday, October 27, 2012

9am to 2pm (includes garden potluck)

UCCE Auditorium and Sunshine Garden

2156 Sierra Way in San Luis Obispo

Come join fellow  school garden educators and teachers to gain ideas about how to connect your school garden to classroom instruction. Teachers with successful school gardens will be on hand to present how they tie state standards to lessons in the garden. This workshop is open to all who work with school gardens including teachers, para-educators, parents, and garden volunteers! The workshop cost is $25 and includes a GBL binder that is filled with curriculum resources and school garden ideas. Please bring a potluck item for lunch. 

Register online at:

http://ucanr.org/gardenbasedlearning

Please register by October 20, 2012

For more information, contact Teresa Lees

treelees@charter.net

or

Maria Murrietta at UCCE—805-781-5946

http://ucanr.org/sites/mgslo/

 Click the link below to get the flyer!!

Native Plants For Your Garden

By Ann Dozier Master Gardener

To save water and discourage deer, I’d like to replant some of my flower beds using native plants, but I’m afraid my summer garden will lack color.  Do you have some suggestions?

Carol D., Atascadero

Native plants are great additions to Central Coast gardens, and they are easy to buy and grow here.  However, you’re right in thinking that many are not summer-flowering; often they bloom in spring and are summer-dormant. Still, you can have an attractive, low-water garden year round by choosing a rich blend of contrasting textures, shapes and foliage colors. Several perennials such as penstemon and monkey flower (Mimulus) do bloom into July, while others like California fuchsia begin bloom in August.

If after research you feel you’ll want more color than natives provide, you can add some summer-flowering plants from other Mediterranean climate zones to your mix. When choosing natives for your garden, pick those that like your climate and soil. Natives of sandy, foggy beach areas will have a hard time surviving in North County. While planning, also try to group those plants that like the same amount of water.  Many California natives do not do well with regular summer watering; be especially careful to provide good drainage in clay soils.     

Fall is the best time to plant natives; they will have several weeks to get established before cold weather begins. However, do take time to gather ideas for your plantings. The SLO Botanical Garden and the Cal Poly Arboretum are good places to see plants in groupings that mimic their natural habitat. Most local nurseries also have native plant sections. Online, browse www.slowaterwiselandscaping.com or go to www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu/ and click on “all stars.” Libraries also offer beautiful books about gardening in dry climates.

These sources usually mention deer resistance; unfortunately hungry deer will graze on many natives. Often they take tender leaves and blossoms without killing well established plants. Sages and other aromatic plants are usually avoided. Individual plant protectors are practical deterrents. For more information about managing deer, go to http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74117.html

Acorn To An Oak Tree

By Ann Dozier  Master Gardener

Many oak trees sprout on my property.  Can I transplant them, or is it better to plant acorns in order to grow oaks where I want them? Sid B. Los Osos

In general, you’ll be more successful if you plant an acorn where you would like a tree rather than trying to transplant oak seedlings.  Seedlings quickly develop long tap roots (as you know if you’ve tried to pull them up). It’s difficult to move them without damaging roots.

Acorns from healthy local trees give the best results. We live in a region of micro climates and oaks adapted to Paso Robles may not thrive in Los Osos. You can try planting non-local varieties, but be aware they may not thrive. If you are aiming to start an oak woodland, you should certainly use local acorns.

October into November is a good time to collect acorns for planting; they are ripe when they start turning from green to brown and detach easily from their caps. For best results, pick or shake them from trees rather than collecting them from the ground.  Wash acorns in a bucket of water and discard those that float.  Dry them and put them in plastic bags in the refrigerator for about a month.  After first rains, dig out and replace several feet (if possible) of soil in the planting spot to give tap roots an easy start. Then plant acorns on their sides in damp soil, ½ to 1 inch deep. Seedlings may need some water, but taper off watering as they mature; summer watering can lead to several kinds of fungal disease.

Oaks can also be started in containers. Collect and refrigerate as described and plant acorns in pots. Tall, narrow pots will accommodate long taproots.  Seedlings can grow in pots for up to a year before planting out.  After planting, keep down competing weeds and use barriers to prevent pests from eating young trees.

The University of California offers online tips for growing oak trees. Go to: www.anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu and search publication 21538.