Timing is everything
As much as warm winter days (and glossy seed catalogs) may tempt us, Morgan Hill gardeners are wise to wait. According to the almanac of farming fame, Morgan Hill's last frost date is Feb. 15, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns that gardeners have a 10 percent chance of freezing temperatures as late as March 20! Starting too soon is simply a waste of time and seed.
Seed selection
Before planting, decide what you want to grow. Browsing seed catalogs can be intoxicating. Rather than ordering everything that looks good, find plants that are suitable to your microclimate, won't need a lot of water, and are non-invasive.
Read the label
Most seed packets are a wealth of valuable information that includes an image of the plant, description, and any special needs. Labels also list the year, timing, planting depth and spacing, thinning, sunlight, and watering needs of each plant. Use this information and save it for future reference.
Soil selection
Some seeds can be planted directly into the ground. This is called direct sowing. While all growing areas will serve your plants better if they are regularly fed with aged manure and compost, this is especially true for seeds and seedlings. They have a lot of work ahead of them and need all the nutrients they can get their little root hairs into. Most seeds are better off started in small pots filled with high-quality potting soil or starter mix.
Select containers
Starting seeds in small containers is the easiest way to begin. Placing one seed into each small container allows tiny roots to develop unchallenged. It also makes transplanting less stressful. You can reuse plastic seed starting pots, called "cell flats" from when you buy seedlings. Remember to clean and disinfect flats to avoid spreading pests or diseases. You can make biodegradable planting containers from paperboard egg cartons, newspaper, or toilet paper tubes, or you can buy seed starter pots. Take-out food containers, with clear plastic lids, can also be used for seed starting. The plastic covers keep warmth and moisture in.
Start planting
Once you have collected your seeds, containers, and potting soil, you are ready to plant. Labels made from Popsicle sticks are very handy, too. Labeling is important because many young plants are difficult to tell apart until they are long past the transplanting stage. Follow these steps for successful seed starting:
- Fill all containers loosely with potting soil, tamping it down gently.
- Place one seed in the soil to the depth specified on the packet.
- Add a dated plant label to each pot.
- Place flats on a water-resistant surface that will receive six to eight hours of sunlight each day, where they will be safe from slugs and snails.
- Gently and thoroughly water the flats. For seeds left on the soil surface, use a mister to water, to avoid washing them away, or pushing them too deeply into the soil. Soil should be kept moist, but not soggy, until the first true leaves are seen.
- Some plants, such as peppers, may need extra heat from a heating mat.
Now the seeds are started and waiting begins. Use this time to prepare your garden beds, raised beds, containers, towers, and other planting areas so they will be ready when it is time for transplanting,
Stop by the Spring Garden Market from 9 a.m.–2 p.m., April 14 at Martial Cottle Park for spring planting needs.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
This article first appeared in the March 14 – 27, 2018 issue of Morgan Hill Life.
The Going Native Garden Tour, now in its 16th year, features more than 50 gardens from Morgan Hill to San Mateo. These gardens will delight and inspire you to replace that thirsty lawn with gorgeous, low-water, low-maintenance native and Mediterranean options. Not only are they beautiful, they support our local birds, bees, bugs, and wildlife.The North Bay tour is on April 7 and the South Bay tour is on April 8. Both run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: To view gardens throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties, don't miss the 14th annual Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour on May 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Various gardens will feature live music, artwork, and native plants for sale and plenty of activities for the kids.
Spring Garden Market: The oldest and largest edible gardening event of the year, you won't want to miss the 24th annual Spring Garden Market, brought to you by the Santa Clara Master Gardeners. Over the last several months they have seeded, up-potted, watered, trailed and tested nearly 20,000 plants just for you.
With more than 70 varieties of tomatoes, it is almost impossible to pick just a few. There will be all sizes, colors and taste selections to choose from. If standard red is your tomato-du-jour, there will be dozens of options ranging from beefsteak to cherry. If you make your own sauce, don't miss out on the paste tomatoes that range in size from 1-5 inches long. But, if like me, you like to color outside the lines, try growing a few black, green, orange, yellow or even bi-colored varieties. Some tomatoes are extremely sweet, some have very low acid, and some have very few seeds. Just ask one of the experts that will be on hand to help you find what exactly what you are looking for.
With tomatoes, size really does matter. If you are gardening in containers or a small space, opt for determinate varieties that only grow 2-4 feet high. Indeterminates usually grow from about 5-8 feet tall, and semi-indeterminates fall somewhere in between. Some fruit in as little as 50 days and others will take well over 100, so you can definitely extend your harvest by choosing wisely.
Like tomatoes, peppers come in all colors, sizes, and tastes and there will be plenty to chose from. Some are so sweet you can eat them right off the vine, others will make you feel like a fire-breathing dragon! There are lots of reds, but try a few orange, yellow, green, purple and blacks as well. Most peppers will do fine in a pot, and some are very ornamental, so would be a great addition to your sunny deck or patio. Others can get several feet tall and need staking or a trellis for support.
For all of you chefs out there, don't miss the fabulous herbs that will be offered. There will be many varieties of basil, chives, dill, fennel, lemongrass, oregano, parley, tarragon, and thyme.
Here are more fantastic Master Gardener events happening soon throughout the Bay Area:
South Bay
- Martial Cottle Park, April 14, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., 5283 Snell Ave., San Jose
- Guglielmo Winery, April 21, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., 1480 East Main Ave., Morgan Hill
Peninsula
- San Mateo Event Center, April 21, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., 1346 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo
East Bay
- Our Garden, April 7, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., 2405 Shadelands Dr., Walnut Creek
- Contra Costa County Fairgrounds, April 14, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., 1201 W. 10th St., Antioch
- Richmond Public Library, April 28, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond
Happy gardening and see you at the market.
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
Photos by Pam Roper
This article first appeared in the March 25 print issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
Top five methods to preserve your harvest
You can make the most of your garden harvest by keeping everything fresh and harvesting fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ready. Leaving them on the vine or stem for too long and they can attract pests and diseases. Flavor and texture also tend to deteriorate over time.
Cooking
Fruits can be simmered and pureed and then either canned or frozen. It can also be dried into fruit leather. Vegetables can be cooked, pureed, and then frozen for later use in soups, casseroles, and other recipes. All those zucchini can be cooked into Chocolate Zucchini Cake for a popular dessert that always disappears quickly. They can also be stuffed and frozen for a simple pop-in-the-oven dinner.
Freezing
Freshly picked and washed produce can be placed in a resealable plastic bag or container and stored in the freezer. If you have an abundance of tomatoes that you will be canning, this is an excellent way to retain that fresh flavor while waiting for enough ripe fruit to warrant firing up the stove. Peas and beans should be hulled before freezing, but those pods can be tossed into a separate freezer bag to be used to make soup stock come winter.
Canning
Canning tomatoes is an easy way to store food from your garden. The acidity in tomatoes makes them far less likely to develop mold. That being said, enlist the help of an experienced canner and be sure to follow food safety guidelines whenever canning.
Drying
Many fruits and vegetables from your garden can be dried for future use and easy storage. Grapes, peas, and beans can be dried at room temperature. For other foods, you can use a commercial dehydrator or your oven. Times and temperatures vary, depending on the type of food and its thickness. You can look online or go to your local library for specific instructions.
Gifting
Sometimes, your garden will simply produce more food than you can use. Family, friends, and neighbors should always top the list when your garden produces abundance. Local food banks and other charities are nearly always happy to accept donations of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Rather than tossing out the fruits of your labor, make the most of your harvest with these simple methods for prolonging your garden's shelf life.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
Photo: UC, Melissa Womack
This article first appeared in the August 17, 2017 issue of South Valley Magazine.
One simple, cost-effective way to reduce your water use is to set up a greywater system that allows you to capture and redirect water from your washing machine for use on landscape trees, shrubs, ground covers, and lawn. (It should not be used on vegetable gardens where you are growing root crops or where edibles touch the ground.)
On average, a laundry-to-landscape system will recapture 17 gallons a day per person. For a family of four over one month, that amounts to a whopping 2,000 gallons for reuse.
Some counties offer rebate programs that cover all or part of the material costs for setting up a greywater system. The Santa Clara Valley Water District offers a Graywater Laundry to Landscape Rebate for properly connecting your washing machine to a greywater irrigation system. For most cities in the district the rebate is $200; some, such as Cupertino, are subsidizing the program and offering $400 per household.
According to Justin Burks, manager of the rebate program, “laundry to landscape greywater systems are simple, relative to other greywater systems. Most folks are able to set the system up over a long weekend or two.” But if you aren't all that handy, or just don't have the time, there are many trained professionals who can do the job for you. Installation prices range from around $700 to $1,000, including materials. A properly maintained system should last about 10 years.
Greywater can't be stored; it needs to be distributed to one or more areas that have been dug out, backfilled with mulch and are large enough to absorb the water. The mulch basin must be large enough to prevent runoff or pooling, and tubing needs to labeled appropriately so the water isn't used for drinking.
When you apply for the rebate, the water district will provide you with the square footage needed for a minimum mulch basin, based on your washer's age and type, the amount of laundry you do and the soil type on your property. In many areas, no permit is needed, but customers must verify that with their local planning or building department before starting the project.
No pre-inspection by the water district is necessary, but after installation, an inspector will visit to verify the system was set up and is performing properly. After passing the post-inspection, applicants will receive their rebate checks in four to six weeks.
When using the system, you will need to use biodegradable and non-toxic detergent (widely available) and avoid bleach, since it can be harmful to plants and soil. It's also best to avoid using greywater to irrigate acid-loving, pH-sensitive plants, such as blueberries, ferns, camellias, and rhododendrons.
“Recycling and reusing every drop of water that you possibly can not only saves you money, it's the right thing to do,” says Richard Santos, vice chair of the district's board of directors. “Using water wisely, especially on your landscape, is a win-win!”
But before you reach for that toolkit, go to the website valleywater.org to check out the rebate requirements and fill out the application. Wait to receive a Notice to Proceed before starting work.
Although a greywater system may not be at the top of your holiday wish list, it truly is a gift that will keep giving back — to you, your family and the planet!
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
This article first appeared in the December 10 print issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
If you want to stay ahead of the game in the garden, now is a good time to do some, or all, of the things on today's list.
Fruit-tree pruning
Fruit-tree pruning is best done this month and in February. Trim off dead or damaged branches. Open up the tree's canopy by removing crossing branches. After pruning, apply a dormant oil spray to ward off scale, mealy bugs, whiteflies, and mites. Pruning should be completed by the end of February before buds begin to open. Aso see the UC Publication on Fruit Trees: Training and Pruning Deciduous Trees.
Don't prune frost damage yet. Tender plants may have suffered from our December frosts, but pruning them early can do additional harm. Wait until the chance of frost has passed, probably mid-March, before removing unsightly leaves and branches.
Fireproofing
Fireproofing the area within 30 feet of your home can mean the difference between saving or losing it in a blaze. Never plant pines, junipers, eucalyptus or greasewood trees within this zone, since they are high in oils and resins, and so extremely flammable. Keep brush and small branches trimmed back from structures. Small plants, no taller than 18 inches, and fire-resistant groundcovers are recommended. See UC's publication on Home Landscaping for Fire for more information.
Lawn care
Moss and algae in the lawn is usually caused by neglect. Specifically, it may mean poor drainage, too much water, soil compaction, restriction of airflow, too much thatch or a soil imbalance. Reduce watering, dethatch, aerate to reduce compaction and/or perform a soil test. The pH level should have an acidity range between 6-7. An application of fertilizer will with help eliminate the moss, while algae needs a reduction of fertility.
Protect plants
Frost-protect sensitive plants by keeping soil moist and covering plants with a blanket or cloth during the night when there are warnings of a possible freeze. If possible, move outdoor potted plants under eaves, preferably on the east or south side of the house.
Move houseplants to a bright, sunny location. Clean foliage by washing sturdy leaves with a moist cloth or rinsing the entire plant under a tepid shower. Dust leaves of succulents with a soft brush.
- Find a complete list of January Gardening Tips.
By bare root: artichokes, asparagus, blackberries, grape vines, onions, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, roses, fruit trees, perennials.
By seed: arugula, Asian greens, bell beans, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, salsify, spinach.
- Find a list of cool-season vegetables that do well in Santa Clara County.
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
Pruning photo: Kenneth Silver/Newport News Daily Press
Bare root plants photo: Courtesy DIY Network
This article first appeared in the January 7 print issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
