The Digging Fork -- May-jun 2009

The Digging Fork A Davis Garden Newsletter May - June 2009 May Planting

see Plant notes

Seeding directly into the garden

see Plant notes

Fertilize

Warm season vegetables: eggplant, sweet and chile peppers, tomatillo, sweet potato slips, tomato, basil Warm season annuals: coleus, petunia, lobelia, moss rose, celosia, impatiens and more Perennials: All. Can finally frost tender plants! Warm season bulbs Warm season vegetables: beans (dry, snap, lima, yard long), cucumber, corn (all kinds), melon, okra, pumpkin, soybeans, summer/winter squash, watermelon, peanuts Warm season annuals sunflowers, tithonia, zinnias, scarlet runner bean, cosmos and more Lawns as needed

June Warm season annuals Perennials Can still plant, but it is important to keep plants well watered until they are established.

Warm season vegetables beans (dry, snap), corn (sweet and baby), okra, melons, pumpkin, summer/winter squash. (Snap beans & summer squash often have disease problems, a second planting will prolong the season)

Warm season annuals: see May Lawns as needed

Roses after bloom

Look for nutrient deficiencies – especially iron and nitrogen.

Pest & Disease Control

Snails, slugs and earwigs damage –use baits or traps. Emerging seedlings and transplants are the most vulnerable! Aphids. Can spray off with water and watch for lady beetle & parasitic wasps Scale. Keep ants under control with ant stakes and rub off scale insects

See May.

Tasks

Prune deciduous shrubs and vines after they flower.

Spring garden cleanup continues (see May)

see Plant notes

They will soon start setting buds for next spring.

Spring garden cleanup begins. Cut back spring blooming perennials, pull out cool season annuals, cut bulb foliage when yellowing. Good time to dig and mulch. Thin stone fruits, cover cherry trees (bird control) Weed control continues!! Many plants benefit from support: dahlias, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Add stakes and/or cages when planting.

Water

Lift ranunculus-leave dirt on them and store in cool place in open container Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep roots!! Water compost piles.

Stake dahlias and other tall plants that need support Weed control continues!! Tall, fall bloomers like mums, asters, perennial sunflowers, etc. can be cut to 12” in late June to early July to encourage branching and reduce plant height. This may delay the bloom time.

This is a month of high water needs due to rapid plant growth and warmer temperatures. Water as needed. Deep water trees and shrubs.

Tropical look-alike plants that are hardy in our non-tropical climate. A red hibiscus from Louisiana and a white hibiscus native to California.

Lush Tropical Gardens The big spring garden show is in full swing in May, but one part of the garden is just waking up!! Tropical and subtropical plants that survive our coldish winters generally die back to the ground for survival. Sometime in late April or even into May, these plants start to emerge. They want the warm soil and air temperatures before they start to grow. This is why we wait until now to plant tropical vegetables, like tomatoes, peanuts, sweet potatoes, peppers… and the tropical flowers we treat as summer annuals. In their native climate many of these plants grow year round and become very big. When Patricia lived in Costa Rica, the coleus would get head high in a few months from just a cutting and never died from a frost. A tropical style garden offers a lush environment around swimming pools or it can be tucked into a corner with a comfy chair or hammock for a place to escape and relax. If an area is mostly planted with plants from a tropical climate, it will look a bit bare until about June, but then the show will continue until frost. And what a show these 5-6 months will have! Tropical plants come from areas between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, about 23° to the north and south of the equator. Subtropicals are found in areas extending another 300-700 miles to the north and south where the winters are generally frost free. Most tropical plants love the heat and humidity. Although we lack the summer humidity in Davis (thank goodness!) a tropical-like environment can be created with lots of mulch, dense planting, and a deep watering about once a week. Tropical plants make a statement and contrasting leaf texture is important. Plants with bold architectural form and large or colorful leaves, that are mixed together with ferns, vines and exotic looking flowers, all go toward achieving the tropical look. Flowering trees, bamboo and palms provide the top canopy. Large ferns, bold perennials and shrubs are found in the next layer and on the ground is a dense collection of plants covering just about every inch of soil.

Local classes and workshops

Cold tolerant tropical look-alikes are valuable in giving the garden a more permanent structure. Then in April or May the less hardy plants start to emerge, and it is time to add the tropical plants we treat as annuals. In no time at all the garden starts to take on a lush, tropical feel. Some great books:

Master Gardener Educational Workshops Allergy Gardening May 30, 9-9:45 am Fruit Tree Summer Pruning May 30, 10-11:30 am Home Vegetable Garden Model June 27, 9 am Water Conservation Irrigation Practices June 27, 10:30 am

The Subtropical Garden by Jacqueline Walker, 2002 Landscaping with Tropical Plants – Design ideas, creative garden plans and cold-climate solutions. Sunset series, 2004 Stokes Tropicals has many books and plants http://www.stokestropicals.com/books.htm

Free, held at Woodland Community College 666-8143 http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/Gardening_and_Master_Gardening/

Native Plant Propagation Workshops Sunday June 7 and Saturday June 27 Propagation demonstrations at 9:30 and 11:30. $20 Time to explore Patricia’s large native garden. Taught by Jennifer Hogan past president of the California Native Plant Society –Sacramento Chapter RSVP

[email protected] or (530) 661-3410

Woodland Library Rose Club Demonstration of Ikebana May 19, 9:30 am Demonstrating Roses June 13, 9:30 am Woodland Public Library, Leake Room http://www.cityofwoodland.org/gov/depts/library/roseclub/default.asp

Davis Botanical Society Murderous Vegetables: Carnivory in the Plant World Speaker: Barry Rice. Free. Thursday, May 21, 6:45-8 pm Davis Public Library Amaranth

Information

Persicaria ‘Painter’s Palette’

Davis Central Park Gardens Workshops Mediterranean Water Wise Gardening May 9, 9:30 am May 9, 11 am Benefits of Mulch

Plant sales and events

Free, more information

http://www.centralparkgardens.org

UCD Project Compost Workshops

UCD Arboretum

Whole Earth Festival May 8, 9 and 10 Composting Demonstrations and Information

Lots of great guided tours and workshops coming up!! Email below for a monthly reminder of events sent to you For information 752-4880 www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu

For information contact Project Compost or http://projectcompost.ucdavis.edu/

Grace in the Garden

Free compost bin by taking Davis Compost Correspondence Class

[email protected]

Information

Capay Valley Country Garden Tour Mother’s Day -- Sunday May 10,

754-8227

City of Davis Worm and Garden Composting

May 15 to 17 Speakers, garden visits, and inspiration Benefit for Grace in Action -- donation suggested Information 792-1053

http://herbarium.ucdavis.edu/society.html

www.davisrecycling.org

(530) 757-5686

Ceanothus California Field Botanists Association

11 am to 4 pm

May 30 9am to 12 noon. Learn to key plants. Group meets at UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity

Information (530) 796-3464

Jepson Prairie Preserve – Vernal Pool Tours

Information www.ceanothusfieldbotanist.blogspot.com

Saturdays & Sundays, until May 10, 10 am Information http://www.solanolandtrust.org (707) 432-0150

Davis Garden Club Garden Tour - Mike Davis May 18, 6 to 8 pm Garden Tea Sunday June 28, 12 to 2 pm For information 222-3052

www.davisgardenclub.org

Three Palms Nursery Spring Sale May 2-3 & 9-10, 9am to 5 pm 10% off Summer Sale June 27-28, 9 am to 5 pm 20% off Information

756-8355 www.3palmsnursery.com

Friends of the Davis Library Book Sale June 5 (noon-7 pm), 6 (10 am-5 pm), 7 (10 am-3 pm) Often good finds on gardening books! Info. 757-5593

Plant Sales at The Gifted Gardener Saturday/Sunday May 16th and 17th Saturday/Sunday June 13th & 14th 9 am to 3 pm. 200 varieties of perennial plants. 18th and J Streets, Sacramento. Sales benefit local charities Information [email protected] (916) 923-3745

Red amaryllis and purple heart

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Purple millet

Plant notes! Here is more information about some plants mentioned in this newsletter.

Plant ideas for lush tropical looking gardens: amaranth Amaranthus Annuals often grown for eating the seeds or leaves. Very showy and many species self-sow. ‘Oeschburg’ cultivar is a favorite with purple leaves. A. tricolor has showy and edible leaves. amaryllis Hippeastrum This bulb is hardy when grown outdoors and will multiply to make an impressive show in May. angel’s trumpet Brugmansia Woody shrubs that often die to the ground each winter. Bait for snails when they start to emerge. bamboo There are many species of clumping (well-behaved) and running (invasive) bamboo. Talk to expert Don Shor of Redwood Barn. banana Musa and Ensete Ornamental types are grown here but they usually die back to the ground each winter. Brazillian plume flower Justicia carnea From South America. Often dies back in winter. calla, common Zantedschia aethiopica Bulb that thrives in shade and with neglect. ‘Green Goddess’ is a favorite. calla, golden Zantedschia elliottiana Bulb that emerges in May and grows in sun. Canna Rhizomes from South America. Divide often. The banana leaf canna, 12 ft. tall, is a favorite (C. musifolia) caster bean Ricinus communis Perennial that often dies back in winter or is treated as an annual. Seeds are very poisonous! chain fern Woodwardia fimbriata Large CA native fern. Chasmanthe Corms from South Africa bloom in the early spring.

Tomatoes -- Part II Most gardeners plant their tomatoes by early May expecting to start eating them by July. So, if yours are not yet in the ground, now is the time to plant! It is important that tomatoes get watered well at first. But once the plants are about knee-high and established, watering deeply and less often will encourage the roots to go deep into the soil and will ultimately improve the fruit quality. A consistent soaking once a week is plenty. We are lucky to have rare summer rains. Water on the fruit from a rain or sprinkler causes some tomato cultivars to crack, especially those with a high sugar content. Drip or basin irrigation is best. Tomatoes aren’t that particular about soil. If you add a bit of compost when planting they will be happy. Too much fertilizer produces lots of green growth but few tomatoes. All plants in Davis benefit from a layer of mulch to help regulate the soil temperature, reduce weeds and preserve soil moisture. Without support tomatoes grow just fine but when the plants sprawl all over and the fruit touches the ground it rots – and the snails and slugs start eating them. Support, either with stakes or cages, allows for more cultivars in the garden and easier harvesting. With stakes or tripods that have been securely hammered about a foot into the ground, the stems still need to be tied on with a cloth or nylon stocking strips or with one of an assortment of clips and ties on the market. Cages often have prongs to push into the ground but they still fall over with our 8 ft. plants and so should also be staked. The options available for tomato cages and tripods are numerous! The advantage of cages is that the stems don’t need to be tied. Instead, the tips are gently poked into the cages every few days – weaving doesn’t work because the stems break. Cages also produce bushy plants that shade the fruit from the sun, reducing sunburn. Poor fruit set is usually the result of growing the plants in too much shade or from cold night temperatures below 55°F or hot summer temperatures over about 90100°F. Tomatoes are susceptible to all sorts of fungus and virus problems but these really don’t happen often in Davis. Tomato hornworms are, however, sometimes a problem. Keep an eye out for the frass (large, black droppings) or bare stems with no leaves because these are easier to detect than the hornworm. Just picking them off works very well.

Cleopatra’s earrings, queen’s tears Billbergia nutans Perennial with an exotic-looking flower. Easy to grow in shade.

Crocosmia Corms from South Africa that bloom in summer. coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides (Coleus x hybridus) Perennial with colorful leaves that is grown as an annual here.

cotton Gossypium Easy to grow if lots of sun. Seeds can be obtained from Bountiful Gardens (707) 459-6410 www.bountifulgardens.org Plant in early May. A very showy plant. Pick unopened bolls in fall and they will continue to open indoors. eggplant, ornamental Solanum gilo The fruits are orange and look like little pumpkins. Stems are black on some cultivars. Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66286183@N00/1812431877 elephant ears Colocasia esculenta is the edible taro with huge leaves.. There are many genus to try - Alocasia and Colocasia flowering maple Abutilon hybrids Semi-evergreen shrub that attracts hummingbirds. Origins in South America. Fuchsia magellanica Shrub native to Chile and Argentina that grows well in our climate but usually dies back some in the winter. giant squill Scilla peruviana A Mediterranean bulb that has a big exotic looking flower. ginger Alpina zerumbet ‘Variegata’ Striking foliage! There are lots of gingers to try including the one we eat (Zingiber officinale) honey bush Melianthus major Evergreen shrub from South Africa. The bold leaves smell bad when crushed and the blooms are brown. Hibiscus H. coccineus (Texas Star or Swamp Hibiscus ) Likes moist conditions but water once a week is fine. From the southeast USA. H. californica is a CA native that also likes moist conditions. Both die back to the ground each winter.

knotweed Persicaria ‘Painter;s Palette’ and ‘Lance Corporal’ Perennial that dies back in the winter. Showy red stalks with flowers.

lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus Edible used in Thai cooking. purple millet Pennisetum glaucum ‘Purple Majesty’ Impressive ornamental annual millet. Transplants easily when small.

pineapple, ornamental Eucomis Bulbs from tropical south Africa with showy leaves and an interesting flower that can be cut.

sugarcane Saccharum officinarum Easy to grow in Davis. 6-9ft. split leaf philodendron Monstera deliciosa Dies back in cold winters but recovers and regrows.

Tradescantia -- T. pallida ‘Purpurea’ (purple heart) and T. zebrina Both these plants are best planted in the spring and will die back during the winter. In most years they will return in spring.

tree dahlia Dahlia imperialis Dies to the ground each winter, then grows to about 12 ft. tall by August. The stems are bamboo-like. Photo in Nov-Dec 2007 newsletter. voodoo lily, dragon arum Dracunculus vulgaris Bulb blooms in May and the stinky flowers are pollinated by flies. Very showy plant.

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Harvest tomatoes when fully ripe – this is the reason we grow them in our gardens. Eat them within a few days but never refrigerate, as they lose their great flavor. Towards the end of the season, seeds from non-hybrid tomatoes can be saved to plant the next year and there are many ways to do this. The jelly-like substance around the seeds helps to inhibit germination inside the tomato and so fermentation is generally used to produce viable seed. See http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/23/ for one method. See the March-April 2009 issue for Tomatoes – Part I and an idea for making a sturdy tomato cage.

Lilacs really attract butterflies! A huge number of painted lady butterflies came through the area recently and the Descanso hybrid Lilac was covered with them. The California lilac, Ceanothus had many as well.

Red admiral butterfly and two painted lady butterflies on a lilac bush

When I garden, I set out to do one thing and pretty soon I’m doing something else. This meandering – a kind of free association between earth, tools, body, and mind – is for me, an act of meditation. – Ann Raver

Bolting vegetable plants? That’s great! If radishes, broccoli and other cool season cole crops are bolting (going to flower), don’t be in a hurry to pull out the plants. The flowers attract many bees and butterflies! These will help pollinate berries and other nearby crops.

Reducing water needs in the garden. We all need to reduce our water use! We have had cool weather and rain and the plants don’t need the same water they will need during the heat of the summer months. Plants need the most water in our area in June, July and August. Automatic watering systems need to be adjusted seasonally. It is best to turn them off in the winter and to set the timer to water less often in the spring and fall months. June is probably the most important month to monitor plants to make sure they are getting the water they need. It is getting hot and most plants are putting on lots of growth at this time. Deep watering of trees and shrubs is a must during the month.

More gardening tips! Garden Nursery Pots -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Reduce To reduce plant loss, put the right plant in the right place, fertilize, prune and water it properly. Ok – this isn’t always that easy! A little research before planting helps. But reducing unnecessary purchases will reduce the number of garden pots accumulated. Also, growing your own plants from seeds will help reduce the number of pots purchased. Reuse planting containers and trays. The general advise is to dip nursery containers in a solution of water with about 10% bleach to disinfect them before reusing. Baking them in our hot sun for a month or so seems to be as effective and way easier. To transport purchased plants, bring a couple of trays to the nursery as you would bags to the grocery store. Recycle extra pots. Three Palms Nursery and Redwood Barn Nursery have bins outside to dump them in. The UCD Arboretum wants 1 gallon black pots. The Davis Recycling Center also has a bin for nursery containers. School garden programs are sometimes looking for containers as well.

The Yolo Gardener is a quarterly newsletter written by local Master Gardeners. To subscribe: http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/newsletter1460.htm

C

Honey bush

Caster bean (left) and canna leaves (below).

Cleopatra’s earrings

Mulch around plants helps to conserve moisture, control weeds, regulate soil temperature and decrease soil compaction due to rains and sprinklers. When applying a new layer of mulch keep it a few inches away from woody stems. If using sprinklers, make sure to apply extra water to thoroughly wet the mulch so the water penetrates the soil. Newsletter created by: Patricia Carpenter -- Gardening Coach (Design and Education), with 35 years of Davis gardening experience. Frances Andrews -- Long-time organic farmer See http://TheDiggingFork.wordpress.com/ for the current and archived past issues. To be added to the subscription list or to unsubscribe, contact us at: [email protected]

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