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Davis Garden Show, Oct. 14, 2021 -- Leafy greens, lawns to meadows, weed management

Thu, 10/14/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

This is the time to plant those leafy greens to eat all winter long. Other winter vegetables include brassicas and root crops like carrots. You can plant in the ground, or in a barrel by the back door, but not INSIDE -- veggies are not grown as houseplants because they need more light. Could you build a greenhouse inside? Well, yes, but it requires grow lights and structures and ...  It's just so much easier if you can grow them outside instead.

Lois asks "Suppose I fill that barrel out back with leafy greens. Do squirrels and rats like salad?"  Well, yes; but it's not hard to make a cover to keep them out.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 30, 2021 -- Winter flowers and bulbs

Thu, 09/30/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Things to plant in October, November ...

  • Leafy greens -- lettuce, kale, NOT basil -- continue to plant all winter.
  • Brassicas (where we eat the buds or heads) get planted earlier than  leafy greens (where we trim the leaves but the plant continues to grow).
  • Bulbs -- plant most bulbs now, some later. "Full sun" in winter can be under a deciduous tree, which shades that spot in the summer. PERFECT for many bulbs.
  • Winter flowers -- cheery annual flowers to plant now.
  • Perennials with winter blooms -- plant anytime, they last for years!  -- Camellias, Euryops, Gazania, Hellebore, Hardenbergia, etcetera.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 23, 2021 -- Leucadendrons

Thu, 09/23/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Do native bees, pollinators, and other beneficials NEED to have only NATIVE plants? No, for most. But yes for a few. The "Pipevine Swallowtail" butterfly needs the California pipevine for its larva to feed on (other pipevine species won't do). Monarch butterfly larva feed only on milkweed plants. But most local insects will be happy with many garden plants. Having a diversity of plant species is a good way to attract and help beneficial insects.

What is "planting with natives?" If "native" means "originally existing in the local plant community," then we are extremely limited in Davis. If "native" means "native somewhere" (that is, it's not a hybrid), then anything goes! If "native" means "naturally occuring in some political region" such as California, then native-ness has no relationship to how well something will grow in my yard -- because California contains so many different climate zones. Perhaps it would be better to look for "locally adapted" plants -- species which originated in climates like ours (such as the Mediterranean, coastal Chile, parts of Australia, southern Africa, etc.), and so will grow well in OUR climate.

Today's questions include: Should we be "pinching" broccoli? (Don doesn't.) That's bacterial Citrus Blast -- exacerbated by a few days of humid weather in August. Why Don's 32-year-old orchard is being taken out (lifespan of the trees vs. changing economics vs. climate expectations).  How farmers decide what to plant where. And what some people expect to happen to our local climate in the next 20-50 years.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 16, 2021, Brassicas -- a one-plant wonder

Thu, 09/16/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

'Tis a time of CHANGE!  Weather is cooler, season is later ... For some folks, it's time to cut down the cucumber vines and plant some brassicas. For others (like Don), there are still tomatoes ripening to harvest into October. What's your plan for a winter garden? Now is a good time to plant peas, lettuce, brassicas, and other cool seaon vegetablees.  You can also plan to put "cover crops" on the portion of your summer garden that you don't plan to plant for the winter -- to keep down weeds and improve your soil.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 9, 2021, Houseplants and water

Thu, 09/09/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Today's topics:

  • Tomato problems this year
  • Water needed for growing food is more than water needed to just grow foliage
  • Almond trees
  • Nematodes -- what are they and what to do if you have them
  • House plants that are, and are not, easy to grow
  • Don recommends for new gardeners: Golden pothos (and relatives), Easy ZZ, and Snakeplant (Sanserveria)
  • Growing trees indoors
  • Ficus benjamina  = flexible about lighting, but fussy when you move it.
  • Is it too late to plant tomatos? Pepper? Pumpkins? YES, those get planted in the spring to be HARVESTED in the fall.
  • Now is the time to start planning (and planting) your winter garden! (More details next show.)

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 2, 2021, butterflies and hanging baskets

Thu, 09/02/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Many, many questions this time!  (Some carried over to the next show.)

Gardening for butterflies,

hanging baskets for coastal zones,

time to plant brassicas (cabbage-family) and a winter garden,

persimmon trees struggling to establish,

tomatoes that didn't do well,  and more.

To send in questions, brags, comments, or commendations; write to Don Shor and Lois Richter at  DavisGardenShow@gmail.com
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