UCCE Master Gardeners of Yolo February events
By Denise Cottrell, Master Gardener of Yolo County
Special to the Express
The recent deluge of rain kept most of us from our gardens. Now is the time for some catch-up on maintenance. If you did not brave the wet weather and garden in between the rainstorms, now is the time to prune your fruit trees and discard all fruit mummies, old leaves and debris. In addition, roses, shade trees and other deciduous plants are best pruned in January. If you missed this garden task, prune them in early February.
If you have specific questions to ask about pruning, planting, weeds, or pest identification, contact UCCE Master Gardeners of Yolo at 530-666-8736 or by email at mgyolo@ucdavis.edu. In-person, you will find the Master Gardener booths set up at Farmers’ Markets in Yolo County and at Lowes in West Sacramento. Dates and times are available at https://yolomg.ucanr.edu/YMGHelp, under the heading “Ask a Master Gardener.”
When visiting in person, there are three things to aid the Master Gardeners in answering questions:
1. Bring a sample of your sick plant, such as a small branch with several leaves;
2. Provide details of the problem, such as when you first saw the issue and what you saw;
3. Bring the plant samples and bugs in separate sealed non-returnable plastic bag or container to aid in identification and, if necessary, leave with Master Gardeners for additional research.
The UCCE Master Gardeners of Yolo provide monthly classes, workshops, and talks, in person and on Zoom, which are open to the public at no cost. The events for February 2023 are listed below.
Fruit Tree Pruning: Master Gardeners have partnered with La Tourangelle Artisan Oils to present a workshop called “Fruit Tree Pruning at La Tourangelle Community Garden” on Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to Noon, located at 16675 County Road 98B, Woodland (Ashley Avenue north of Kentucky Avenue). The workshop will be led by experienced Master Gardener Steve Radosevich. Learn how to select and plant fruit trees, how proper training and pruning of deciduous trees during the winter dormant season direct new growth, help create a desired tree structure and encourages spring fruit set. This workshop will be held outdoors, so please dress accordingly. In case of rain, the workshop will be held on Feb. 18. For additional information about this training, contact Jennifer Baumbach, Program Coordinator for the UCCE Master Gardener Program Solano and Yolo Counties, via email at jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu.
West Sacramento — Gardening Questions and Answers Desk: On Feb. 4 and Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to Noon, UCCE Master Gardeners of Yolo will hold a “Questions and Answers Desk” at the West Sacramento Lowes, located at 2250 Lake Washington Blvd. For more information, contact Master Gardener Janet Branaman at branamanj4@gmail.com.
Growing Flowers in Our Area: Stumped about what flowers grow best in Yolo County? Attend “Flower Power! Growing Flowers in Our Area” and learn how to select flowers to plant that will do well in our local climate. The workshop, on Feb. 6 at 1 p.m., will be held at the West Sacramento Community Center, located at 1075 W. Capital Ave., West Sacramento. For more information, contact Master Gardener Janet Branaman at branamanj4@gmail.com.
Gardening For Year-Round Meals: This is a monthly series that meets in Davis on the second Saturday of the month, from 11 a.m. to Noon at Grace Garden, located behind the United Methodist Church, at 1620 Anderson Rd. The Feb. 11 workshop will be led by Master Gardener Karen Slinkard and will cover information about what to plant outdoors in February, growing herbs and how to use them, planting and enjoying edible flowers and how to include the highly nutritious winter produce in your meals. For more information, contact Karen Slinkard at kslinka@gmail.com.
If you cannot find the time to attend a workshop in person, don’t forget the Master Gardeners also present on Zoom. The three workshops presented on Zoom in February are listed below.
Kitchen Garden Chat is a monthly Saturday morning series led by experienced Master Gardener Treva Valentine. This month’s Zoom meeting will be on Feb. 11 from 10–11 a.m. The Zoom link is https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/98028723763. The February topic of discussion will cover what to plant and do in the February edible garden. Additional information will be presented on understanding seed packets, determining saved seed viability and various fruit tree and grapevine chores for February. Participants are welcome to ask questions. For more information, contact Treva Valentine at mraytre@gmail.com.
The Yolo County Master Gardeners in conjunction with Yolo County Library will present two Thursday Afternoon Gardening Talks for the month of February. Rose Pruning, led by Master Gardeners Maryellen Mackenzie and Janet Branaman, will discuss rose pruning techniques and rose care. This Zoom workshop will be held on Feb. 9 from 3–4 p.m. The zoom link is https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/81440969077.
Save Our Ground Water/ Build A Storm Water Well at Home, is the second Thursday Zoom talk scheduled for Feb. 23 from 3–4 p.m. Master Gardener Ron Unger will discuss the current state of our groundwater and demonstrate how to build a stormwater well. In addition, he will present how to create other low-impact development features around your home to save our groundwater and help nature and our region. The Zoom link is https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/89708386918.
The Thursday afternoon Master Gardener Workshops will continue on zoom on March 9 and March 23 from 3–4 p.m., topics and zoom links are to be announced. For more information about the Thursday Master Gardeners Workshops, contact Jennifer Baumbach, Program Coordinator, UCCE Master Gardener Program Solano and Yolo Counties, at
jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu or Joan Tuss, Yolo County Librarian, at Joan.Tuss@yolocounty.org.
