Creative trellis made from redwood and black tubing supports a colorful grape vine in club member Ansilla's side garden.
FEBRUARY GARDENING TIPS:
February 2012 Tips & Events from the UCCE Santa Clara County Master Gardener Program "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant."--Anne Bradstreet
Pick the oranges on the south west side of your tree first Orange harvests make the cold of February not so bitter! The fruit facing the sun will be the sweeter tasting and will ripen the earliest. Need some ideas for what to do with all your citrus? Be sure to get a copy of the Master Gardener-written "Crazy for Citrus Cookbook."
Tip: Chickens won't eat everything in the garden, after all Timber Press has a new book out about free range chickens in the garden. Learn about chicken resistent plants that survive chicken pecking.
Plant more lettuce. If you planted lettuce in the fall, those plants may be producing thornier leaves that taste a tad bitter. If so, it may be time to plant some more. Lettuce (PDF) is one of the plants that do well by seed. Once you get used to replanting, or succession planting, you can have home grown salad all the time by growing lettuce year-round. Lettuce is also one of the "dirty dozen," i.e., lettuce is on the list of the most pesticide-ridden produce, yet it is so easy to grow at home with very few problems.
Wash store-bought apples well Apples top the "dirty dozen" list of pesticide-loaded produce. So if you're following the old wives' tale of "an apple a day," rinse it well or buy organic. Better yet, plant your own apple tree! (February is a great month for planting fruit trees.) The not-for-profit Environmental Working Group publishes a list of 53 fruits and vegetables in order of pesticide loads. Consult the site to help plan your garden and your shopping list. You can download the Dirty Dozen app for your iPad or smartphone to consult while grocery shopping.
Reduce Your Junk Mail It's that time of year, are your plant and seed catalogs pilling up? Use Catalog Choice to opt out of receiving unwanted catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, phone books, circulars and more.
Embrace the chilly weather Many of our fruit trees rely on cold temperatures in the dormant season for a healthy fruit set. Chill hours refer to the hours of time a deciduous fruit or nut tree spends with temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F. Chill hours are necessary to break dormancy, which is the state of rest that these trees enter during the winter months in response to growth inhibitors. Different varieties of trees need different numbers of hours to break dormancy. Most of northern California gets between 800 and 1,500 hours each year, but some of the warmer coastal and Bay side areas may receive fewer.
Check before purchasing fruit and nut trees to make sure that your area gets enough winter chill for the trees to bloom and set fruit. Some varieties such as apricots are unlikely to bear if they do not receive enough chill hours. The Fruit and Nut site at UC Davis has a list of low chill trees and a weather tab that lists totals of chill hours. Look for the link about Temperate Tree Fruit and Nut Varieties for the Home Landscape (PDF) which lists varieties that do well in our area, or consult our list of fruits for Santa Clara County.
Time to plant tomatoes and peppers by seed We almost always add this Tip in January or February because it just doesn't seem possible to start thinking about summer this early! The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is available online From the US Department of Agriculture website: the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.
Temperature changes may have caused some of your mature citrus fruit to drop You can expect citrus trees to drop a certain amount of immature fruit; it's normal as the tree naturally adjusts to how much ripening fruit it will be able to handle. More noticeable is mature fruit that drops closer to harvest. It could just be the environmental fluctuations of temperature. For more on citrus fruit drop read the UC Pest Note on fruit drop.
Six-week Course: Sustainable Vegetable Gardening Six Tuesdays February 28-April 3, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., $70 ($60 for GRPG members) Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, Visitor Education Center, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, 95110, Maps The course meets in six, 2-hour sessions. Register online or call (408) 298-7657. For more information on our Adult Ed program, see our Web site.
February Events
Grow Blueberries Successfully Saturday, 2/18, 1:00am-3:00am, Free, Sunnyvale Library, 665 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale We will give you the basics to get started, and highlight what's needed to keep your plants healthy and productive, including good pruning practices.
WEEDS - Eat 'em and Reap! Saturday, 2/18, 10:30am-12:30pm, $31, Common Ground, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto Learn weeds are edible, nutritious and safe to eat. To register, sign up at the website Weed Appreciation Day or call 650-493-6072
Seeding Vegetables and Flowers Wednesday, 2/22, 6:30pm-8:00pm, Free, Vineland Branch Library, 1450 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose Now is the time to start seeds for the next growing season! This talk will include a step by step guide on how to grow plants from seed. Everything from choosing the right container to hardening off and planting will be covered.
All About Lawns: Lawn Care & Replacing Your Lawn Thursday, 2/23, 1:30pm-3:30pm, Free, Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto Would you like to have a healthy, lush green lawn while using less water, fertilizers and herbicides? Have you been thinking about replacing part of your lawn? Learn recommended practices for lawn care.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Cold Frames But Were Afraid to Ask Saturday, 2/25, 10:00am-12:00pm, Free, Guadalupe Demonstration Garden, Walnut and Asbury, San Jose Learn how to make and use a cold frame. We will discuss alternatives and build a cold frame in class. A list of materials and plans will be provided.
Mushrooms Saturday, 2/25, 10:00am-12:00pm, Free, Prusch Farm Park, 647 S King Rd., San Jose Master Gardener and mushroom aficionado and grower Jim Maley will cover identification, propagation, basic introduction and safety issues as well as cultivating mushrooms in your home garden.
Early Spring Vegetables Saturday, 2/25, 10:00am-11:00pm, Free, South County Demonstration Garden, located at St. Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy Learn about early spring vegetables that can still be planted and harvested before your summer garden is in.
Growing Potatoes Saturday, 2/25, 11:00am-12:00pm, Free, Saint Louise Regional Hospital, 9400 No Name Uno, Gilroy Find out which potato varieties grow well, produce high yields, and excellent flavor in our climate.
Native Plants Saturday, 2/25, 12:00pm-2:00pm, Free, Santa Clara Main Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051 Learn how to save water, time and money without sacrificing beauty in your garden and which California native plants will provide year-round color in your garden.
Easy DIY Drip Irrigation Tuesday, 2/28, 7:30pm-8:30pm, Free, Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos 94022 Learn how to set up an easy-to-install drip irrigation system that attaches to an existing hose bib.
