The Digging Fork
A Davis Garden Newsletter
September - October 2008
September
Planting Perennials: everything
except frost tender plants-
trees, shrubs, primroses,
Iceland poppies, pansies,
snapdragons, stock, etc.
Cool season edibles:
Good idea to shade transplants
artichokes, broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower,
see
leeks, elephant garlic,
plant notes
lettuce, bulbing onions
strawberries, alpine
strawberries
Seeding Cool season annuals
Ammi majus, larkspur,
directly
into the
breadseed poppies, sweet
peas, forget-me-nots,
garden
cornflower, annual clary
sage, red flowering flax
Cool season edibles:
see Good idea to shade seedlings
plant notes arugula, beets, broccoli,
carrots, Florence fennel,
kale, leeks, lettuce, dill,
green onions, parsnip,
peas, radish, Swiss
chard, turnips
Lawns and roses as
Fertilize needed
Fertilizing in early
September will help plants
grow through the winter.
Pest & Tomato hornworms – pick off
Snails, slugs and earwigs
Disease damage –use baits or traps
Aphids and whiteflies -can
Control spray off with water
Tasks Garden clean-up and
mulching begins -- find
space for new plants
Weed control continues
Divide hardy perennials
Order perennial plants for
fall planting. Order hardy
annual seeds for direct
seeding.
Plant, plant, plant!!!
Water Continue watering as
needed. Make sure new
plantings have the water
they need.
broadleaf statice or sea lavender black-eyed Susan ‘Goldsturm’
October
Cool season bulbs
Perennials: everything
except frost tender plants-
(see September)
Cool season edibles:
artichokes, broccoli,
bulbing onions, cabbage,
garlic, shallots, leeks,
elephant garlic, lettuce,
strawberries, alpine
strawberries, cilantro,
Swiss chard
Cool season annuals
see September, also CA
wildflowers.
Cool season edibles:
arugula, broccoli, beets,
carrots, cauliflower, fava
beans, leeks, lettuce,
miner’s lettuce, green
onions, parsnip, peas,
radish, spinach, dill
Swiss chard, turnips,
cilantro
Cool season lawns as
needed
If you haven’t already, now
is a good time to add soil
sulfur to citrus and other
acid loving plants and
those showing iron
deficiencies.
(will lower the pH of soil making
iron more available to plants. Mix
soil sulfur with top 6” of soil and
water well)
See September.
Continue garden clean-up
and mulching, finding
space for new plants
Weed control continues
Divide hardy perennials
Planting continues!
Renovate lawn
Same as September
Ceanothus shrub and California poppies
How to save water in our gardens.
(Drought Tolerant and Low Water Plants)
Conserving water is on everyone’s mind nowadays.
How can we reduce our garden water needs? Many
gardeners are watering more than is necessary! A typical
Davis garden needs to be watered no more than once a
week, and most plants can easily go 2 weeks without
water. The incredible Storer Garden on the UCD campus
is only watered every two weeks. Patricia and Marlene
water deeply, on average, about every 10 days during the
summer months and about every 3 weeks in the cooler
spring and fall. Many factors contribute to water needs
including soil type, whether the garden is on a slope or
raised bed and if it is in the sun or shade.
Vegetable gardens are somewhat of an exception.
Plants like tomatoes have 3-4 ft. deep roots but other
crops like lettuce and cucumbers have shallow roots. So
unless the vegetable garden is divided into different
watering zones it typically needs to be watered every 4-7
days.
Lawns do need water to look good. The amount of
water needed is very dependent on the type of grass you
have and how well the roots are encouraged to grow
deeply. Fescues are the most drought tolerant of the cool
season grasses, some needing a deep watering no more
than once a week during the summer. If runoff is a
problem due to compaction or a slope, water in two or
three short cycles, allowing the water to soak down to the
roots between cycles.
The key to using less water:
Use of mulch to conserve moisture. At least 2-3 inches
is best, taking care to keep the mulch from touching
woody stems. Compost, woodchips, shavings from
horse barns and straw are all good mulches.
Deep and infrequent watering encourages the roots to
grow deeper. When watering, about an inch of water
(or more?) is needed to insure the water is penetrating
6-8inches down to the roots. As the top of the soil
dries out, the roots go deeper looking for water. It is
best to start this watering schedule after the winter
rains, not during the middle of summer. New plants,
until established, will need extra water!
Grouping plants based on their water needs. Drought
tolerant, low water and thirsty garden plants should
not be grouped together. Although this makes a lot of
sense, it isn’t always that easy to do.
Plants that adapt to a Mediterranean climate
Davis is part of an area in California that has a
Mediterranean climate. Only about 2% of the land mass
of the world enjoys this climate with long dry, hot
summers and mild, wet winters with little frost. Other
Mediterranean climates include the Mediterranean basin,
central Chile, South Africa and southwestern Australia.
Here is a great map of these areas.
http://www.grabovrat.com/mapsViews/mapsViews80.html
Many plants from Mediterranean Climates are drought
tolerant or low water plants. A drought tolerant plant
should be able to live only on the rainfall it receives
during a typical winter. In order to survive with no
summer water, the plant must go dormant in the summer,
be a cool season annual, or have some way to conserve or
find water. Long taproots help find water and also store
moisture and nutrients. Gray leaves are better at
reflecting heat and fuzzy leaves insulate and reflect light.
It is easy to kill some drought tolerant plants with too
much summer water. If we grow Mediterranean plants,
(including the California natives) in our gardens, many
don’t look very nice during the summer months when we
want to enjoy our gardens. But once we get a good rain,
they all start to perk up. It is really important to
remember that not all California native plants are
drought tolerant!!!!! Many grow in riparian areas, in wet
soggy meadows, or along streams and need a pretty
constant supply of water.
Agastache ‘Tutti Frutti’ basket-of-gold Island bush snapdragon
There are many, many low water plants that are happy
with a deep watering about every 2 weeks. Sometimes
low water plants are labeled as those needing moderate
water. Most full sun plants sold at local nurseries can
be and will be low water plants if mulched and deep
watered. Besides Mediterranean plants, low water plants
from other parts of the world like Asia, Europe, Mexico
and New Zealand also do well in Davis.
Sunset Western Garden Book is a great resource for
ideas of drought tolerant and low water plants. They
specify plants needing “little water” as the more drought
tolerant plants and “moderate water” for plants needing
water every 2-3 weeks. Another book that may be useful
is Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the
San Francisco Bay Region. Remember that Davis is
Sunset Zone 14 which is useful information for both the
above books.
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Plant notes!
Here is more information about some plants mentioned in this newsletter.
Cool season annuals:
See The Digging Fork September-October 2007 for ideas.
Best to plant seeds in the fall, but you will get another chance in the
early spring.
Drought Tolerant and Low Water Plants:
Agastache Moderate water, perennial, good drainage, sun. Mostly
from SW United States and Mexico. Attract hummingbirds.
basket-of-gold Aurinia saxitilis Moderate water, full to part sun,
from Europe, Turkey. Needs good drainage. Perennial, 1 ft. tall.
black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ Moderate to
regular water, from eastern United States, sun. Perennial, 2-3 ft. tall.
broadleaf statice, sea lavender Limonium platyphyllum
Moderate water, sun, from Europe. Cut flower. Perennial, 2-3 ft. tall.
California lilac Ceanothus Drought tolerant, CA native shrub.
Some need summer dry and some tolerate summer water. Need good
drainage.
coral bells Heuchera Moderate to regular water, perennial, 1-2 ft.
tall, some are CA natives, part sun – morning sun best.
Coreopsis Drought tolerant to moderate water, sun, perennial. Some
self-sow.
globe thistle Echinops Moderate water, sun. Good cut flower.
2-4 ft tall and tend to flop.
Island bush snapdragon Galvezia speciosa Drought tolerant
native to islands off the coast of southern CA. 3-4 ft. tall, needs good
drainage, sun to pm shade.
Jerusalem sage Phlomis fruticosa Drought tolerant to moderate
water, sun, from the Mediterranean basin, 4 ft. tall perennial.
bluebeard Caryopteris Moderate water, sun, from Asia. Cut
nearly to ground in winter. Woody, deciduous small shrub.
thrift Armeria maritima Drought tolerant to moderate water.
Perennial, 1 ft. tall.
rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Drought tolerant to moderate
water, sun from the Mediterranean basin. Needs good drainage. Many
cultivars available.
sea holly Eryngium amethystinum Moderate water, sun, from Italy
and the Balkans. Good cut flower.
Cool season bulbs:
See The Digging Fork July-Aug. 2007 newsletter for
information about cool season bulbs to try. Don’t worry if you
didn’t order them, they are starting to appear in nurseries.
Ranunculus and anemone bulbs need to be planted now
but no later than the middle of October. They need time
for roots to form before the cold weather sets in. Don’t forget
to water. Soak the tuberous roots of ranunculus for a few hours
and plant the points down. Anemone tubers should be soaked
overnight before planting.
Most other bulbs are fine to plant in October and November
when you find some room to plant them.
Cool season vegetables and fruits:
It is time to start a cool season vegetable garden!! Although the
weather is still hot, gardeners should be thinking about the peas,
cabbages, lettuce and root crops that need to be planted soon.
Transplants and newly sprouted seeds benefit from shading from the
hot afternoon sun. Many transplants are starting to appear in
nurseries. Root crops, however, are better direct seeded into the
garden as transplanting damages the root.
harvest of warm season vegetables cool season crop –broccoli
Local classes and workshops
California Native Plant Propagation Workshop
Sunday, September 14, come anytime between 10 am
and 2 pm, $ 30 donation (to benefit Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society and Sacramento Valley
Chapter of the California Native Plant Society)
Taught by Jennifer Hogan and held in Patricia
Carpenter’s native plant garden.
For information or to RSVP jen.hogan@wavecable.com
or (530) 661-3410
Gardening Skills Class – Davis Adult School
Mondays, September 22 to November 3, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Plus two Garden Visits to reinforce classroom learning:
Sunday, September 28, 3-5 pm and
Sunday, October 19, 12-4 pm (rain date is Oct. 26)
Taught by Patricia Carpenter and Marlene Simon $65
Information www.djusd.k12.ca.us/AdultSchool 757-5380
Central Park Gardens -Master Gardener Workshops
Fall Vegetable Planting
Saturday, September 6, 9 – 10 am
Selecting Plants for Year-Round Interest: Preparing
for the fall planting season
Saturday Sept. 6, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Making More Plants – Divisions and Cuttings
Saturday, October 11, 9 – 10 am
Growing Wildflowers from Seed – Collecting and
Preserving Your Own Seeds
Saturday October 11, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Preparing for Winter in the Garden
Saturday November 1, 9 – 10 am
Tool Care and Sharpening
Saturday, November 1, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Free. Information http://www.centralparkgardens.org
City of Davis Worm and Garden Composting
Free compost bin by taking Davis Compost
Correspondence Class
Information www.davisrecycling.org (530) 757-5686
Backyard and Worm Composting Workshop
Saturday, September 20, 9 – 11 am
Saturday, November 8, 10 am – 12 pm
Free workshops presented by Master Gardeners and
held at Woodland Community College
Information 530-666-8736
http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/Gardening_and_Master_Gardening/
UCD Arboretum Workshop
Great Plants for Central Valley Gardens
Saturday, September 27 9:30 am –12:30 pm
$45 general/ $35 UCD Arboretum members
Advanced registration required. 530-752-4880 or
arboretum@ucdavis.edu.
Master Gardener’s Fall Gardening Festival
Saturday, October 18 9 am - 12 pm Cost: $5.00
Held at Woodland Community College
Information 530-666-8736
http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/Gardening_and_Master_Gardening/
Ceanothus California Field Botanists Association
Next Davis meeting September 27th (9:00am-12:00pm)
Learn to key plants. Group meets about once a month
at UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity
Information www.ceanothusfieldbotanist.blogspot.com
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Jerusalem sage globe thistle thrift
Plant sales and events
Plant Sale and Garden Walk
Sunday, September 28 9 am to 2 pm
Patricia Carpenter’s garden --36951 Russell Blvd., Davis
Frances Andrews and Patricia have been propagating plants for
fall planting. Plant list will be sent to subscribers mid Sept.
UCD Arboretum
34th Annual Plant Faire October 4
8 - 10 am member sale, 10 am - 3 pm public sale
At the new Arboretum Teaching Nursery
Arboretum on the Air Sunday, September 28
11:05 a.m., KSTE Radio 650 AM
UC Davis Arboretum Superintendent Warren Roberts
will be chatting with host Fred Hoffman on the radio
gardening show “Get Growing with Farmer Fred”
Also, lots of great talks and tours coming up!!
For information www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu 530-752-4880
Three Palms Nursery Fall Plant Sale
October 4-5 and 11-12 9am to 5pm 20% off
Russell Blvd and Rd. 95A, 2.8 mi. west of Rd. 98
Information www.3palmsnursery.com 756-8355
California Native Plant Society Plant Sale
Saturday, September 20 9 am to 3 pm in Sacramento
For information www.SacValleyCNPS.org
Fall Plant Sales at The Gifted Gardener
September 15, October 6 and October 21 10 am to 3 pm
18th and J Streets, Sacramento. Sale benefits local charities
For information GardenNotes@sbcglobal.net
Davis Central Park Gardens Open House
Wednesday, October 1, 4:30 to 7:00 pm
Unveiling of a new sculpture, garden tours and
demonstrations, free seeds, tastings of vegetables fresh
from the garden, and children's garden activities.
For more information http://www.centralparkgardens.org
Friends of the Davis Library Book Sale
October 3 (noon-7 pm), 4 (10 am-5 pm), 5 (10 am-3 pm)
Often good finds on gardening books! Info. 758-4754
Davis Garden Club
September 22 7 to 9 pm Michael Covey speaking on
State of the Earth - Soil Improvement
October 27, 7-9 pm Annie Joseph speaking on Balance
in the Garden With Beneficial Insects.
Eleanor Roosevelt Circle Community Center
For information 222-3052 www.davisgardenclub.org
~ Garden Intern Needed ~
For a few years now, Patricia has tried to have a paid intern or two.
The intern learns about plants, garden maintenance, composting,
irrigation, propagation, etc. and Patricia gets a bit of help in the
garden. Days and hours are flexible. If this sounds interesting to you,
send an email to Patricia.
 Organic Gardening When gardening, keep the environment in mind by
using practices to minimize damage. The idea of organic
The word “organic” is commonplace today, but what
gardening is to have an environment that is in harmony
exactly is organic gardening, how is it achieved and why
with itself.
is it so important? The definition of organic according to
the California Master Gardener Handbook is the use of
“only naturally derived materials and no synthetic More gardening tips!
substances.” However, this idea in not new. Organic Do you have a plant but don’t know the name? You can
gardening began with Sir Albert Howard in India in the take it to the UCD Herbarium and they will help identify it.
early 1900’s. Noticing diseases on neighboring farms http://herbarium.ucdavis.edu/services.html 530-752-1091
which used artificial fertilizers, Howard gardened The Herbarium is also a fun place to visit on a rainy day!
completely with recycled materials from his farm and
composted intensively to prevent such diseases. J. I. Green lacewing eggs are
Rodale helped start the organic movement in the U.S. very distinctive on silken
stalks. The yellow aphids
many years later.
on this milkweed will be
When transitioning to organic practices, you may want
devoured by the larvae and
to try products that are listed with “OMRI”, which stands the adult lacewings will
for the Organic Material Review Institute. feed on honeydew.
http://www.omri.org/ OMRI listed® products are
acceptable for organic production and processing and can Photo Ian de Borja
be use on USDA organic certified farms. Other products Snapdragons will bloom through the winter months and
may be organically derived but not listed. There are also into spring if they have started to flower before and night
numerous products out there that market with the key temperatures drop below 50 degrees F.
word “organic” but may indeed not be. Whiteflies are sucking insects which multiple quickly in
Further confusing to some gardeners are the off shoots warm weather. Not much can be done do reduce the
of organic gardening such as bio-dynamic, permaculture numbers of whiteflies. Sprays are not affective and yellow
and sustainable gardening. Essentially, these share the sticky traps are mostly used to monitor and will reduce
same organic methods and principals, but vary somewhat numbers only slightly. Ants protect whiteflies from
depending on their founder. predators so reducing ant populations can help. Once cooler
Composting is key when creating a sustainable weather arrives they will dissipate.
organic garden. Use your own or purchased humus
compost to build a healthy soil which produces healthy Alpine or Woodland
plants and will also limit use of fertilizer. Organic farmers Strawberries Fragaria
feed the soil not the plants. If fertilizer is used, there are vesca are a real treat
plenty of organic fertilizers to choose from. spring through fall.
A major component of organic gardening is diversity. Production does decrease
Create a garden with a variety of healthy plants that some during the really
attract different beneficial insects and limit the hosts for hot weather. The fruit is
pests and diseases. When and if an infestation occurs, small but very tasty and
instead of reaching for broad spectrum insecticides which much easier to grow than
kill every insect in sight try using a more narrow targeted production strawberries.
organic solution. Don’t be surprised if the insects Dot a few plants
disappear on their own or your plants thrive despite the throughout the garden
infestation. Natural predators will find their way into near paths.
your garden and do the work for you or the insects will
dissipate after their initial onslaught. If a broad spectrum Tomatoes. Hopefully you are enjoying 6 ft. tomato plants
insecticide is used, natural predators such as ladybeetles, loaded with fruit. Did you remember to stake the tomato
parasitic wasps and praying mantis will be killed. cages? It is sad when they fall over.
Beneficial insects eat a large number of their prey, but Fall issue of The Yolo Gardener, quarterly publication of
they reproduce at much slower rates than their prey. the Yolo County Master gardeners.
Therefore, killing off beneficial insects while trying to rid https://ucanr.org/mg/users/documents/6215The%5FYolo%5FGarde
ner14943.pdf
your garden of harmful insects, will actually result in
higher number of harmful insects. Newsletter created by:
Unfortunately there has yet to be a great alternative Marlene Simon -- UCD graduate in Horticulture
organic spray equivalent to the herbicide Glyphosate. But Patricia Carpenter -- Gardening Coach (Design and Education),
mulching is a great way of keeping weeds low. Apply with 35 years of Davis gardening experience.
mulch 2-3 inches or more and most weeds will have a
The bi-monthly newsletter is free if received by email. If mailed,
difficult time emerging through this barrier. The the cost is $15 per year. To be added to the subscription list or to
oscillating (stirrup) hoe is an excellent tool for small unsubscribe, contact us at: TheDiggingFork@gmail.com
weeds.
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