Gardening Q&A
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As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from other readers.
Hi Pat,
I'm moving into a new home in Davis this fall and hoping to start a garden in mid-August. What herbs would you suggest for a shaded backyard? I'm thinking I'll put most in pots as I'd like to plant a winter garden of cole plants, root plants and lettuce greens. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
I'm glad to hear you have some shade because the valley sun in August is tough. You will discover that summer is our harshest season. You should be able to plant cauliflower, broccoli and many other fall crops. I'd wait a bit on lettuce and greens, since there is a lot of hot weather ahead and greens bolt (produce flowers and go to seed) in hot weather much more quickly than when the weather is milder. Check your local nurseries to see what they have in stock. If you are new to gardening, starter plants rather than seed would be the best way to begin.
Since the garden is to be in pots, here are a few more tips:
- Select the biggest pots you can; the bigger the pot, the more protection for the roots. Pots also collect heat out in the sun.
- Choose a soil mix that has plenty of organic matter and that is a mixture of ingredients rather than a sterile mix.
- Add a layer of mulch to the top of the pots after planting to keep the soil protected.
- When watering pots, water gently until water runs out the bottom. Nutrients also run out, so you may need to use a time-release fertilizer. There are many types on the market, including organic ones.
Your local UC Cooperative Extension is a good source for letting gardeners know what to plant when, and you can find them online: http://ucanr.edu/County_Offices/.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Pat
My basil is blooming, and I'm not getting new stalks. Does this mean it will die?
Basil is an annual, so its "job" is to grow, bloom, produce seed and die. However, as gardeners we have other plans for this wonderfully scented plant. We want leaves, leaves and more leaves. So, when you see the plant trying to bloom, cut the flowers away and the plant will continue to produce leaves. Keep harvesting them as well, so the plant continues to grow. It will keep trying to bloom, so be vigilant in pulling off the flowers. I make pesto when the plant is producing heavily, and cut stems for drying leaves when it is slowing down. (California Bountiful foodie Gwen Schoen shares her favorite pesto recipe!)
What makes my cucumbers bitter?
Usually, the culprit is too little water or erratic watering practices. Add plenty of organic matter to the soil and keep it mulched to conserve water and prevent the soil from getting hard. Water regularly, every day at first until young roots grow deeply into the ground. Also, harvest cucumbers when they are young and slim.The English lavender isn't blooming as well this year as past years. What happened?
Unfortunately, English lavender lasts only five to seven years in the garden. It just grows itself out. The plant eventually gets so woody it can make only spindly growth. There are some things you can do to manage the plant and to get a few more years out of it, but it won't last forever. Here's what I do: After the plant blooms, I cut it back severely—down to 6 or 8 inches. I cut back the woody growth. It seems harsh, but the plant bounces back and looks great for years with this sort of annual treatment. Spanish lavender is another story. It likes to sprawl and resents being cut back. Cut it back and it will likely never recover.About Pat Rubin, California Bountiful's gardening expert
Pat RubinFor Pat Rubin, gardening is more than just dirt and plants. "It's about history, romance, adventure and people," she says. "And it should be fun."
California Bountiful's gardening columnist has lived and chronicled this fun, hands-in-the-dirt approach for years—and for additional publications including Fine Gardening, Pacific Horticulture, Christian Science Monitor, Family Circle and The Sacramento Bee. Pat has also volunteered as a Master Gardener, speaks to garden clubs and appears regularly on gardening radio shows.
Need gardening advice? Ask the expert!
Send your questions to gardening@californiabountiful.com
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As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from other readers.
Hi Pat,
I have a 6-year-old dwarf tangerine tree. It produced more than 200 delicious tangerines this winter. However, the leaves are now turning yellow and many are dropping. This has not happened before. I did have a problem with a tunneling animal for the last two months. Is there a connection or is it just a lack of nutrients? I have never fertilized the tree.
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
Based on what you've said, I'd put the blame squarely on the tunneling critters. Since nothing else has changed as far as the care of the tree, that seems the most likely culprit. Gophers and moles are tough to control. The gophers eat plant roots while the moles are looking for grubs. However, the moles disturb plant roots along the way.
I would give the plant a light dose of fertilizer, and by light I mean half of what the box recommends, every few weeks to at least give it a boost while dealing with this problem. Also try patting the soil back down if it is the gopher hills you are seeing on top of the ground. If it's moles, you'll see the ridges on top of the ground left by the tunneling.
I would also go the UC Cooperative Extension website and see what they say about gophers and moles. Here are a few to look at:
cesonoma.ucdavis.edu
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu
ucipm.ucdavis.eduGood luck,
PatWhat is an easy thing for me to do to make sure my plants can survive on little water this summer?
The easiest, fastest and probably most effective measure to protect plants from summer heat—whether during a drought or a normal summer—is mulch. Add a 3- or 4-inch layer of chipped bark or leaves to all your flowerbeds, and I guarantee your plants will use less water. The reason is the mulch protects the soil, keeps it from baking and hardening in the sun, and keeps more moisture in the ground. Mulch also gives the garden a tidy appearance and prevents weeds from sprouting since they're denied sun.My cannas bloom beautifully, but the flowers don't last a long time, and after they're done the plants look a little messy. Can I cut them back or do I have to wait until the fall?
I used to think I had to leave the cannas stems alone until it was time to cut them back each fall, but learned that if I cut the stem that is done flowering to the ground, the roots will send up others and I'll get another flush of bloom. This works especially well if you have a big clump of cannas because you'll always have plenty of mature stems and ones about to bloom.I'm having a debate with a friend who says my lawn will need less water if I let it stay taller. I like to keep it cut short. Who is right?
Your friend is correct. Raising the blade on the lawnmower at or near its highest setting is best for water conservation. The blades of grass act as a living mulch to shade the soil and each other, so a lawn allowed to grow taller requires less water.About Pat Rubin, California Bountiful's gardening expert
Pat RubinFor Pat Rubin, gardening is more than just dirt and plants. "It's about history, romance, adventure and people," she says. "And it should be fun."
California Bountiful's gardening columnist has lived and chronicled this fun, hands-in-the-dirt approach for years—and for additional publications including Fine Gardening, Pacific Horticulture, Christian Science Monitor, Family Circle and The Sacramento Bee. Pat has also volunteered as a Master Gardener, speaks to garden clubs and appears regularly on gardening radio shows.
Need gardening advice? Ask the expert!
Send your questions to gardening@californiabountiful.com
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Dear Pat,
I have a pine tree up on a very steep hill in my backyard. It is very hard to reach and to work up on the hill. I have gotten up there and planted some plants, but it seems like the plants die off. What can I plant under the pine tree that will survive? I have rosemary under it right now, but several of the plants have died already. I was thinking of maybe doing something with hydroseeding due to the difficultly of planting. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks.
Jan
Hi Jan,
CeanothusHillsides are always tough places to garden. I speak from experience! Whenever I plant something on a slope, I try to make the planting hole as level as possible, and then dig a small trench above the plant that I believe will capture the water and direct it down toward the plant instead of letting it roll down the hillside.
You mentioned rosemary and said it was working out for you. Try similar plants: I'd start with ceanothus or cotoneaster. Ceanothus makes gorgeous blue flowers this time of year, and the leaves are beautiful year-round. Cotoneaster has beautiful fall color—orange or red berries beloved by birds, and shiny, brighter green leaves. Very nice. Choose ones that spread outwards rather than grow upwards. The ceanothus with the small, dark green sort of crinkled leaves are more drought tolerant that those with bigger leaves.
Lastly, add lots of mulch. It will protect the soil, keep it soft and friable, conserve moisture, deter weeds—in a nutshell, mulch is perfect for just about anything that ails a garden! It also gives the beds a clean, manicured look.
Let me know if this helps.
Pat
Dear Pat,
I'm looking for Belgian tomatoes in Sacramento. Any leads on where I could purchase a few plants for my garden? I grew a few years ago and had so much fun with them. Thanks.
Hello!
I don't know of any local nursery that sells Belgian tomatoes, but did find some online seed sources, including Burpee. If you do a search for Belgian tomatoes, you'll get plenty of hits on growing them and on places to buy seed.
Most gardeners start tomato seeds in February so they get a quick, big start on the season. But it isn't too late to order seeds and get them going. We have such a long growing season in the Sacramento area that you won't be too far behind.
The only other suggestion is to call some of the local nurseries and see whether they sell that variety. It is similar to Brandywine, so if you can't find the Belgian, try Brandywine.
Pat
I just moved to the country where the deer come into the garden. What can I plant besides rosemary and lavender that they won't eat? Help!
When I first moved into an area with lots of deer, I, too, thought I'd have a garden of nothing but rosemary and lavender, but I've discovered many, many plants they don't ever eat. My tried-and-true list includes magnolias, osmanthus, New Zealand flax, hellebores, hardy geraniums, red-hot pokers, daffodils, culinary sage, Santolina, manzanita, miscanthus (and most ornamental grasses) and irises. They also avoid the bamboo. I plant the clumping bamboo in the ground, but keep the varieties that spread in a large pot.
Last year my fruit trees produced a lot of fruit, but the fruits were very small. Do the trees need more water to make larger fruits?
Fruit trees produce plenty of blooms and fruit in the hope some of it will mature and produce seed. That isn't our goal for the tree. We want plump apples, pears and peaches. You need to thin the fruit several times during the early spring. Snip away the smallest fruits in each clump until you've thinned the fruit to one every 4 to 6 inches.I planted marigolds and the next morning there was nothing left. The leaves looked like they'd been stripped. What happened?
My money is on earwigs. They love newly planted marigolds. In fact, I think it is one of their favorites. Go out in the garden about 10 p.m. and take a look around. Chances are you'll also find them under the lettuce leaves. You can handpick them or use bait specially formulated for killing them. There are pet- and child-safe baits you can use. Check your local nursery.About Pat Rubin, California Bountiful's gardening expert
Pat RubinFor Pat Rubin, gardening is more than just dirt and plants. "It's about history, romance, adventure and people," she says. "And it should be fun."
California Bountiful's gardening columnist has lived and chronicled this fun, hands-in-the-dirt approach for years—and for additional publications including Fine Gardening, Pacific Horticulture, Christian Science Monitor, Family Circle and The Sacramento Bee. Pat has also volunteered as a Master Gardener, speaks to garden clubs and appears regularly on gardening radio shows.
Need gardening advice? Ask the expert!
Send your questions to gardening@californiabountiful.com
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