Soils and Fertilizers Saturday, February 5: 9 a.m. – noon
Master Gardeners Shilo Nielsen and Cindy Young will share information on the one essential to achieving a beautiful garden; a healthy, fertile soil. This class will discuss the “whats” and “whys” of soil and what steps gardeners can take to improve the health and productivity of their soil. The course will emphasize the message that healthy soil means healthier plants.
Location: Veterans Memorial Bldg. – 130 Placerville Drive, Placerville
Weather & Climate for Foothill Gardening Saturday, February 12: 9 a.m. – noon
Join Master Gardener Steve Savage as he presents critical climatic factors affecting your garden and dictating suitability of planting in your location. Topics included are micro-climates and frost dates
Location: Bethel-Delfino Ag. Bldg. – 311 Fair Lane, Placerville
Beekeeping Saturday, February 19: 9 a.m. – noon
Bees are a critical part of gardening in El Dorado County – without them we wouldn’t be able to enjoy many of our fruits and vegetables. But bees are under threat of disappearing from our landscape because of the inappropriate use of pesticides. Master Gardener Sharlet Elms will discuss how to raise bees and handle them safely.
Location: Veterans Memorial Bldg. – 130 Placerville Drive, Placerville
Spring & Summer Vegetables Saturday, February 26: 9 a.m. – noon
It's time to prepare the garden for the delicious spring and summer vegetables. Master Gardener Zach Dowell will discuss garden plant selection, planting times, garden site selection, soil preparation, proper seed planting techniques, and pest management.
Location: Veterans Memorial Bldg. – 130 Placerville Drive, Placerville
Home to the Biggest Tomato Contest. If you would like to receive newletter updates via e-mail. Please e-mail me at: Caminogardencenter@hotmail.com
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
2011 Fruit Tree Selection
Why have huge trees that overwhelm your yard? Do you really want to climb ladders to pick your fruit? All this can be avoided. Your home garden is different from a commercial orchard. Most people want small fruit trees that produce enough delicious fruit for the family and a few friends - not commercial sized trees optimized for high volume and tractors. Standard fruit trees naturally grow to 20-30 feet. Even if you use semi-dwarfing rootstocks, most fruit trees still grow 15-20 feet - larger than people expect. Through deliberate pruning, you can control the size and shape of your fruit trees regardless of rootstock. Why not keep it 6 to 12 feet tall with most of the fruit in the easy-to-reach 4 to 7 foot range? EZ-PICK® fruit trees have been started in the nursery with a very low branching structure giving you a jump start at maintaining a tree to a size that is convenient for you. There is another benefit to smaller trees - they give you room for multiple varieties of your favorite tasting fruits.
Apples
A favorite eating apple across many areas of the country. Medium. Reddish-green color. Firm, crunchy, juicy, white flesh with excellent flavor. An apple with good keeping quality. Ripens: Early to Mid-September.
Large, golden skin, crisp and delicious. High quality apple for all purposes. One of the most widely planted in the world. Good pollinizer for most apples. Ripens: September to October.
Large. Skin bright green which is retained long after harvest. Flesh is firm, sweet/tart. Good ofr eating, cooking and sauce. Ripens: August to September.
Blushing pink sking over green. Snappy tartness with a touch of crisp, sweet flavor. Good keeper. White flesh resists browning. Excellent for cooking and eating with a long storage life. Ripens: Late October.
Large. Red waxy skin, pure white flesh. Distinctive flavor, firm, crisp and juicy. Ripens: September to October.
Apricot
Large. Yellow-orange skin. Sweet, juicy, rich flavor. One of the best. A new variety from Canada whish has frost hardy late blooms. Resists brown rot and perennial canker. Ripens: Mid-June.
Cherry
Large. Dark red skin. Purplish red flesh is firm and sweet. Best known as a self-fertile bing. Resistant to cracking. Good pollinizer for other sweet cherries. Ripens: Late Season.
The most popular pie and dessert cherry in North America. Large. Bright red skin. Firm yellow flesh. Very cold hardy and disease resistant. Heavy producer. Sour cherry excellent for canning and pies. Self-fertile. Good pollinizer. Ripens: Late Season.
Premium quality, yellow blushed with red, sweet cherry - the highest value cherry produced in the Pacific Northwest. Medium to large. Fine textured, very firm, yellowish-white flesh. Has a distinct flavor. Considered superior to most varieties. Tree is hardy. Bears early and heavy. Resistant to cracking. Needs pollinizer. Good pollinizer for other sweet cherries. Ripens: Mid-Season.
Royal Ann
Large. Cream skin with red cheeks. Crea flesh, sweet, tart. A favorite for eating, canning and preserves. Needs a pollinizer. Ripens: Early to Mid-Season.
Nectarines
Similar to Goldmine, except larger, tastier and better color. White flesh is sweet but not all sugar. Has subacid taste like yellow fleshed varieties. Red over 70-80 percent. Freestone. Ripens: Early August.
Peaches
Polly
Medium. White skin with red blush. Flesh white, juicy and aromatic. Exceptional quality. Very hardy, withstading extreme cold. Best white peach for cold climates. Ripens: Late July.
Medium to large. Red blushed yellow skin. Firm, sweet, yellow flesh. Good for cold climates. Freestone when fully ripe. Hangs well on tree when ripe. Good for eating and canning. Ripens: Late June
Large. Yellow skin with re blush. Yellow fleshed freestone, red near pit. Flesh has fine, melting texture, delightfully sweet combined with excellent peach flavor. Pointed in shape. Arguably the best tasting peach for most homeowners. Ripens: Early to Mid-July.
Pear
#1 pear in the world. Large. Smooth, waxy, yellow skin. White, sweet flesh. A vigorous grower. Self-fertile. Ripens: August.
Plums
Medium. Reddish-purple skin. Flesh deep red, mellow, sweet, small pit. Self-fertile red Japanese plum. Good for mild winter areas, yet cold hardy. Ripens: Early July, but keeps well on tree until Mid-August.
Most important commerial and home variety. Large, oval. Purplish-red skin with blue bloom. Firm flesh, yellow to dark red near skin; rish pleasing, tart flavor. Self-fertile. Ripens: Mid-June.
Large, nearly round. Dark, solid red skin. Firm, rather juicy, dark red flesh to pit. Needs pollinizer: Santa Rosa. Ripens: Late July to Early August.
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