FREE Gardening Classes from Local Experts!

Gardeners and wannebe gardeners!  Mark your calendars!  Here is a list of FREE classes being offered by our local area Master Gardeners!  I can taste the freshly picked produce now...yum!

SOLANO COUNTY
Worm Composting
Date: March 17, 2011
Time: 7 - 8 PM
Location:  Vacaville Library Cultural Center
1020 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
more info...

Vegetable Gardening Seminar
Highlights: How to start a vegetable garden with information on seeds, transplanting, irrigation, double-digging and composting.
Date: March 26, 2011
Time: 10 AM - 12 PM
Location:
Benicia Community Garden
E. 2nd St. and Military East
Benicia, CA
(Behind the Heritage Presbyterian Church)
more info...

Sustainable Landscaping Seminar
Date: April 16, 2011
Time: 1 - 3:30 PM
Location:
Solano Community College
Horticulture Building 1000
4000 Suisun Valley Road
Fairfield, CA
more info...

YOLO COUNTY
Spring Plant Sale and Gardening Workshop 
Highlights:  Plant sale, basic vegetable gardening & tomato growing tips
Date: April 2, 2011
Time: 9 AM to 1 PM
Location:
Woodland Community College Horticultural Center
2300 East Gibson Road
Woodland, CA
more info...

Got Allergies?  Plants to Consider Using in Your Garden
Date: April 9, 2011
Time: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Location:
Meet at the Central Park Gardens in Davis at 4th and C Streets
more info...

Backyard and Worm Composting
Date: April 16, 2011
Time: 9 AM - 11 AM
Location:
Woodland Community College Horticultural Center
2300 East Gibson Road
Woodland, CA
more info...
Still need more information about any of these events?  Contact the Master Gardener secretary at 530-666-8143.

Website Wednesday: Edible Yardworks

Ever walked out to your garden with a big to do list full of great ideas, only to find yourself standing in the same spot ten minutes later thinking "Where do I start?" Well we think we may have found an answer to that question. The Edible Yardworks website is a great place to look for a starting point for various gardening projects. And did we mention it is a Northern California specific webpage! This website is an amazing resource for people looking for that starting place.  It has 15 different 'How-To' topics for those interested in finding out more about everything from composting to mushroom farming.

The creator of this site, Stacey, also offers private classes on how to grow organic and cook great meals. Even better, her price for a class with more than three students is $15 per person! We think that is so reasonable, so, for those of you in Northern California get some friends together and make a night of it!

Stacey also posts several great video from very reputable sources. Her videos are in the "Case for Edible Yards" tab at the top of the page which has 9 reasons why being sustainable is so important including Biodiversity, Industrial Agriculture, and Climate Change.

Stacey uses a clip from this movie in the Industrial Agriculture section

It's fig day!

The first fig was ready for harvest today!  It was the "brown turkey" variety and its skin was a pretty purple color.  In the garden I was not sure if the fruit was ready to be picked, but it was soft to the touch, and luckily when we cut into it it was perfectly ripe, juicy and sweet. According to the California Rare Fruit Growers website figs must be allowed to ripen on the tree as they will not ripen if picked when immature, and you will know they are ready when the fruit is soft and begins to bend at the neck.  I also found out that fresh figs do not store well; they will only last 2-3 days in the refrigerator, so when you pick them, make sure you are ready to use them right away!

the first fig of the season

the fig was perfectly ripe and very sweet

If you are lucky enough to have a fig tree in your yard there are tons of great recipes-figs are versatile as they work well in both sweet and savory dishes.  Click here to visit the California Fig Advisory website - they have a great recipe book for "Fig Fest 2010" that includes fig and orange beignets, Gary's fig and pecan cinnamon rolls, and causa con salmon with fig compote.

The brown turkey fig tree is only about 5 feet tall right now

Want to plant a fig tree in your yard?  They are picturesque, perfect shade trees that grow up to 50' tall but are usually kept around 10' to 30'.  Keep in mind also that they require full sun all day to ripen the fruit, need a lot of space and will shade out anything growing beneath them.  For more detailed information visit the UC Cooperative Extension fruit and nut research information center fig fact sheet.

Here are some other fun fig facts from the California Fig Advisory Board website:

• Figs provide more fiber than any other common fruit or vegetable.
• Although considered a fruit, the fig is actually a flower that is inverted into itself. The fruits are the seeds or "pedicellate drupelets" found inside.
• Figs contain a natural humectant -- a chemical that will extend freshness and moistness in baked products.
• California dried fig production has averaged 28 million pounds over the last five years. All dried figs harvested in the United States are grown in California's Central Valley. 

Decorating Your Edible Garden with Alyssum!

See our gardener Pat Stoeffel trimming the white alyssum border around our tomato plant bed.

We get great feedback on how beautiful our edible garden looks. (THANK YOU!  We love to hear your feedback!)  We have our campus senior landscape designer Christina DeMartini Reyes to thank for her excellent planting plans!  She likes to use borders of different types of flowers to achieve a variety of goals.  Planting flowers around your edibles not only attracts pollinators, the colors of the flowers provide contrast to the greenery of the fruit and vegetable leaves, they are excellent around the bed borders because they define the space, AND they can act as a type of ground cover.  All of this is great for the garden, but how do you keep it looking good throughout the season?  It isn't easy!

Today when I visited the garden I noticed that our new Good Life Garden gardener, Pat Stoeffel, was trimming back a border of alyssum that was looking particularly rangy.  She had given it a trim a couple weeks ago, but here it was leggy again!  She wants to keep the area looking nice so she is shearing it back by about half to reveal the new bloomers beneath the old!  (See the photos below.)

Do you plant alyssum to attract pollinators to your garden?  Do you use it as a border?  How do you keep it looking fresh and healthy?  Let us know!

Pat trimmed this alyssum back just a couple weeks ago, but now it needs more pruning.  This photo shows a patch of half trimmed, half untrimmed alyssum.  Note how she is trimming about half of it back to reveal the newer growth underneath.

This photo shows a detail of what the new growth underneath looks like.  It looks compact and fresh doesn't it?  We want to get rid of the brown, leggy, rangy stuff to reveal the fresh flowers.  It's kind of like exfoliating your skin to reveal a new fresh layer underneath!  (Okay...maybe not!)

Pat laughs here because she's feeling more like a barber than a gardener!

This is a different patch of alyssum in the garden which nicely frames our bay laurel trees.  This patch has not needed any pruning, yet.  We think maybe it's because the fertility of the soil may not be as high as our tomato bed. 

Corn from our garden: BEFORE and (almost) AFTER

I've said it before and I'll say it again!  I love before and after photos from our garden so I thought I'd share some with you too!

To learn more about growing your own corn access this helpful download about corn from the UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center.  This and many other helpful links and resources can be found on the California Master Gardener Program website called California Garden Web.

To learn more about the corn varieties we have growing in the garden visit the corn page on our website.

Here is the corn on June 30 about a week or so...cute!  (Can corn be cute?)  It's hard to believe it will ever amount to much!

Here you can see a couple rows.  Some of the seeds did not germinate.

Here is a photo of that same corn, only this was taken just over two weeks later on July 16.  They grow up so fast don't they?

Now you can see the corn is filling in despite the few that did not germinate.

This is what they look like almost a month after (August 12, 2010) the photos that were taken just above on July 16.

We have two patches of corn growing in our 'Malting and Brewing Bed' just outside of the brand new Brewery, Winery and Food Processing Facility.  Perfect fit, right?

Here is a close-up of the corn blossom!  This is a really interesting variety called 'martian jewels' corn.  The kernels are white, but the cob is a rich purple; the flavor is hardier and richer than most typical sweet corns.

FREE HERB HARVEST this Tuesday, July 27 from 9:30-2:00!!

Download the flyer above by clicking on the image or here.  (Adobe Acrobat is required.)

In honor of Arlene's last day as gardener of the  UC Davis Good Life Garden, we're hosting another herb harvest this Tuesday, July 27 from 9:30 AM - 2 PM.  I cannot even think about the fact that she is moving onto greener pastures in the Bay Area.  We will miss her terribly and wish her lots of luck with her new endeavors.  (In other words, please don't go!!)

Pretty much every herb is available for harvest (oregano, basil, sage, chives, rosemary, thyme and mint) except the lavender, which, as you may already know, was harvested a few weeks ago.

If you are interested, please RSVP to goodlifegarden@ucdavis.edu so we know how many people will be attending. Directions to the garden can be found on our website: http://www.goodlifegarden.ucdavis.edu/location

The give-away is free to attend; we just need you to bring the following items:

* scissors or pruning shears
* a bag to hold your herbs
* wet paper towels to put in the bag with the herbs (if you don't have a refrigerator to keep them in for the day)
* water to drink (because it's going to be hot!)

BE SURE TO WASH ALL HERBS WELL BEFORE ENJOYING THEIR FRESH TASTE!

Our gardener Arlene will be there all day to answer your questions about the different herbs and the harvesting process, as well as to direct you to the correct plants. We ask that no one remove entire plants or remove more than half of the leaves or flowers from any particular plant.

Help Your Local Farmer's Market Be America's Favorite!

It’s summertime and that means two things:  1) There are loads of delicious farm fresh produce available at your local farmer's market every week; and 2) American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest has kicked into gear!

 

The process is simple.  To vote for our market, all you have to do is:

1.)    Go to www.farmland.org/vote

2.)    Type in the name of your local farmer's market or perform a search

3.)    Click “Vote” 

That’s it. That’s all it takes to bring your local farmer's market one step closer to being America’s favorite farmers market!

Now American Farmland Trust has introduced leader boards where you can keep track of the Top 5 markets receiving votes in your state. 

Want to support multiple markets in your state? Search by state and you can vote for more of your favorites - just remember, you only have one vote to cast per market! 

According to American Farmland Trust (AFT), the purpose of this contest is to re-connect local consumers to local farms, with the ultimate goal of keeping our nation’s farm and ranch land productive and healthy!  Buying at the farmers market keeps money in the local community and helps farms and ranches remain economically viable. By voting, you’re helping support farms and communities across the nation. As American Farmland Trust says, “No Farms No Food™!”

So don’t forget to vote for your local farmer's market at www.farmland.org/vote and spread the word!  Big thanks to everyone who has already voted!

Tomato Troubles: BLOSSOM END ROT

Tomato blossom end rot is annoying to say the least, but fear not! You are not the only one who has this issue!

Today's entry is an answer for Kate, one of our beloved fans, and addresses the problem that she is having with her tomatoes. Above you will see a photo of her poor tomato. Most of her tomatoes have a hard brownness at their ends. Kate has correctly identified the issue as a lack of calcium, but wants to know what it is and how she can fix it.

First of all, it looks to me like you have a classic case of tomato blossom end rot. The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources describes the problem in detail in their free publication "Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden:"

Problem

• Water-soaked spot on blossom end of fruit enlarges and darkens, becomes sunken and leathery. Affects both the green and ripe fruit, and is more common in sandier soils.

Probable Cause

• Calcium nutrition and water balance in the plant, aggravated by high soil salt content and fluctuating soil moisture.

Control

• Maintain even soil moisture
• Amend planting area with organic matter such as compost to improve water retention.
• Avoid heavy applications of high-nitrogen fertilizer.
• Soils that are deficient in calcium may be amended with gypsum.

Kate, for some reason I remember that you were concerned about the sandy soil where you planted your garden. If this is the case try amending your soil with gypsum which you can obtain at most nurseries. The packaging will let you know how much to add. Also try to be sure to maintain even soil moisture. If you are concerned that the soil around your tomatoes is not evenly moist then add some compost around your plants to improve the water retention. (On a side note, what is that black and white enamel(?) background on which you took this photo? It looks so cool and vintage!)

Does anyone else have some suggestions? Have you ever added gypsum to remedy this kind of problem in your home garden? How did you do it and what were the results?

We're in the News!

Yesterday we were fortunate enough to have a journalist from the The Sac Bee, Gina Kim, and her photographer, Autumn Cruz in our garden to cover our free herb harvest. To see the article online go here, otherwise read what Gina Kim wrote below. Also be sure to take in some of the stunning photos!

Our herb harvests are free and take place every few weeks or so during the summer and fall seasons. Be sure to keep in the loop by signing up for our newsletter, or following are Facebook and/or Twitter accounts. All the information can be found on our website.

In UC Davis courtyard, environment is edible

Leek plants reach up toward the sun. Artichokes peek out from their thistle-like leaves. Fragrant lavender blossoms dry radiantly on their stems.

It's just a routine day in the Good Life Garden at the University of California, Davis.

More than 100 types of flowers, fruits and vegetables have been planted in the 6,000-square-feet of organic growing space in the courtyard of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

The garden is replanted three times a year – fall, spring and summer – and is an example of an edible garden used for decorative purposes.

"People haven't traditionally thought of a tomato plant or basil as landscape plants, but why not? You get something nice to look at and something to eat," said Sal Genito, director of buildings and grounds at Davis.

Those on the garden's e-mail list were invited Thursday to cut lavender and other herbs, the first of the year's monthly harvest days that run through the fall.

Andrea Thompson, 40, of Sacramento came armed with pruning shears and plastic bags. She harvested basil for pesto, garlic chives for scrambled eggs, sage for sweet potatoes and oregano for pasta sauce, plus a bunch of lavender and a bouquet of the daisy-like rudbeckia in yellow and orange.

"It's so motivational for a home gardener to see what's possible," said Thompson, operations director for the school's Foods for Health Institute.

The garden was planted in 2008, the same year the Mondavi institute opened. The second phase of the institute project, a brewery and winery, is expected to be completed this summer.

The garden costs about $45,000 a year to maintain, which Genito hopes to offset soon by selling produce to campus cafeterias as well as renting the space for private events and receptions.

Until a washing facility that complies with food safety standards is installed, most of the produce is donated to the Gunrock Pub and chancellor's events, as well as the Food Bank of Yolo County.

The plants mostly were started from seeds donated by the organic company Seeds of Change, said gardener Arlene Kennedy. Beyond weeding and pruning, Kennedy is also the one who shovels in chicken manure and compost into the beds between the year's three major plantings.

There are generally about 50 plants in the garden at any one time. The summer garden includes seven types of beans, two varieties of thyme, Armenian and lemon cucumber, 10 kinds of tomatoes, four types of eggplants, six varieties of peppers, three kinds of basil and four different lavenders.

Some of the plantings are experimental, like a Fuji apple tree that is being trained to grow like a grapevine for easier picking and space restrictions.

Two persimmon trees are being guided onto a trellis and will eventually be grafted together when they meet. And a handful of tomato plants in new varieties, such as the Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye Heart and Large Barred Boar – developed by the Suisun Valley-based Wild Boar Farms – are starting to sport their fruit.

Each of the garden's beds are a mix of flowers, fruits and vegetables, not just for the aesthetic contrast but because the varieties inadvertently help each other, Kennedy said.

For instance, Persian carpet zinnias attract hoverflies whose larvae eat aphids that feast on the snowy eggplants.

I think organic gardening is easier," Kennedy said. "I let nature resolve the problem."

LEARN MORE

• For more information about Good Life Garden or to get on the newsletter list for harvest day alerts go to www.goodlifegarden.ucdavis.edu.

• The garden is free and open to the public. Contact the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, (530) 752-6741.

We're Listed on ALLTOP.com's Gardening Blog Page!

For "Blog Recommendation Monday" we bring you so many gardening blogs from all over that you won't know what hit you! We bring you the Alltop.com gardening page:

ALLTOP.COM GARDENING


Above is a photo of a regal looking blue jay on top of one of a garden trellis. We're not sure why we thought this photo was appropriate for today's entry other than he or she is on top of the trellis, and the UC Davis Good Life Garden is now listed on Alltop.com. It's a stretch, we know!

What the heck is Alltop.com? Well...from one Alltop.com newbie to another (my apologies for waking up to this cool site so recently), this is the place where you can go to find out "what is happening now" on a variety of topics...like gardening. And, when it comes to gardening, UC Davis Good Life Garden is now listed with other really interesting, informative and educational garden bloggers!! We are so excited! You have to scroll all the way to the bottom, but there we are!

Check out all of the sites, you will definitely be bookmarking quite a few for future reference! If and when you do, let us know which you like!

BEFORE and AFTER: Transition Time!

Doesn't everyone just love before & after photos? I know I do, so that's what we're bringing you today! We are transitioning to our spring/summer edibles in the garden right now! It is a little barren, but we are laying the 'ground' work for a prolific season of yummy produce by amending the soil with compost and Renovate Plus from Earthworks.

Next on our calendar, Arlene will be planting the produce we grow from seed and finally, on May 25, she, along with other UC Davis groundskeepers, will plant the starts we grow at a local nursery as well as the tomatoes that Wild Boar Farms has generously donated!

For now, here are some before and after photos for you to enjoy! Do you have any before and after photos you'd like to share? If so, please post them on our Facebook page!

BEFORE: In the before photo Arlene has just started harvesting the winter produce.


AFTER: This is what it looks like today! Slightly more barren, right?


BEFORE: This is a shot of what our artichokes looked like at the beginning of March.


AFTER: We have pruned the artichokes down to their roots. They will grow back next year! (This one already has started growing back! (Don't you love that ladybug on it!)) Over the spring/summer season okra will be planted here.

BEFORE: Here is our crimson clover patch at the height of its bloom! We planted the clover here to reintroduce the nutrients lost after growing corn in this area last summer.

AFTER: The clover was cut down and tilled back into the earth. This area is again ready to grow corn!

Great Gardening Resources: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Here in California we have an amazing resource that I want to make sure you know about! It is known here as ANR or the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and is comprised of a statewide network of University of California researchers and educators dedicated to the creation, development and application of knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources. In other words, they do the research and all you have to do is take advantage of it!

They provide a wealth of information for our farmers, but also our home gardeners. You have got to check some of this out! The books they sell can't be beat, plus they offer a ton of free resources you simply must read!

HOW ABOUT



The California Master Gardener Handbook
It is a whopping 700 pages--the definitive guide to gardening in California. All for only $30!

-or-


Drip Irrigation in the Home Landscape
This easy-to-use reference guide answers common questions about components, materials, design, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. If you're considering a drip irrigation system for your garden, for $5 you need this guide -- don't go to the hardware store without it!

-or-

Browse all the FREE PUBLICATIONS from 21 pages about Slugs: A Guide to the Invasive and Native Fauna of California to 6 pages about Patch Budding: A Convenient Method for Top-Working Olives.

Do you have a similar resource in your state? If so, let us know!

Explore, learn and enjoy!

Shungiku Greens: Get to Know Them!

If you want an easy to grow, majorly prolific, beautiful green to grow in your garden, plant shungiku greens. You will not be disappointed! Ours are just starting to flower now with beautiful, edible yellow blossoms and guess what! The greens still taste great!

Below you will find a little information about shungiku greens from our Web site:

Shungiku
Chrysanthemum coronarium
Also known as chrysanthemum greens, shungiku produces attractive edible leaves and adds bright colors to your garden with its orange, cream, and yellow flowers that are also edible. The tender greens have a unique and zesty flavor. Harvest at 4-6 inches for fresh use or braising. Lovely 1-3 inch flowers make a nice addition to mixed salad greens, or can be used as an edible garnish.

Here are some quick tips on growing greens from the Organic Gardening Newsletter.

Here is a photo of what our shungiku bed looked like in February:

This is what it looked like a few days ago:

Every single one of those leaves is delicious and edible! No need to buy greens at the grocery store or farmer's market when you've got these growing in your garden!

Here is a photo of those deliciously beautiful flowers!

Nasturtium is Like a Box of Chocolates?

Have you ever thought you planted one seed and then, much to your surprise, something else came up in its place?

That's what happened to us when we planted our nasturtium seeds. The packet said it was a vine, and, don't get me wrong, we got some vines, but we also got a very happy bush! So much for the trellis we planted near the 'vine' which may be bare for a little while!

Sometimes you never know what you are going to get! It still looks pretty good though don't you think?

Vegetable Garden in Flint, Michigan? YES!

With this blog post we wanted to let you know about a really innovative and inspiring project that the University of Michigan, Flint is undertaking to convert a tax foreclosed property near to its campus to classroom space for university students, the community and visiting school kids.

The lot adjacent to the house will become a vegetable garden and demonstration site for urban agriculture.

The home on the left is the property that will be partially restored. This is a great idea and a wonderful way to bring back a bit of what was once a thriving town.

If you're interested in keeping up with this project, or learning more details about the other parties involved in the deal, visit: Urban Alternatives House or check out the blog entry from San Francisco journalist and Flint Michigan expatriate Gordon Young here.

Must Have Garden!

Are you interested in growing your own vegetable garden, but do you not have space in your yard? The Experimental College at UC Davis has the solution - they rent 200 square foot plots for just $25 per year. The rental fee includes water, tools, mulch, manure, and gardening advice, and renters can even plant perennials such as fruit and nut trees. Gardeners can also do volunteer work around the garden or at the Davis Farmer's Market to earn credit toward the rent on their plots.

Visit the Experimental College Garden website for more information about rentals and how to apply.

Community Garden Guide

All those interested in starting a community garden, check this out! The UC Cooperative Extension has a guide on all of the how-to’s of starting your own community garden. It's a great way to get people involved in their neighborhoods. Take a look at the this step by step guide which is to intended to help neighborhood groups and organizations along the path to starting and sustaining a community garden.