Welcome to UC Master Gardeners of Nevada County

Free - Online workshop coming on October 31, 2020

"It's Alive!" A Special Halloween Soil-Building Workshop

Session start time: 9 am

The key to healthy plants is healthy soil! In this down-to-earth workshop you will learn:

What is soil, and why is clay soil a good thing?
How soil life is important to strong healthy plants
3 ways to “grow” fertile, living garden soil on an ongoing basis, whether you have small raised beds or a large garden!

To access the program, go to the Zoom link below. No registration is required to attend. Program hosts will join participants when the program is about to begin. There is generally a Question and Answer session at the end of the program to allow participants to ask questions.

To join the Zoom workshop click here.

Meeting ID: 810 6820 4205

Passcode: 958885

Please note the online programs start at 9am!

References and Resources for Soil Building:

Comparing 3 Ways to Build Your Soil

Healthy Soils and Soil Basics

Soil Building: Compost is the Gardener's Best Friend

Soil Building: Research-based Internet Resources

Soil Building: Sheet mulching Lasagna Garden

Soil Building: The Plant-Fungi Partnership

Link to compost videos, click here.

List of Recorded Workshops

This is the list of workshop recordings that can be found on the left menu, "Workshop Recordings".

October 24, 2020 - Made in the Shade (video will be available soon!)

October 17, 2020 - Living with Deer as a Foothill Gardener

September 19, 2020 Container Gardening --"Thrillers, Spillers and Fillers"

September 5, 2020 Broccoli, Lettuce and Kale, Oh My! Cool Season Vegetables, Session 2 of 2

August 29, 2020 Broccoli, Lettuce and Kale, Oh My! Cool Season Vegetables, Session 1 of 2

August 22, 2020 Compost is the Gardener's Best Friend

August 15, 2020 Flowers 101 - From Seed to Vase

August 1, 2020 Seed Saving Basics

June 27, 2020 Weeds: The Good-The Bad-The Ugly

June 13, 2020 Garden Makeover: From Lawn to Landscape

Garden Tips for Fall

Planning

Ground covers, shrubs, trees, and flowers get off to a better start if they are planted in the fall when the soil is still warm.
Check local nurseries for a large variety of fall-coloring trees and shrubs. Bulbs are also in good supply now, so shop early for the best selection. Send in mail orders for special varieties of fruits, grapes, or berries, so they will arrive in time for dormant-season planting.

Planting

Plant seeds of spinach, peas, chives, and green onions. Divide garlic bulbs and plant the cloves in rich, well-drained soil.
To prevent bulbs from rotting, plant them in a location that receives little to no summer water. Add soft rock phosphate to the bottom of the planting hole. Super phosphate may be added to the soil surface for immediate availability. Water until the rains begin.
Plant cool-season annuals such as calendulas, Iceland poppies (Papaver spp.), pansies (Viola spp.), primroses (Primula), snapdragons (Antirrhinum spp.), or stock (Matthiola spp.), to create a colorful display during the winter months before the bulbs come up.
Plant a winter cover crop in the garden to improve the soil and increase your summer vegetable harvest, especially tomatoes.

Maintenance

General

Clean up spent annuals and vegetables, and remove fruit and leaves from under the trees. Compost only pest-free plant debris.
Now is the time to refurbish your lawn. Mow with the blade low. Scratch the bare areas with a rake, then seed and top-dress. Water regularly until it rains.
Control cool-season weeds. Water well to sprout seeds and pull weeds by hand or use herbicides. Pre-emergent herbicides may be applied for effective control on paths and along fence lines. Use caution when using herbicides. Follow the label carefully.
Mulch to suppress the next season’s weeds.

Insects

Help control corn earworms and tomato hornworms by cultivating or tilling plant residues into this year’s planting beds. Remove all parts of diseased plants. Do not put infected plant material in the compost as diseases can overwinter to infect next year’s crops.

Ornamentals

Cut old perennials almost to the ground. Work compost, fir bark, rice hulls, or wood chips into the soil. Check to see that growing conditions have not greatly changed. Plants may now have too much shade, sun or competition from other plants. Divide and replant perennials that are not doing well. Add a few new ones to the beds too.