Master Gardener Monthly Newsletter
October 2021
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Petal Power! Punch Up Your Palate With Edible Flowers
UC Master Gardeners Blogs
Most edible flowers are best eaten as soon as possible after picking, preferably fresh from your own garden. If you won't be using them right away, wrap the flowers lightly in a damp paper towel and place in the produce section of your refrigerator where they will keep for 2-3 days. There are many varieties of edible flowers you can grow in your own garden such as nasturtium, chives, purslane, chamomile, calendula, anise hyssop, pansies, and sunflowers. Read more. |
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Online Classes, Videos & More |
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October Gardening Checklist
Grow Organic Peaceful Valley
October gets people excited for squash, corn, and other fall crops. However there are plenty of other things to do besides harvesting and decorating for the holidays. Check out our list of things to do in your organic garden during October. View video.
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Clinics and Events
Lyngso Gardening Materials
Lyngso offers the following Zoom classes: Growing for Local Habitat Restoration within Wild and Urban Places on 9/22/21, and Getting to Know Your Soil - Part 2 on 10/13/2021. Revisit their website for future events. Registration required.
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Grow Cover Crops to Attract Beneficial Insects
UCANR
The benefits of cover cropping include reduced soil erosion, adding organic matter, nutrients, and mycorrhizae to the soil, and weed and nematode suppression. Cover crops also increase nutrient retention and water infiltration. And some, such as radish, break into compacted soil layers, making it easier for the following crop's roots to develop more fully. Flowering cover crops on farms also increase beneficial insects, including bees and natural enemies, that provide pollination and pest control services in crop production. Read more.
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San Mateo Arboretum Plant Clinic
UC Master Gardeners
San Mateo Central Park, Kohl Pump House
101 9th Avenue San Mateo, CA
October 3, 2021, 11:00am-2:00pm
From a table stocked with reference materials, the public is assisted with plant and gardening questions. This plant clinic is held on the first Sunday of each month, February through November, but if that date falls on a holiday weekend, the plant clinic is held on the second Sunday. No registration required.
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How to Save Seeds
Seed Savers Exchange
Not all plants flower, set seed, and die in a single growing season. Those that do, like lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers, are called annuals. Biennials, such as carrots and onions, don’t flower until their second growing season, after they have gone through a cold period. Some long lived plants, like apple trees and asparagus, are perennial, surviving and flowering for many years. Seeds are happiest when they are stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. A dark closet in a cooler part of the house or a dry, cool basement are both good spaces to store seeds for a year or two. Once properly dried, seeds can also be sealed in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator or freezer for several years. Read more.
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Rain Barrel Rebates
Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency
The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) offers multiple water conservation rebate programs to help you use water efficiently indoor and outdoor. In partnership with the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program (a program of the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County), BAWSCA and participating member agencies are offering rebates of up to $200 per rain barrel or cistern for the purchase and installation of qualifying rain barrels. Read more.
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California Native Gardening
UC Master Gardeners
September 16, 2021
Have you always wanted to incorporate native plants in your garden but don't know where to start? Learn about the benefits of choosing native plants and discover which will work for you. This program is part of our UC Master Gardener Series and will take place on Zoom. A San Mateo Master Gardener will share how she and her family converted their weedy front and backyards into a native garden resembling the surrounding terrain of the southernmost part of San Mateo County. Registration required.
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Spider Webs
Spider webs are abundant in the garden right now with different shapes and designs from orb, triangle, cob, and more. The single strands are most likely caterpillars sending out a lifeline from a tall tree to lower altitudes, or a spider looking for a new location. Learn more about spiders and their webs.
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PLANT PROBLEM DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
Choose the affected plant from photos displayed, click on the photo, remove any selections that do not apply, click on the plant names, and continue to filter selections to view the results for a possible diagnoses. Learn more.
GARDENING RESOURCES
Select links to access gardening resources, California Backyard Orchard, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), publications, and finding a local Master Gardener program. Learn more.
ARBORETUM ALL-STARS
Do you need help picking plants for your sustainable home garden? Selecting from the “Arboretum All-Stars” list is an easy way to start making “green” choices for your great looking garden. Arboretum All-Stars are top plants recommended by the horticultural staff of the UC Davis Arboretum. They thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate and have qualities that make them great choices for sustainable home gardens. Use a searchable plant database to pick the perfect All-Star for your garden conditions. For more information, view their website.
MONTHLY GARDEN CHECKLIST
Find helpful hints of things to do from January to December. Some examples of spring hints are: prune back herbaceous plants, transplant tomato seedlings, work your cover crops into the soil before they seed, remove aphids from plants with a strong stream of water, start planting summer annuals like lobelia, begonias, marigolds, cosmos, petunias, snapdragons and alyssum, and plant gladiolus, dahlias and lilies for summer blooms. View our monthly checklist.
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Do you need help with your garden? Have a pest problem? Curious about what will grow well in your region?
Please provide the following information to facilitate a prompt response:
1. Name
2. City of residence
3. Email
4. Phone, best time to call
5. Description of problem/question -- for plant or pest problems, please attach photo(s)
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