February Tips & Events for Santa Clara County

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn

Monthly Tips

Winter Rains Bring … Weeds! Don’t wait until spring to start pulling weeds. Plentiful rain and mild temperatures mean weeds are springing up all over. It’s especially important to pull or shallow hoe annual weeds before they go to seed, which happens surprisingly fast. For perennial weeds like bermudagrass and bindweed, prevent re-growth by digging out as much of the root as possible, as well as any creeping stems. Wondering what kind of weeds you have? Use UC’s weed references and weed identification tool. Photo: Bermudagrass spreads both above and below ground, University of Missouri Weed Management Chill Hours Many fruit varieties require a certain amount of winter cold, measured in chill hours, in order to produce a good crop. Since we can’t change the weather, it’s important to pay attention to chill hour requirements when selecting new fruit trees. UC records chill hours throughout California, with one Santa Clara County station in Gilroy. Here are UC suggestions for varieties of apple, pear, peach, nectarine, plums, and kiwifruit for planting in home gardens.  Chart: Chill hour data as reported at UC's Gilroy weather station Year-to-Date Chill Hours

What is This? This fearsome looking creature is the immature, larval form of a common insect. Be glad if you find them in your garden because they are voracious consumers of aphids. You can even see a small green aphid in this one’s mouth. Can you guess what this is? Read to the end to find out. Photo: By Jack Kelly Clark, UCANR

Image: USDA Hardiness Zones, USDA What’s Your Zone? Planting zones help you select plants that are right for your garden. There are two systems, USDA and Sunset Western Garden. USDA divides the US into hardiness zones based on average high and low temperatures. Most of Santa Clara County is in zones 9b and 10a. Sunset makes many finer distinctions, taking into consideration rainfall patterns, ocean influence, and more. In the Sunset system, Santa Clara County is largely zones 15 or 16, with some zone 7 for areas with more extreme highs and lows. For gardening success, choose plants known to thrive in your zone. USDA Address Look Up

Pruning Fruit Trees Most fruit trees should be pruned for structure, shape, and fruit production while they’re dormant (except apricots and cherries which should be pruned in late summer). Key things to know — covered in more detail in our pruning presentation video — include:  Horizontal branches generally produce more fruit. Sun exposed branches produce the largest fruit. Shaded branches eventually stop fruiting and will never produce again without drastic pruning. New growth occurs right where you make the cut; the influence of the cut only affects the buds within 1“– 8“ of the cut. Fruit Tree Pruning Resources Photo: Dormant branch pruning, UC

Photo: Tomato seedling Too Early to Start Seedlings? If you start your seedlings too soon, they can get leggy and overgrown before it’s time to plant them. Tomatoes reach transplant size in 6–8 weeks, peppers take 8–10 weeks, and cucumbers take just 4 weeks. So how do you know when to start them? Calculate backwards, subtracting time to transplant size from the desired planting out date. Our vegetable planting chart recommends transplanting tomatoes in May, so start seeds 6–8 weeks before, in March to early April. Start peppers even earlier, mid-February to mid-March. Wait until May to start heat lovers like cucumbers and melons. This video provides more details on raising your own seedlings. Growing Transplants From Seed

What is this? — Answer It’s a lady beetle larva! Lady beetles lay their distinctive yellow eggs near a food source such as aphids. The larvae grow quickly, then pupate into the familiar adult form (but there are actually many varieties of lady beetles). It’s better to attract lady beetles to your garden rather than buying and releasing them. Purchased lady beetles generally fly away, and the process of collecting them in the wild is often destructive. To attract lady beetles, refrain from spraying insecticides, grow flowers that attract beneficial insects, and leave some aphids for them to eat.  Aphid Eaters Photo: Eggs, larva, pupa, and adult of convergent lady beetle, by Jack Kelly Clark, UCANR

Upcoming Events

Our monthly Plant Clinic Online is an opportunity to chat with a Master Gardener via Zoom to diagnose a plant problem. You can also listen and learn while other people ask questions. It takes place on the second Saturday of the month (February 12), from 10–noon. Priority will be given to questions that are emailed in advance; instructions are in the Zoom registration confirmation. Registration required. Gardening for Beginners, Friday, February 4, 4–5:30 pm, Online Using Cover Crops in Vegetable Beds, Saturday, February 5, 10 am–noon, Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto Sustainable Vegetable Gardening, Tuesday, February 8, 6:30–8:30 pm, Fremont Unified High School District Adult Education, 589 West Fremont, Sunnyvale Gardening for Beginners, Friday, February 11, 4–5:30 pm, Online Gardening for Beginners, Friday, February 18, 4–5:30 pm, Online Gardening for Beginners, Friday, February 25, 4–5:30 pm, Online Check our calendar for the latest schedule of events. Videos of many past presentations are also available.

About Us

University of California Master Gardener volunteers promote sustainable gardening practices and provide research-based horticultural information to home gardeners. Visit our website for more information including:  More Monthly Tips A complete list of Upcoming Events and Classes Extensive Garden Help Videos of garden tips and past online presentations Have a gardening question? Ask us. We’re here to help!

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