First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that we have updated our public website, which now includes the "garden blog" in it... no need for all of these different email addresses!
Our public site is: http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/
Save it to your favorites, add it to your email signature and pass it on to your friends and family!
OPEN HOUSE: Yes, it's already that time of the year! We will be holding our Master Gardener Open House on Thursday November 12. 2:00-4:00pm, here in the auditorium (2156 Sierra Way, SLO) and hopefully in the garden as well. Please scroll to the bottom of this message to find the invitation, application and additional information. Nancy H. would greatly appreciate volunteers to contact her. The room needs to be set up nicely, with posters and information, the bug collection and microscope. Refreshments are welcome! But most importantly, we need Master Gardeners to meet and greet potential new members. They need to hear about the program, what types of volunteer opportunities are available and why would they choose to volunteer for our program.
Worm Composting Workshop: Back by popular demand! The next session will be held Saturday, November 14. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up on the VMS calendar. If you would like to sign up to reserve a worm bin, please log into the website: http://ucanr.org/sloworm. The class cost is $90. Please scroll down to find the attached flyer.
Calling All Photographers! When taking photos of the public, please have people sign the release form, allowing us to legally use their images.. If the person is under 18, please have their parent/legal guardian sign it. Please scroll down to find "UC Photo Release Form". I will always have more of these forms available, so just ask me! If you are taking a photo of a fellow Master Gardener, no release form is needed.
October 24 9am - noon. Would you like to know about Garden Based Learning with the local school garden programs? Please check out the VMS calendar to sign up for this special meeting of fellow Master Gardeners at one of our local schools! Please contact Betsy A. if you have any questions!
Sustainable Demonstration Garden News: The demo garden committee has been very busy this past month and we are ready to get folks into the garden! Here are the highlights:
If you didn't get a chance to see the October Newsletter, Go to "Documents/Newsletters" on our internal VMS website to find the most recent issues! Thank you Connie for another great one!
If you ever have questions about using the calendar, finding events or using the VMS website in general, don't be afraid to ask me for help!
Have a wonderful week! I hope everyone is enjoying the cold weather!
We have started a new blog to share with the public the progress of our demonstration garden!
Here's the link:
http://ucanr.org/blogs/slomggarden/
Check out LeRoy's beautiful dahlias!
If you have photos and/or would like to write about a project in the garden, please forward it to me! We would love to include different points of views and personal stories about the garden.
Tomorrow is the Tomato Extravaganza! Please feel free to email any stories or photos! Personally, I've been craving bruschetta all week! I hope everyone packs plenty of sunblock, water and a hat. We have had record breaking heat this week in San Luis Obispo!
Happy Gardening!
(photo of Joe and Jill Sabol from 2008)
What a great day at the Fair!
A very special thank you to Kevin and Karen Larkin and Joe and Jill Sabol for spending a warm afternoon with the Master Gardeners! Kevin and Karen are commercial growers (Corralitos Gardens) and donated dahlias to the Master Gardeners and the San Luis Obispo High School, coordinated through Joe Sabol. As many of you know, our local fair is an opportunity to promote horticulture and agriculture, reaching the largest number of people at one event!
You have to see this!!! Thank you to Gene Schroeder for creating a beautiful online photo album! (you may need to copy and paste this link into your address bar)
http://dgimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9018838_oJnek#599908530_JkteX
Notes from the judging:
First off, we need to go by the standards created by the American Dahlia Society! If they classify the flower as being 4 inches, we need to enter into the 4 inch class and not by the actual measurement! That was something new for Joe and Jill as well!
www.dahlia.org
The following photos are owned by Corralitos Gardens (Kevin and Karen Larkin). They have the most fabulous collection of dahlias on their website: www.cgdahlias.com
The key terms in classifying are a little tricky! Especially when it comes to the coloring of dahlias. Here's a little summary:
- Variegated: Distinct lines of random colors.
- Light Blends: Main color of petal is darker, fading to lighter on the tips and centers.
- Dark Blends: Main color of petal is lighter, fading to a darker color on the tips and centers
.
- Bicolor: Most notably the red and white flowers.
Stem Length: Above the first set of leaves, the stem length should be 2 to 2.5 times the width of the flower. - Stem Thickness: Should be fairly thin, but not too thin!(bowing or bending will knock off points with the judge!).
And Judging!
We won 13 ribbons
out of 23 entries!
Congratulations!
(photos are found here: http://dgimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9018838_oJnek#599908530_JkteX )
Patti Duron 1st Place ‘Woodland’s Merinda’ BEST OF SHOW!
Patti Duron 1st Place Dahlia small bicolor
Wave Stonerock 1st Place ‘Rusty Bucket’ Class 27
Susan Silva-Treadwell 1st Place Large flowering Red Class 4
Susan Silva-Treadwell 1st Place Red/white bicolor Class 12
Susan Silva-Treadwell 1st Place Purple Class 2
Susan Silva-Treadwell 1st Place Cactus Class 31
Patti Duron 2nd Place ‘Juul’s Star’ Class 35
Susan Silva-Treadwell 3rd Place Class 33
And if you would love to see more great dahlia images, check out Joe Sabol's online photo album.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joesabol/sets/72157606094398257/
Special Gardening tips from Kevin and Karen,
1. Sanitation!!! Clean up old leaf litter and debris, especially over the winter!
2. As soon as the soil warms up, start messing around with the soil above your dahlia to see if earwigs are already present! Try setting different traps for earwigs such as rolled up paper, tubes (or old canes of giant bamboo). They love to crawl in and hide during the day and then you can just toss them out!
3. Snails and Slugs- Using iron-based snail bait is effective and safe around pets!
4. Staking is essential! The slightest breeze can snap off a giant dahlia flower! Tomato Cages, obelisks and iron stakes with string can all be used.
5. Nitrogen and Calcium are two important fertilizers for strong dahlias- just don't over do it! Too much nitrogen will mean too lush of growth (and less flowers), too much calcium may mean too thick of stems and too much of any fertililizer is wasteful and a pollutant to our ground water!
AND a very special thank you to Nell and Mary B who helped stage all of the flowers and deliver them and to Marylou who was our emailing liason for the new class and the dahlia project!
AND did we mention Zucchini's!!!!
Chris Cocchiaro and Gene Schroeder both came through with a basket of zucchinis!
Congratulations to Gene who placed 2nd!
Thank you to TK Hardwick for being the Zucchini Gardening Liason for this project!
Mingus Julie M light blend
Our 3rd Annual
Tomato Extravaganza
is right around the corner!
Date: August 29, 2009
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden
This is a wonderful opportunity for community education and outreach. This event is free to the public. There are special activities for children, Tomato and basil tastings, Edible Plant Sale, Mini- Gardening seminars and so much more. This is one of our largest events and one which is is enjoyable for attendees as well as volunteers. Please sign up on the calendar if you would like to volunteer. There's a lot of prep work before hand, behind the scenes set up and of course a lot of work the day of.
If you would like a copy of the flyer, it is the underlined link attached to this posting. Please see below.
(The large picture (top of page) is a Rainbow Heirloom Tomato from Park Seeds)
Flyer: Tomato Extravaganza
Yes, iceplant is bad for a number of reasons!
First of all, it is invasive into grassland and meadows. It releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses. It also doesn't serve as a food source for animals. It can out compete the native plants for water, light and space.
Secondly, it is really bad for erosion control! The plants are very heavy with very limited and weak root systems. As they become heavier, the sheer gravity can cause the hill to start sliding- taking with it what little top soil already existed on the slope!
It is also not a good plant for fires! The soft succulent new growth does have a high water content so it doesn't burn, but the dead leaves take a very long time to decompose so there is a higher amount of dry and dead material under the plant than a typical plant.
If you would like to know more about iceplant and what alternative plants are out there, please click on the underlined links for more information:
http://www.plantright.org/plants/invasive.php?invPlantID=18®ion=none
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74139.html
http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/howto/slope.html
Please don't plant a weed!
Hottentot J. DiTomaso
Hottentot-fig J.DiTomaso
mesembryanthemum J.DiTomatso
