UCCE Master Gardeners of Madera County

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Barbara Mattice worked at the Three Sisters Community Demonstration Garden at Madera Community College to ensure that produce g...rown was donated to a local food pantry. She also supports a gardening training program with the Madera Juvenile Hall, providing gardening education to staff and residents! #NationalVolunteerMonth Learn more: https://bit.ly/3e2ZTzE UCCE Master Gardeners of Madera County

Join local Master Gardener Barbara Mattice for this free online presentation with tips and tricks to make your garden thrive, plus time for questions and answer...s from participants. A live presentation on Zoom, please register here to receive the meeting link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/33BGVTR See more

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/PA_NRCSConsumption/download/ I’m catching up on my Continuing Ed hours for MGs and Tim Sullivan’s lecture on Soils mentions this program. Our soils need more organic matter. This applies to commercial practices and home gardeners as well.

SUNDAYS WITH SUE: Did you know that there is a National Poppy Day?! It is a day of recognition for the red poppy, Papaver rhoeas, commonly called the Flanders P...oppy and it always occurs the Friday before Memorial Day. This year that day will be May 28th. The designation of this day is timely as poppies are popping up all over! It’s not only the Flanders Poppy but poppies of all kinds grow best this time of the year. In our garden it’s always a surprise where the Flanders poppies will show up and it’s especially true this year as the gophers have developed a particular taste for the colorful red poppies. As if in solidarity with the red poppies, other species of poppies have grown in their place! There are areas like on one side of the driveway in the front yard and in the backyard where the red poppies have not been discovered by the gophers. Therefore, the poppies will adapt and reseed in those areas. The historical significance of recognizing the poppy is both honorable and profound. The story begins in Belgium during World War I where battles were fought and lives were lost. A doctor and poet named John McCrae from Canada, fought, treated patients, and presided over burials including that of his closest friend. In his grief he was apparently compelled to write a poem describing the loss of life and the burials in the fields covered in red poppies. After the war, word of this poem spread and red poppies were adopted by the American Legion to become symbols for those who had lost their lives fighting in World War I and in other wars since. England and many of the allied countries have also chosen to honor their veterans with the red poppies. It seems unbelievable that poppies, or really any living plants, could grow in the war torn, trampled fields of Europe. However, when I see where the poppies come up in our garden (cracks in the cement, in the middle of other plants, in weed beds and in very dry areas!), it’s very understandable and very believable! All poppies are beautiful, unique flowers and having them in our garden at this time every year makes us very happy. The growing season can be short but the impact is strong. We are not the only ones who are happy about poppies being in the garden! With the blooms, come the pollinators, and it is so cool to see honey bees and bumblebees rolling around in the pollen-laden anthers of the poppy flowers. Hover flies are often seen scouting out aphids and other insects that like to congregate on the petals gathering pollen when they go in for a meal. Wasps who are also pollinating insects are visitors to the poppies, as well. Little beetles that are commonly seen on California poppies are pollinators also. If you are wondering how much time I spend observing and following insects around the garden, I can tell you it’s a lot!! I have made a very surprising, even a bit shocking, discovery in regards to the poppies that are now replacing the Flanders poppies in the front yard. Years ago a dear friend, Linda Simonds, gave me seeds from her extensive poppy collection. At the time, I scattered these seeds around the back yard where they slowly emerged several years later. When Linda passed away I offered these seeds to friends of Linda and really anyone who wanted the seeds. In quick attempts to identify them, I looked at the flower and determined they were either Iceland or Oriental poppies, and reported them to be one of the two. Recently, I did a more extensive search which included matching the flower to the distinctive grey green saw-tooth foliage. Guess what?! According to what I found, these poppies are Papaver somniferum otherwise known as Opium or Bread-seed poppies! I also learned that in some countries, however, not the United States, it is illegal to grow these poppies. For centuries it has been grown for medicinal, perhaps even recreational, purposes, which also prompted illegal activity surrounding the processing of narcotics from a latex covering around the seeds. Believe me, my kids will get a good laugh over this!! I didn’t mean to make this all about poppies but to follow up on the Papaver somniferum, I spent a great deal of time trying to get information on the effect the pollen from the flowers has on honey. I will continue this topic with known bee experts that I know, but from what I’ve read there is no impact as the concentration of opium is within the seed pod and is only available at the early formation of the seed and in certain breeds. By the way, most poppies of this species are grown for their edible seeds, mainly on baked goods, and for ornamental purposes. So, everyone, enjoy your poppies of all species for their beauty and pollinator benefits. Revere them for their rich history and meaningful legends. Beyond that, enjoy the activity that all of your flowers are generating in your garden, or in other’s gardens, as it is the purest form of entertainment that I can think of! Have a good week. Following a yearly tradition, I am including the quote from John McRae’s poem, In Flanders’ Field. Because it is long I will include it with the pictures. I find this poem touching in the fact that it gives those who lost a life an identity (We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now In Flanders fields.).

This is one of the most common questions I get asked about plants why are my tree’s leaves sticky?

Murder Hornet update. Even for Halloween, Entomologists (the bug people) don’t like the term murder when referring to this almost 2-inch-long hornet. It is... an Asian Giant Hornet, if you please. Okay, a 2-in hornet is still creepy. The news has been full of this monster, but in reality it won’t like California because it’s too dry and HOTespecially in Sacramento County. For the latest scoop on this big insect for California and other parts of the US, visit: ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=44038 Photo courtesy: Washington State Department of Agriculture

Growing more food at home? Consider building a high tunnel. These low tech, greenhouse-like structures can be used for starting seedlings, growing vegetables, o...r perennial crops. They increase air and soil temperatures for improved plant growth. via Jeff Schalau, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County https://bit.ly/34jsvRH ~js

I find this time lapse hypnotically soothing. House plants have become extremely popular, recently, what are your issues with indoor plants?

From my own garden, everything is in containers, as I am an apartment dweller.

Betty slowed down as she approached the bulbine flower head - she could see it still had a lot of pollen - most of her sisters were busy at the Blue Mist Caryop...teris shrub, and she couldn't blame them really- the caryopteris flowers were so tightly packed together, making gathering quick and easy - and they needed all the pollen they could get to last them through the winter... But Betty had always liked the bulbines, even it they were a bit more work - maybe it was their orange color - she felt like she blended in with them, became one with the flower when she landed on it - she knew it was silly, but hey, you liked what you liked, right? And everyone back at the hive always loved it when she brought bulbine pollen back - a special treat for her sisters and her queen!... Bulbine pollen for everyone! -the reflections of Betty, a honey bee preparing for winter ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Photo and story by Kimberly Steinmann, Master Gardener and bug nerd. Note: Honey bees play an important role in pollinating many crops, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and plants grown for seed or oils. Brought to North America from Europe in the 1600s, honey bees have since naturalized in the wild. Their ability to adapt to transportable man-made hive boxes gained them an important role as pollinators in agricultural production systems as well as providing honey and pollination for backyard garden beekeepers. For information about pesticide risk to bees and other beneficials, see: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r116900311.html For information about beekeeping, see: https://ucanr.edu//UrbanAg/Pr/Animals_and_Bees/Beekeeping/ For information about pollinator gardens, see: https://beegarden.ucdavis.edu/BeeGardeningResources https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8498.pdf https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu//inlin/10-bees-10-plants.pdf

For the wistfully determined, out of zone unafraid, Central Valley gardener, some of these plantings are possibilities.

SUNDAYS WITH SUE: The joys of a Fall food garden can be boundless. It’s not just the fresh green produce that our new cool weather crops promises to yield, or ...the left over fruits of summer that do not seem to stop, or even the brightly colored maturity of pumpkins, fallen leaves and persimmons. Clearly, these are a big part of what this gardener appreciates when she walks outside on a Fall day. However, there’s so much more that’s hard to explain. I think it’s the nostalgic crispness in the air with memories of carving pumpkins, corn maizes and harvest time which in turn leads to home cooked meals and family togetherness. Especially in this time of a looming fire season, Covid 19, and a divided America, our gardens give us tangible memories, positivity and something to look forward to. Following up on these thoughts, I was planning to go lightly on planting for the Fall, reasoning that a cover crop of Fava beans would be good for the soil, and would offer a little reprieve after heavy seasons of intense food gardening. I will tell you that my pattern of thought changed when I saw the first sign of peas on an earlier planting, plus a harvest of lettuce made me yearn for more. The Victory Gardener in me came alive! Too late for seed, I ran to the nursery and totally overbought! The next day, into the large garden bed, compost in hand, I began to plant. Several hours later, I had a bed of ‘Brazilian Broccoli’ (Piracicaba), beets (‘Bull’s Blood’), 3 varieties of lettuce ( ‘Outrageous Red’, ‘Bronze Arrow’ and ‘Merveille de Quatre Saisons’), and Italian parsley planted in a narrow strip. I still have enough room in the rest of the raised bed for Fava beans as the garlic bulbs are going to be planted in a wine barrel this year. After this impulsive, but thoroughly satisfying, planting I put covers over all of the plants after rearranging the drip irrigation and mulching really well. One thing I forgot to tell you was that I let the chickens in the bed beforehand to forage for any slugs or snails that might have been multiplying and hiding in the summer plants. Chickens are really good for seeking out lurking varmints such as these. More Fall planting involved adding a couple more native plants to expand my pollinator areas in the front yard. I don’t even know how many Verbena lilacina ‘de la mina’ plants that I have in so many places! All pollinators seem to like the purple flowers that develop nearly year round, and they look so good with other flowering plants. The fall blooming salvias are so wonderful right now! Deadheading some of the other plants was also in order as was weeding along the way. Looking ahead, it looks like another good year for citrus! Every one of our trees except for the limes, (lemons, kumquats, and mandarins) are full of fruit. Persimmons are turning color and weighting down the tree. Apples are done while figs are finishing. A lot to fit in a traditional size lot however, year round fruit was the goal! As I reread this, it seems so apparent that Fall is my favorite season in the garden, and this may be very true, at least right now. I am wondering what others feel. Let me know if you get a chance, but in the meantime, enjoy what we are hoping is cooler weather! "I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." Henry David Thoreau

Most people who know me well enough are at least excited for me. Or pretend to be.

Another great big story from a fellow Master Gardener:

I was very excited over the praying mantises in my own yard this year... this is more impressive:

Contribute to science by sharing a sample of your homemade sauerkraut, kimchi or other fermented food. #UCCE specialist Erin DiCaprio is working with UC Davis prof Maria Marco to learn more about fermented foods' nutritional content and beneficial bacteria. http://ow.ly/SxsT50BODJt