Pile of garlic heads. Photo courtesy Getty Images. Do you have a gardening question? The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County can help. Our volunteers are part of the University of California’s Cooperative Extension program and we are trained to use research-based information to educate our fellow residents on sustainable gardening and landscaping practices specific to our area.
Our monthly “Ask a Master Gardener” column will answer your questions and offer tips. Have a question? Email lifestyle@embarcaderopublishing.com.June gardening tipsDo this before harvesting your garlic
If you planted garlic last fall, you’re getting near harvest time. Stop watering, and after the bottom leaves turn brown, leave the garlic in the ground for a few more weeks. Dig it up in mid-June, being careful not to nick the bulbs. Prep the bulbs for curing by spreading them on newspaper or braiding the tops for hanging. Then, place them in a warm place out of direct sunlight with good circulation for about 2 weeks. Remember this for next year: Plant by Thanksgiving (November), fertilize around St. Patrick’s Day (March), stop watering by Mother’s Day (May), and harvest around Father’s Day (June). Here’s more about how to store, preserve and enjoy garlic – because who doesn’t want more garlic!
Get rid of pests — without pesticides
Using pesticides to control garden pests should be your last resort due to the potential harm chemicals can cause to beneficial insects and the environment. An alternative is using physical methods to remove, block or kill pests with tools or manual techniques. Examples are handpicking insects off plants and erecting barriers like row covers. Copper tape deters slugs and snails, while beer traps attract and drown them. Strong sprays of water can dislodge aphids.
Learn more at this UC webinar on June 18: Cover, Smash, Trap: Non-Chemical Methods for Pest Management.
Try using free wood chips for your spring mulch
Now is the ideal time to renew your mulch, as it has probably decomposed with winter rains. You probably already know the benefits of mulch — it suppresses weeds, regulates soil temperature, and if organic, decomposes over time to enrich soil. Did you also know you can find free wood chip mulch from local arborists by searching online (Try searching for “free wood chips near me”).
Upcoming gardening events
UC Master Gardener gardening events are happening all over the county this month. Here are some of them, with more are listed on our events page.
Grow Your Best Summer Vegetables – June 7, Palo Alto
Plan Now for Growing Your Asian Vegetable Garden – June 7, Sunnyvale
Open Garden Saturday at the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden – June 7, 14, 21, 28, Palo Alto
The Monarch Butterfly Crisis: What’s Happening and How You Can Help – June 10, Mountain View
Plant Clinic Online – June 10, Online via Zoom
Growing Your Own Cut Flower Garden – June 14, San Jose
Healthy Soil – How to Improve Your Soil for Planting – June 14, Cupertino
Cover, Smash, Trap: Non-Chemical Methods for Pest Management – June 18, Online
Vegetables You Can Start from Seed Now – June 28, San Jose
These wood chips are among the best mulch choices for trees and shrubs. Unlike the uniform texture of some other mulches, arborist wood chips include bark, wood and leaves that resist compaction and host a variety of microbes. There are other good mulch choices, depending on where you use it. When you add new mulch, make sure it reaches a depth of 3–4 inches.
Determine if your flowers are female or male
Flowers have genders? Yes, some of them. The cucurbit family, which includes squash, cucumbers and melons, has separate female and male flowers. Female flowers have a small swelling on the stem which is the ovary. It will develop into the fruit if the flower is fertilized. Male flowers simply have a straight stem.
Looking for inspiration? Visit these UC Masters demonstration gardens
How about a fun and educational outing this summer to one of our demonstration gardens? The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County have eight demonstration gardens that showcase best practices for home gardeners and provide hands-on gardening experiences.
You’re invited to visit, ask questions, and garden with us when we’re working in the garden – but the days and hours vary by location. Please check our demonstration garden website for each garden to ensure we’ll be available when you plan to visit. We’d love to see you and show you how we cultivate plants that are suitable for our area – and that you can grow at home.
We also offer classes, events, and plant sales at some of our locations (see our Calendar for upcoming events).
Here’s a sampling of some of our nearby demonstration gardens and some of their special features:
Palo Alto Demonstration Garden: Established in 2003, this 7,300-square-foot garden has two distinct areas – the ‘Edible’ Garden and the Water Wise Garden. The former demonstrates edible landscaping using a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits and flowers, while the latter showcases beautiful landscaping with native and low-water plants.
McClellan Ranch in Garden: This garden demonstrates and teaches best gardening practices for growing edible vegetables, greens and herbs enjoyed in the food of the many Asian cultures represented in Santa Clara County and Cupertino.
Martial Cottle Park Demonstration Garden and Community Education Center: This 4-acre parcel is located within Santa Clara County’s 287-acre Martial Cottle Park, which showcases the agricultural heritage of Santa Clara Valley. Our gardens demonstrate many aspects of home gardening in this region, including native plants, vegetables, fruit trees and more.
These kinds of flowers require pollinators such as bees. On the other hand, many other plants, including tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas, have “perfect” flowers which contain both male and female parts. Those flowers can be either self-fertile or insect-pollinated. Identifying which flowers are female and which are male can help you create a successful pollination strategy for your garden and help you understand which plants will produce fruit. Find out more about pollination here.
Would you like to ask a UC Master Gardener about a plant problem? Submit questions to our Help Desk online.
Have a sick plant? Ask questions and get answers at our monthly Zoom Plant Clinic.You can also subscribe to our monthly Tips and Events newsletter. San Mateo residents can also find gardening advice on the UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo and San Francisco website.
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