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| Do you have a gardening question? The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara Count 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. |
What can grow in the shade?
Answer: Wondering what to grow in that shady spot in your yard? Most home gardeners have one or more areas that are full, partial or dappled shade. The plus side of shade gardens is that they offer a cool retreat on hot summer days. The trick for success is matching the plants to the type of shade you have. Ferns are a deservedly popular choice, with a wide variety available. There are many native plant options as well, which are often suitable for dry shade. Learn more at our March 8 talk.
March garden tips
When to start summer vegetables from seed
Now is the time to start thinking about planting seeds for your summer garden: Knowing the right time to plant specific seeds will be key to their success. If you start your seedings too soon, the plants can get leggy and overgrown before it’s time to plant them. Tomatoes, for example, reach transplant size in six weeks, peppers take eight to 10 weeks, and cucumbers take just four weeks. To figure out when to start seeds, plan when you want to transplant them into the garden, then calculate backward. Our vegetable planting chart recommends transplanting tomatoes in May, so start seeds six to eight weeks before, in March to early April. The hottest varieties of peppers need a long growing season for the pods to ripen. Start peppers earlier, mid-February to mid-March. Wait until May to start heat lovers like cucumbers and melons.
More Information: Growing Transplants from Seed
What to Do About Snails and Slugs
Rain is great for our gardens, but slugs and snails like the moist conditions too. They hide in shady damp spots during the day, then emerge at night to feed, chewing holes in leaves, flowers and fruits, even mowing down tender seedlings completely. Reduce their populations by removing daytime hiding places. Use copper barriers to keep snails and slugs out of garden beds. While baits alone won’t control them, you can use iron phosphate baits in conjunction with these and other methods detailed here.
Planting Carrots
If you have light fluffy soil, perhaps in a raised bed, you can grow those long beautiful carrots you see in the grocery store. However, most of us have heavy clay soil, and it is best to grow the shorter varieties. Adding organic material, such as compost, rather than manure is good. The seeds are very tiny and mixing sand with them will help you not over-seed. Plant no more than ½-inch deep. Carrots are slow to germinate and could take as long as three weeks. Keep the soil moist until they’re up. Thin to 2 or 3 inches apart. Plant every few weeks for a continuous crop. If you have limited space, try growing them among your ornamentals, their feathery tops can look quite pretty. They also can be grown in a container. Some common problems are twisted roots from planting too close together, forked or deformed roots from clods and rocks in the soil, hairy roots from too much nitrogen and splitting from too much water.
More information: Cultural Tips for Growing Carrot
Plant flowers that attract beneficial insects
Certain flowers help attract natural enemies of pest insects in the garden. Tiny wasps that parasitize certain insect pests or their eggs need pollen and nectar to survive. Predatory insects (syrphid fly larvae, lady beetles, lace wings and many others) and mites survive on pollen and nectar from flowers when pest populations are low, and some feed on pollen to reproduce.
Most of these beneficial insects are small, and so the best flowering plants to include in the garden are those that have small flowers that have pollen and nectar easily accessible and that bloom throughout the season. Avoid flowers that are difficult to weed out when they reseed.
Upcoming gardening events
UC Master Gardener gardening events are happening all over the county this month. Here are some of them; more are listed on our events page.
Learn How to Grow Blueberries Successfully – Cupertino, March 8
Growing Ferns and Other Shade Loving Plants – San Jose, March 8
Planning a Summer Vegetable Garden – San Jose, March 8
Dealing with Invasive Shot Hole Borers – Santa Clara, March 8
Growing Great Warm Season Vegetables! – Sunnyvale, March 8
Prepare for Fire! Creating Defensible Space – Mountain View, March 11
An Introduction to Fruit Tree Grafting – San Jose, March 15
MCP Container Gardening! – San Jose, March 15
California Native Plant Sale – San Jose, March 15
Growing Great Tomatoes – Los Altos, March 19
What Are You Wearing? Basic PPE for Pesticide Safety – Online, March 20
Spring Garden Fair – Martial Cottle Park – San Jose, April 26
Many flowers that attract beneficial insects are easy to start from seed and March is a good time to start them – some indoors any time or outdoors later in the month after frost danger has passed. Examples include sunflowers (try dwarf varieties like ‘Sunspot’ for smaller spaces), calendula, cosmos and many herbs like dill, basil and borage.
Other flowers and herbs that attract beneficial insects are easier to buy as plants. A few examples that can be planted this month are coreopsis, asters, and thyme.
Growing your own sweet potatoes
Healthy and delicious, sweet potatoes are a nutritious vegetable for any time of year, not just at Thanksgiving. If you want to grow your own, start slips (sprouts on the potato) in March, and transplant to your garden in May to June. You won’t harvest them until October to November, so you’ll be with these plants for quite some time! Here’s information on how to successfully grow them. You also can watch our video to learn more.
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.
