UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

University of California

UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

January in Sonoma County

Put some "Fruit" in your New Year's Resolutions

Early January brings the arrival of many truckloads of bare root fruit trees to Sonoma County nurseries - thousands of trees, hundreds of varieties to choose from, all totally tempting to those of us who have the space to plant them. If your nursery has a catalog, we suggest you peruse it first as there are many choices for each type of fruit and you will want to plant a variety that will produce a good crop of fruit in your micro-climate. For tips on tree selection and planting read more here.

Food Gardening

Is it Spring Yet?

Sonoma County's Mediterranean climate allows us, with careful planning, to garden twelve months of the year—especially with the number of cool-weather crops that overwinter here. But, in January, intermittent mild days tease us with a hint of Spring in the air. We can't help but turn our attention to fresh spring peas, tender lettuce and other greens, scallions, short-season varieties of broccoli and cauliflower, and many more crops to enjoy before our warm summer arrives. Learn more.

Watch the new Sudden Oak Death Video

The Sudden Oak Death team at the University of California Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources has just released a new video that is well worth watching. There's a lot to learn here, all presented with great visuals to aid our understanding of Sudden Oak Death. Makes learning about SOD easy!

Growing a Thriving Vegetable Garden with Less Water

The Food Gardening Specialists (FGS) of the UCCE Sonoma Master Gardeners are excited to present water-wise food gardening strategies. Given our hot, dry summers along with the prediction of extended drought, we can’t afford to waste a drop. This video demonstrates how home and community gardeners can grow a thriving vegetable garden with less water. In addition, this video is complemented by a planting scheme and a drip system instruction and shopping list that reflect the 4x8-foot demonstration vegetable bed in the video. Click here for these documents along with additional helpful documents for food gardening with less water.

Ask a Master Gardener
Questions and Answers from the Helpline

Watch to Learn What Master Gardeners Do

Fight Invasives!

Master Gardener-staffed Help Desks are located
at Sonoma County Farmers' Markets and Fairs

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by the UC Davis Cooperative Extension.

Sonoma County Master Gardeners will provide environmentally sustainable, science-based horticultural information to all of Sonoma County’s population. We strive for diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization.

UCCE Farm Advisor: Stephanie Larson, County Director

SCMG Coordinator: Mimi Enright

Workshop Calendar

Event Name	Date
Composting and Vermiculture Workshop - Guerneville	1/26/2019
Fruit Tree Care - Healdsburg	2/2/2019
Rose Pruning - Windsor	2/2/2019
Fruit Tree Care - Sonoma	2/9/2019

View More Events

Find links to past workshop handouts under Resources/Workshop Handouts.

Sundays with Sue

By SCMG Sue Lovelace
Updated: January 20, 2019

I hope all of you fared okay in the last storm! We had a bit of flooding in our garage, but otherwise we are fine. In the garden, the birds are scurrying around, almost frenziedly, looking for worms, bugs and hopefully slugs that the rain brought to the surface of the soil. Male frogs, who also love the moisture, are madly chirping, hoping to impress a suitable mate.

I was clearly miffed when I saw that gophers had dug several mounds along our driveway taking advantage of softened, rain soaked soil. I found myself guiltily whispering, as if the dirty dudes were listening, “Take the buddleja”; referring to the giant, gnarled Buddleja davidii that is in the center my front yard, habitat edible garden. For 12 years, it has invited bees, butterflies and birds of all kinds to feast on the nectar of flowers and nip at seed heads, plus it was a landing spot and protective haven to creatures wanting to dine at the adjacent bird feeder. Unfortunately, it has gotten so large, it shades out our fruit trees: a dwarf persimmon and a peach, plus espaliered apples and pears; prompting me to dramatically chop away at it to help light reach the trees.

The decision has been made: the buddleja is going and the persimmon tree will be dug up and replanted in its place. Knowing I would be faced with this ultimate decision, last fall I planted a Buzz (dwarf) variety of buddleja in another bed. A nearby, overgrown yucca plant, given to us by a neighbor, will certainly follow the fate of the buddleja as the balance will be off in that particular bed.

All of a sudden, one change starts a cycle of many more, constituting a transformation in one bed after another. Oh my goodness, it must be January, a time for contemplation, evaluation and redesign! I love that about January in the garden!

Have a great week!

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you look at it.” Mary Engelbreit

Master Gardeners in Print

The Garden Doctors
Dana Lozano & Gwen Kilchherr, The Press Democrat

Fruitful Feijoa: Wondering why your plants aren't producing fruit? 1/18/2019

A grab bag of garden wisdom 1/4/2019

Webmasters: Kim Roche, Stan Pawlak

Website Editor: Penny Fink

Food Gardening Editor: Stephanie Wrightson

Staff Photographers and Videographers:
Cie Cary, Electra de Peyster,
Coby Lafayette-Kelleher, Laura Salo Long