Home & Garden - Spring 2021 by Valley Community Newspapers

A Herburger Publication • Spring 2021

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Welcome to the Spring Home & Garden special By Cameron Macdonald HPI Staff Writer

It feels as if 10 years have passed since the state ordered “non-essential” businesses to shut down and called upon Californians to stay at home as long as possible when the COVID-19 pandemic arose. The spring of 2020 brings back memories of gardening and home improvement stores being swamped with customers who wanted to enhance their gardens while they waited a long time for the state to begin loosening restrictions on businesses. Pandemic or no pandemic, the springtime is still ripe for learning more ways to enhance your yards and homes. The HPI staff produced their annual Spring Home & Garden special to share ideas for you to consider. Rod Whitlow, a Wilton-based professional landscaper and our longtime contributing writer, profiled a local couple who grows gigantic fruits and vegetables at

their rural home. He also gave handy tips and warnings about choosing garden fertilizer. Guest contributor Melinda Myers also wrote a guide for growing tomatoes in the early spring. Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley, took a break from covering the high school sports scene to write about her hobby of growing herbs for use as home cocktail garnishes. She also shared photographs of her gourmet concoctions that belong in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Lance Armstrong, a longtime staff writer for the Elk Grove Citizen, shifted the focus away from the garden and toward the rec room. He has been an avid record collector for a few decades and he wrote a guide for how to properly organize and store your vintage records or hip, new LPs. The weather is starting to warm up again and the time is right to start your vegetable garden. Onward to a bountiful summer that hopefully only has a few days of triple-digit heat and no wildfire smoke. Hopefully.

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Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

Photo by Cameron Macdonald

Cameron Macdonald’s humble Pepper Class of 2021 that’s a month away from their graduation to the vegetable garden (crossing fingers).

Mirek and Irena: The Garden Team Emeritus

Gardening tips from local giant vegetable growers By Rod Whitlow Special to HPI

It was eight years ago that I pulled down the driveway to meet Mirek and Irena Wilczek at their three-acre Wilton parcel to do my initial garden design consultation. When I put my car in park, to my amazement, I looked into the back third of their property to a garden that looked like a snapshot from a Miracle-Gro advertisement in Sunset Magazine. Their vegetables were huge and so healthy – like a garden in Alaska, receiving 19 hours of sunlight a day. It was clear to me that my new clients were professional gardeners. Now years later, I contacted Mirek and Irena to share their horticulture history and special love with gardening, especially in these days when everyone is seeking tips on how to grow a beautiful garden. As youngsters, they grew up in southwestern Poland during the oppression of the country’s communist government. Local country mar-

Photo by Rod Whitlow

Mirek Wilczek and his gigantic broccoli at his Wilton yard

kets offered the basics; however, fresh produce was difficult to come by. Winter gardens were not possible due to the cold winters in see Tips page A-3

Tips:

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Poland; however, summer gardens were a necessity. The Wilczeks fondly recalled how the whole family came together to prepare the soil, plant, and mentioned as youngsters the torture of weeding. However, that even changed as they got older and began appreciating the process more and more. They saw firsthand how all this work provided fresh produce through the summer and any excess was processed into jams, jellies, and other canned goods. Mirek told me, “This is how we started our gardening adventure.” His horticulture skills were further honed in his professional career in collective farming for the Polish government. He was a production farm manager in charge of mostly grain production. So, the couple wasted no time after moving to California and acquired land to garden year-round. They were eager to grow two crops a year, which was new territory for both of them. They noted that Brandywine is their favorite tomato variety, accompanied by zucchinis, cucumbers and the summer basics. By late September, they eagerly prepare to plant see Tips page A-4

Photo courtesy of Mirek Wilczek

Custom-made tomato cages at the Wilczek’s garden.

Photo by Rod Whitlow

Mirek Wilczek stands in his winter garden that he grows at his Wilton property.

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Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

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Photo courtesy of Mirek Wilczek

Mirek and Irena Wilczek raise a bounty of gigantic vegetables in their garden.

huge, healthy vegetables grown locally. He laughed and said they simply love what they are doing. And with that, and years of involvement, things become second nature. But here are some important cultural tips he did note: -Plants are on furrows, so water drains from crown. -Plants are watered twice a day for a short period of time during the summer to make sure plants stay evenly moist. -A drip system with inline emitters every 12 inches are used. -Soil preparation and management are critical. In closing, few will undertake such a large garden as Mirek and Irena; however, after meeting them and seeing their success, I now have proof that we can grow vegetables here like people do in Minnesota, Sonoma County, and Alaska. Rod Whitlow is a Certified Arborist, Certified Nurseryman and Plant Science Editor for the Sunset Western Garden Book.

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cold weather crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage varieties, onions, and carrots. They recently planted 252 blueberry plants that are represented by six different varieties, which is important so the crop ripens at different times, thereby extending the production season. Blueberries need an acidic soil, and so they located in 100 yards of a special forest humus that was composted from forest matter. This material was trucked in from a distant supplier located in the mountains. Mirek noted that they should have plenty of blueberries for them, as well as the birds and neighbors. Their approach to gardening was summarized as follows: -They try to use a natural form of fertilizer. -They supplement our garden soil annually with the addition of compost. -Most plants are started from seed. -Drip irrigation provides necessary watering, which helps to control weeds. -The large size of the garden allows them to rotate crops every year. -They have their favorite plants, but we are experimenting with new varieties each year. -To extend summer growing season for zucchinis, they stagger planting throughout the season. Their fruit and citrus tree varieties were carefully selected to stretch their harvesting season based on each ripening times. -They also enjoy processing the excess fruits and vegetables by dehydrating, making salsa, preserves, pickles, or marinara sauces. When people visit the couple’s garden, I’m sure they ask them, “What’s your secret. Why are your plants so big and healthy?” I also asked Mirek this question, looking for some secret tips, as I have never seen such

Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

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Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

Time to plant those annuals Local nursery manager discusses various types of annuals By Lance Armstrong Citizen Staff Writer

With the coming of spring, it’s time to plant those annuals again. An annual is a plant that completes its life in one growing season of one year or less, and needs to be planted annually. Among the local nurseries offering annuals this spring is Big Oak Nursery, which opened in 2010 and is owned by Justin Oldfield and Julia Daehling-Oldfield. The business, which grows about 90% of its plants on site, is located at 10071 Grant Line Road in Elk Grove. Evan Hanson, who serves as that business’s retail nursery manager, is certainly one who is quite familiar with a wide range of annuals. He told the Citizen that among the most beautiful annuals offered at Big Oak Nursery is the petunia. Although he mentioned that he is drawn to many types of petunias, Hanson noted that he does have a favorite petunia. “Petunias are kind of the classic, the quintessential spring annual and they come in all different colors and habits,” Hanson said. “(A) really eyecatching variety that comes to mind is the Head-

liner Petunia, which (has) a deep, kind of a midnight blue speckled with white (appearance to its flower), and it’s definitely my favorite petunia.” Hanson also recommended other eye-catching annuals, including other petunias, violets and celosias. Focusing on the celosia, he described its appearance. “One of the most unusual and kind of a Dr. Seuss-like plant, is the celosia, which is a really feathery colorful (annual),” Hanson said. “It almost looks plastic. It almost looks artificial. It’s so bright and kind of shimmering colors.” Another aesthetically pleasing annual that he is drawn to is the begonia. “You can’t go wrong with begonias,” Hanson said. “I am a big fan of the tuberous begonias, rather than the wax begonias.” Those who are seeking a focal-point annual that can be used as a quality backdrop in a garden, can do well with zinnias, he said. He also suggested bringing an array of color to a garden with a mixture of annuals. “You can’t go wrong with the classics: Petunia, vinca, impatiens,” the manager said. “And those are

the kinds of things where you can have an array of colors in varietals, different varieties of each one. “As far as annual varieties, there are so many, and they’re always changing, too. They’ll have different hybrids that will come out each year.” Also part of the annual family are many garden vegetable plants and herbs, which are offered at this nursery. Big Oak Nursery will soon be offering a wide range of garden vegetables. Those offerings will include squash, melons, eggplant, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, oregano, basil, and sage. Hanson mentioned that with the popularity of tomatoes, the nursery plans to carry a good selection of tomato varieties. He added that the upcoming annuals are best planted in late March or early April. Fortunately for gardeners with small budgets, annuals are typically inexpensive. Big Oak Nursery generally offers 4-inch annuals for $2 each, and ”jumbo packs” or six packs of annuals for $3 each. Premium varieties are available for $3 for 4-inch annuals. A flat of annuals – which carries 16 4-inch plants – can also be purchased at this nursery for $18.

Photo by Julia Daehling-Oldfield

The African daisy is a tender perennial, which is sold as an annual at Big Oak Nursery.

Hanson offered an invitation for people to visit Big Oak Nursery. “If they’re looking to shop local and buy plants that are going to be grown here in their climate, in their region and are therefore going to be more acclimated in our region, then therefore more successful for you as a gardener, then come on down to Big Oak Nursery,” he said. Big Oak Nursery’s retail hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Their wholesale hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information about this business, call (916) 686-1180 or visit www.BigOakNursery.com.

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Homegrown herbs for the home bartender By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley HPI Staff Writer

Finding the right ingredients to make a quality cocktail can be challenging but if home bartending or even cooking has become your hobby over the past year, you may not have to look farther than your own backyard. A number of classic cocktails include herbs like mint or basil, while other drinks benefit from a sprig of rosemary, sage, or thyme. Among warm weather options for herbs and plants are basil, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and tarragon. Some herbs like rosemary and thyme can also thrive indoors during the winter months. An easy recipe for herbal simple syrups is heating one cup of water and one cup of sugar on low heat, and stirring so that the sugar dissolves completely. After the sugar dissolves, you can chop up a few leaves or more

of the herb you plan to use (you can use more herbs if you want a stronger flavor) and heat on high until the mixture boils before reducing the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, then let it cool completely. Then strain the herbs from the syrup and store the syrup in a tight-sealing container until you’re ready to use it. Beyond herbs and flowers, lime and lemon trees can be invaluable for saving a trip to the grocery store, and they can be grown in large pots if outside space is an issue. Margaritas, Mojitos, and other sours are just a small example of the classic cocktails that use citrus fruits such as limes and lemons. However, the rind can be used to make oleo saccharum, which is a syrup produced from letting citrus peels sit in sugar for a few hours. A lemon zest can be a garnish in an Old-Fashioned or a Lemon Drop. see Bartender page A-9

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Herbs such as purple basil can add flair to cocktails such as this drink that has rose-infused gin, pomegranate, and lime.

Bartender: continued from page A-8

Lemon varieties like Meyer Lemons are a semi-dwarf tree that can grow to be 6 to 10 feet tall and need full sun and well-draining soil. Basil is popular in cocktails like the Basil Smash and variations of the Gimlet, Mojito and Margarita. The herb does well with long exposure to the sun and needs well-draining moisture. Most herbs do well with about six hours of sunlight. Infusing liquor with lavender or making a lavender simple syrup can add dimension to a cocktail. The flavor works well with rum, vodka or

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---------- ELK GROVE ---------gin. Lavender also fits the Elk Grove climate as it’s drought-tolerant and needs six to eight hours of sun, according to the Green Acres website. Mint, which does well in the warm months, can be harvested by pinching leaves off at the stem. The refreshing element it adds to drinks such as mojitos, smashes, swizzles and juleps plus its popular use as a garnish makes it an enticing option for a home bartender’s garden. Several local nurseries to check out for starting up an herb garden or for other popular cocktail ingredients include: Big Oak Nursery at 10071 Grant Line Road, The Secret Garden at 8450 West Stockton Blvd., and Green Acres at 9220 East Stockton Blvd.

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A snapshot of the author’s humble garden log that’s organized into spreadsheets

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This spring, I have nearly 50 tomato and pepper seedlings to somehow keep alive enough to transplant to my garden on Easter Sunday. They’re growing in a tiny greenhouse setup in my laundry room – little do they know about the triple-digit summer heat, glutinous tomato worms, vandalistic birds, and impatient and sweaty humans that await them in the outside world. But as what John Lennon famously said: “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” That may be true, Eric Burdon, but it’s still a healthy habit to plan ahead and create a garden log to keep track of your vegetable garden and its maintenance. You can use a log for important matters such as when you planted your seeds, when your seedlings were transplanted, when they need to be fertilized, and where in the heck you planted a specific vegetable in your large garden. I also use information from my seed packets to estimate my seedlings’ transplant dates and maturity dates. An important step is to know when is the last chance that your area will have frost this spring – summer fruits and vegetables are typically planted at least

I’m using a garden log to keep track of my diverse pepper seedlings.

two weeks after the last spring frost. For the Sacramento region, that’s early April. This year, I made my gardening life a tad easier by organizing my garden log into spreadsheets on my computer. I created separate sheets for each fruit or vegetable, as well as my fertilizing dates. It’s also helpful to include personal notes on subjects such as disease issues, soil amendments, and future planting spots for your seedlings. There are so many small details involved in preparing and growing a successful crop, and it’s easy to forget important dates for maintaining your garden. In my case, I have an annual habit of planting at least half a dozen different tomato varieties. I recorded in my garden log whether they are determinate (plants that only yield tomatoes once), or indeterminate (plants that can supply tomatoes all year long). It’s helpful to not make my mistake of crossing my arms and tapping my right foot while waiting for a determinate tomato variety to grow a second round of fruits. As for spreadsheet applications, I’m using Google Sheets, since it’s easy to manage and I can log into my files on any computer when I sign into my Google account. When your harvesting is done, be sure to save your garden log, so you can use it as a guide for deciding what to plant and what to avoid planting next year.

Grow an earlier and more abundant tomato harvest By Melinda Myers Special to HPI

Be the first in your neighborhood to enjoy a garden-ripe tomato. Then continue harvesting an abundance of flavorful tomatoes throughout the growing season. A little planning and strategic planting can help you get an earlier and bigger tomato harvest. Jump start the season by warming the soil for an earlier start. Cover the planting space with a floating row cover, clear plastic, or a cloche. Once the soil is warm, you are ready to plant your tomatoes. Use the row cover or cloche to protect your plants when cold temperatures or frost is in the forecast. You will get a two- to fourweek jump start to the season. Further shorten the time to harvest by planting an early ripening tomato va-

riety like Early Girl, Fourth of July, and Quick Pick. Check the catalog description or plant tags for the number of days the tomato variety needs to reach maturity. Growing these or others that require fewer days between planting and harvesting means you’ll be enjoying fresh tomatoes sooner. Train at least one of your tomato plants onto a stake for an earlier harvest. Loosely tie one or two stems to a tall stake. Continue securing the stems throughout the season as the plant grows. Remove the suckers, the small branches that form between the main stem and leaf, as they appear. You’ll have fewer fruit, but they will be ready to harvest sooner than see Tomato page A-12

Courtesy Photo

Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

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those caged or grown sprawled on the ground. Staking also saves space and helps reduce the risk of disease. If staking seems like too much effort, grow your tomatoes in cages. Use tall, sturdy cages for larger indeterminate tomatoes that grow, flower, and produce fruit until frost. Caging tomatoes also increases airflow and light penetration for greater yields and fewer pest problems. Save even more space while bringing the harvest to your kitchen door, balcony, or window box with compact tomato varieties like Patio Choice, Yellow Sweet and Neat or Tumbling Tom. Plant one in a 10-inch pot or grow several in a larger container. You’ll have a large crop of bite-sized tomatoes in about two months. To improve the quality of your harvest, choose disease- and crack-resisting varieties. Cooks and canners will love Early Resilience Roma-type

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tomato. It is resistant to late blight, blossom end rot and several other common tomato diseases. This determinate tomato plant only grows 2 feet tall, so will not need staking. It is great for containers, small spaces, and traditional vegetable gardens. Reducing the risk of disease means a bigger harvest with less effort on your part. Further reduce your workload and increase your success with mulch. Spread a 2-inch layer of shredded leaves, weed-free straw, or evergreen needles over the soil surface around your plants. You will conserve water, suppress weeds, and improve the soil as the mulch decomposes. With a little planning you will be ready to enjoy an early and bountiful harvest of tasty tomatoes from this season’s garden. Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is also a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

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Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op: owned by the community, open to everyone Courtesy of

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op has been an integral part of the Sacramento community since it began as a buying club almost 50 years ago. In 1973, it opened its doors as a communityowned cooperative, and it has been supplying Sacramento with great food ever since. Its current location is at the corner of 29th and R streets in midtown Sacramento, easily accessible by car, bike, foot or transit. The 29th Street light trail stop is right across the street. Although the store is community-owned by nearly 11,000 individuals, everyone is welcome to shop at the Co-op, and sales are pretty evenly split between members and non-members.

For the People, By the People The Co-op’s success is largely due to its supportive membership. Their demand for access to high quality food is what inspired the opening of the store in the first place, and since then, demand has continued to grow. The Co-op stays ahead of the trends, offering organic, local, and plant-based options before those categories existed in mainstream stores.

Where Local Matters Most People have a lot more choices now than they did in 1973, so the Co-op employs a diverse, dedicated and friendly staff to meet customers’ needs so they keep

coming back. Many shoppers decide to invest more in their grocery store by becoming a members. Of course, the food has to taste good, too, and it does! The Co-op’s shelves are stocked with the best quality in every department, including products from over 750 farms and producers within 200 miles of the store—and lots of hyper-local products from Sacramento: fruit, flowers, plant starts, beer, kombucha, soap, lip balm, tea, bread, jams and a lot more.

The Co-op’s Deli & Cafe is like a restaurant within the store—with grass-fed and Beyond Burgers, taqueria favorites, fresh juices and smoothies, salads, pizzas, fair-trade coffee and Devine Gelato. The Deli & Cafe staff makes everything from scratch in house every day, from the salad dressings and soups to the pizza dough and famous chocolate chip cookies. Delivery is available through Uber Eats and DoorDash if you’d rather enjoy the Co-op’s fare from the comfort of home.

Strengthening the Local Economy

Training Home Chefs of All Ages

When you’re shopping at the Co-op, you’re keeping your money in the community, because the people who own the place are your neighbors—and maybe even you! During the pandemic, the Co-op has been there for the community and its staff. Like so many other local businesses, the Co-op felt the effects of COVID-19, but acknowledging its staff as essential workers, the store prioritized cross-training employees and reallocating labor to make sure that nobody lost their job. It also paid an additional $2 hourly benefit to all staff between March and November. All the while, the Co-op’s staff made sure the shelves were stocked, kept the store and carts clean, and delivered groceries to cars for contactless pickup. The Co-op has continued to give staff a safe place to work and customers a safe place to shop throughout this unpredictable time.

If you want to brush up on your cooking skills, the Coop’s online cooking classes will give you some fun ideas. Home chefs follow along with an expert from the Coop’s Cooking School and learn to make dishes from Pad Thai to Croque Monsieur. There are classes specifically designed for young chefs, too, so you can let the kids take over the kitchen to make dinner sometime.

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Rooted in the Community Because the Co-op has been a part of the fabric of Sacramento for almost five decades, its roots in this community are deep. Unlike a chain store, the Co-op won’t just pick up and go somewhere else if sales here are less than stellar, since it is owned by community members who have a stake in its success. Part of that success depends on lifting up partner organizations, local farmers and the food entrepreneurs right here in our backyard. If everyone does well, we’ll

all enjoy a more vibrant local economy and pulsing community. Partnerships with local nonprofits like the River City Food Bank, which is right across the street from the Co-op, help improve food security for our neighbors in need. The Co-op has also worked with the Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture & Education Project for going on 20 years, helping to make connections between food, health and the environment and give folks the tools they need to eat well. And for those who may need a little extra help eating well, the Co-op’s Community Discount Program gives a 15% discount to anyone who meets certain income requirements. If you qualify for SNAP/CalFresh, SSI or WIC, be sure to sign up for the Community Discount at the Customer Service Desk when you’re in the store. Finally, the Co-op’s Round Up at the Register program gives local nonprofits a fundraising arm they never had before. Since 2018, over $250,000 has been raised for causes from The Library of Musiclandria to the Wellspring Women’s Center, all from Co-op shoppers who decide to donate their change to that month’s organization. The idea that a few people’s collaborative efforts can bring about change is still alive and well at the Co-op. If you’re looking for great food, organic produce and unique local products, look no further than the community-owned Co-op! They even have goods for your garden, including locally-grown organic plant starts, seeds and more.

Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

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Groovy times Citizen writer shares his tips for preserving, enjoying vintage LPs By Lance Armstrong HPI Staff Writer

As the old saying goes, “A man’s home is his castle,” and for this writer, his home is not complete without walls lined with vintage LP – or Long Playing – vinyl albums. While the ownership of my library of LPs brings a certain sense of euphoria to my castle, a significant amount of the joy of owning these discs of recorded sound would be lost without proper storage, care, and organization. “Vinyl junkies” with large collections of LPs understand the importance of storage. Through plenty of trial and error, I developed a uniform, fairly economical shelving system for storing my records.

In earlier times, my then-smaller yet significantly large collection was stored in old entertainment system cabinets, plastic crates, and poorly constructed homemade shelving that had no business storing vintage vinyl intended to be preserved. I always avoided cardboard boxes, as I recognized them as one of the lowest forms of record storage. During the evolution of my LP storing methods, I constructed a series of wooden crates that lined the walls of one room, and were stacked from floor to ceiling. Truth be told, only half of the material used to create those crates was solid wood, as I had been lured by the cost-effective use of particleboard for half of each crate. That decision nearly proved to be disastrous.

Photos by Lance Armstrong

A portion of a record collection sits on custom-built shelves in the home of Citizen Staff Writer Lance Armstrong.

To my horror one day, one of those towers of stacked crates began to take on the appearance of the leaning Tower of Pisa. But it was evident that this leaning tower would not remain standing for centuries, and perhaps would come crashing down in a matter of minutes.

With the help of a friend, who held the tower in place, peace was restored as I removed all of the albums that were in danger of becoming damaged. That uncomfortable experience led to my decision to build my current shelving see Groovy page A-18

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A-17

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Groovy:

continued from page A-16

system, which mostly consists of cinder blocks and custom-cut planks of highquality wood. The cinder blocks serve as the main support for the shelves, and short pieces of solid wood were placed in various spots between the shelves for additional support, to prevent the shelves from bowing from too much weight. This shelving system was also important to me, because it provided sufficient space above the albums, to prevent them from being damaged on the shelves from any scuffing or warping. While still not my ideal shelving system, it serves as a fool-proof, sturdy and relatively inexpensive way to uniformly store and display my collection. As a major upgrade to my former leaning tower of records, this storage system might pass a seismic test. Continuing on the topic of storage, fortunately, I learned certain “LP collecting 101” rules pertaining to storage very early in my collecting days.

Located in the Warehouse Artist Lofts at 1104 R St., which is the center of the city’s blossoming art scene, MediumRare Records & Collectibles has been rated as one of Sacramento’s favorite record stores by the Sacramento News & Review. The staff continues their mission to provide customers with a high quality music and shopping experience. With more and more music retailers disappearing from the local landscape, DeAnda envisions MediumRare Records as “Not just a record store, but an experience!” “It’s a collector’s dream and the perfect place for those who’ve recently discovered the wonders of vinyl,” he added.

One of those rules is “Never store albums in piles on top of each other,” as their weight can cause warping to their covers and/or records. Also, albums can be damaged if they are packed too tightly on a shelf. One should also allow their records a little breathing room for other reasons, including the simple fact that a true audiophile will eventually be adding more records to those shelves. It is also worth the money to purchase plastic sleeves to place around and protect the cardboard covers of your LPs. It is also important to use inner sleeves to store records inside their covers. Those sleeves provide additional protection for the records from scratches and debris. Preserving the life of a cover is also important, and an LP should never be forcefully pushed into its place on a shelf between other records. A record should also never be dropped into its cover. The latter action can both split the record’s spine and damage the record. When handling an LP, it is important to avoid touching its playing surface, which stores its recorded information. Instead, see Groovy page A-20

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A-19

An LP record rests on a turntable waiting to be played.

Cinder blocks serve as the main support for the shelves.

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Groovy:

continued from page A-18

one should only touch a record’s edges and labels. LPs should never be played in stacks, despite the existence of certain turntables that include an arm built to drop records in sequence for multiple record playing. Furthermore, a record should never be placed on top of each other, to avoid scratches of any degree. Organizing one’s LP collection is essential to avoid the heartaches associated with missing albums and discs. It is important to place LPs in their proper covers. Otherwise, good luck finding those discs when you’re looking for them. Your records should also be placed in some type of order on their shelves. The majority of my collection is in alphabetical order by the names of the musical artists. Other sections include soundtracks, comedy, and spoken word.

Separating each section on my shelves is a labeled plastic divider that extends about 4 inches beyond the spines of the albums, so they can be easily read. Although very time-consuming, creating a database to catalog your collection is also beneficial. I enjoy having each of my LPs electronically cataloged in the same manner that they appear on their shelves. Another tip is that albums should be stored in a dry and cool environment, and should never be placed near a window that will allow direct sunlight to shine on them. As an enemy of the LP album, direct sunlight can warp a record and fade its cover. Albums should also not be stored in damp areas, which subject them to moisture and can cause mildew. There are certainly many other helpful tips that can be given to those who have an interest in collecting LP albums, but this is a good start in the direction of being a quality caretaker of LP records old or new.

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A-21

Fertilizer: fact or fiction? By Rod Whitlow Special to HPI

My early days in the nursery business were fun. I was mentored by a man widely respected in the industry back in the 1980s at the Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery. He would laugh when customers would come in looking for a sack of fertilizer for flowers and another for trees. In his scratchy voice, he would laugh and reply, “a petunia can’t read labels – here, just buy this for both.” He was passing on wise information to his customers, and saving them money. Fertilizer is one of the most confusing subjects to homeowners. Let’s simplify things. Fertilizer has three numbers on the box or bag which represents the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, also known as NPK. When you realize that a plant generally won’t absorb the latter two, unless it actually needs it, you can see this can get pretty ridiculous.

Over-fertilizing, especially with a high nitrogen (first number) can cause problems, such a fast and weak foliage growth, burn or death, unwanted stem elongation, disease, and insect attacks. So let’s not get too involved here. Avoid 32-0-0, that’s sulfate of ammonia, which has its right usage in proper hands, but can quickly cause severe damage to a garden. If you want to play it safe, get a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, or 16-16-16, that boasts a higher urea than ammonia base formulation. After attending a class about fertilizer at U.C. Davis many years ago, my thoughts on the subject took a big turn. Did you know that the global fertilizer market was estimated in 2020 to be nearly $197 billion? With numbers like that you can bet your bottom dollar there is a lot of misinformation built into advertising to sway you to buy. There is no doubt that plants like nutrition, and need it, as we do to thrive. How-

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CUSTOMFIRESIDE.COM A-22 Home & Garden • Spring 2021 • A Herburger Publication

Photos by Rod Whitlow

This photo of Rod Whitlow’s garden was taken on March 10, just prior to his deciduous trees leafing out. The garden was raised without chemical fertilizers. See anything wrong?

ever, did you know that in our soils in the Central Valley, the only element lacking is generally nitrogen? In sandy soils, which are found in Lodi and other areas near our rivers, the other elements can also be lacking, as well. Lawn fertilization has done wonders for the marketing of fertilizer. Everyone with a tired lawn has seen the fast results obtained with that quick greening and beautiful result. So, with that simple miraculous operation, the general idea has spread that if a plant doesn’t look good, it just needs fertilizer. But one needs to realize that grasses, including the bamboos and corn, function differently than woody-stemmed trees and shrubs. And if your lawn isn’t deep green, it doesn’t mean the plant is sick – you just aren’t

happy with the way it looks. Grasses love nitrogen and respond quickly to its application. Everyone wants the most lush, green lawn on the block. On a personal note, I lived in Elk Grove for 10 years on a 2-acre parcel that I completely developed. People that know me and my garden there know it’s somewhat of a landmark now since it has a forest and a botanical garden. I’m now in Wilton and have nearly developed my five acres completely over the past 20 years. My point is that both of these gardens have never been fertilized with chemicals, except for trees and plants exhibiting need for fertilizer. I do use Miracle-Gro on containerized plants as the roots are see Fertilizer page A-23

Fertilizer:

continued from page A-22

limited to potting soil, which becomes drained of nutrients due to leaching. Miracle-Gro is a water soluble powder – one tablespoon per gallon of water. Not that from time to time plants are in need of chemical help. I have seen plants here and there in my garden, respond to an application of Miracle-Gro or Export Brand from Walmart, with new healthy growth and renewed vigor. I do feel it’s time, after 20 years to give everything a shot of fertilizer, especially my perimeter redwoods, and I’m doing that now. I’m mixing a granule formulation of two types of fertilizer and broad casting under and just outside the drip line of my trees, and letting the spring rains saturate it down into the root-zone. Vegetable gardens do in fact need fertilizer. Often raised beds are filled with sandy loam, which leaches nutrients quickly. Vegetables need help producing table-ready produce in just five months. Then there is the R.A.C. fertilizer. That’s the special acid based formula for Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias.

If you saw my camellias thriving in my heavy clay you might wonder why you wasted your money on that bag. One of the biggest killers of these three shade lovers is simple to avoid. Just plant each plant on a slight mound, being careful not to bury the stem deeper than grown in the nursery pot. These thin skinned plants suffer crown rot easily. Google my article, “Plant High and Grow to the Sky” for more info on that. I’m convinced that mulch, such as free SMUD tree-trimmer chips laid on top of the soil, is the single most beneficial thing you can do to improve soil and benefit everything you grow. Mulch, mulch, mulch – there is nothing better for your soil. In conclusion, fertilizer isn’t a bad thing when not overused. Also, plants may be suffering from a lack of water or overwatering, buried too deep in the soil, wrong planting location in terms of light or even scale or aphid attack. They can be wrongly diagnosed as having a lack of fertilizer. So, before dumping chemicals on the ground do some research to find if it’s necessary. Rod Whitlow is a plant science editor to the Sunset Western Garden Book, ISA Cert. Arborist, Cert . Nurserman and Garden Designer.

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A-23

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