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Tulare & Kings Master Gardeners

Twelve Months of Articles/Holiday Hints

Twelve Months of Articles

June 2025

May 2025

April 2025

March 2025

February 2025

January 2025

December 2024

November 2024

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

December 2023

November 2023

October 2023

September 2023

August 2023

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

April 2023

March 2023

February 2023

January 2023

Holiday Hints

Football
Super Bowl Sunday
Fruit Trees - Deciduous - Apply 2nd dormant spray for insect and disease prevention (before buds open).
Lawns - Apply preemergence for crabgrass & spring weeds (if needed).
February
Valentine’s Day
Flowers - Roses - Complete pruning.
Grapes - Prune vines.
Vegetables - Plant lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes.
March
St. Patrick’s Day 
Flowers - Seed cosmos, garden herbs, sunflowers, wildflowers, etc.
Bulbs - Plant summer flowering bulbs/corms (e.g. amaryllis, cannas, gladioli, bearded iris).
Lawns - Fertilize with a complete fertilizer.
Vegetables - Plant beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, squash, tomatoes.
April Fool's Day
April Fool’s Day 
Flowers - Azalea, camellia & gardenias - prune & fertilize with ‘acid type’ fertilizer after bloom.
Roses - Check for aphids & mildew; feed with systemic & rose fertilizer.
Fruit & Nut Trees - Deciduous - Fertilize (½ now, ½ in June).
Evergreen - Prune (after danger of frost and up until bloom)
Vegetables - Plant corn, okra, tomatoes.
Mother's Day
Mother’s Day 
Flowers - Plant summer color bedding plants (e.g. begonia, impatiens, marigold, petunia, salvia, vinca, zinnia).
Lawns - Fertilize with nitrogen; apply preemergence for summer weeds (if needed).
Fruit Trees - Citrus - Fertilize 3x in early spring & summer with citrus/avocado fertilizer.
Olives - Spray olive trees at bloom to prevent unwanted fruit.
July 4th
July 4th - Independence Day 
Fruit Trees - Prune apricots after harvest to avoid disease.
Lawns - Fertilize warm season grasses (bermuda, St. Augustine, & zoysia).
Do NOT fertilize cool season grasses (fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye).
Vegetables - Plant artichokes, pumpkins, & winter squash.
Labor Day
Labor Day
Lawns - Fertilize all lawns with nitrogen. Apply preemergence for annual bluegrass & winter weeds (if needed).
Strawberries - Set plants out now for next year’s fruit.
Vegetables - Plant artichokes, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, kale, lettuce, & potatoes.
Halloween
Halloween
Flowers - Seed delphiniums, foxgloves, hollyhocks, sweet peas, etc.
Plant winter color bedding plants (e.g. iceland poppies, pansies, snapdragons, stock).
Lawns - Overseed bermudagrass lawns with annual or perennial ryegrass.
Fruit & Nut Trees - Prune properly to promote next year's fruit.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Flowers - Bulbs - Plant spring flowering bulbs (e.g. crocus, daffodils, dutch iris, hyacinth, narcissus, ranunculus, and tulips).
Fruit Trees - Apply 1st dormant spray for insect and disease prevention.
Vegetables - Plant spinach.
New Year
New Year’s Day 
Flowers - Roses - Start pruning.
Vegetables - Plant asparagus crowns.