We are all awaiting the new blueberry plants scheduled to arrive February 23rd! Delicious and nutritious blueberries are easier to grow than you might think! Blueberries are happy in containers and, with a little tweaking of our clay soil, happy in the ground. They are the perfect addition to the edible landscape as they are beautiful in the spring garden with fragrant white or pink flowers, in the summer garden covered with berries, and in the fall garden with rich autumn-colored foliage. You can even plant them as a hedge!

Several years ago the Santa Clara Valley Master Gardeners planted a test garden of blueberries on Winchester Blvd. in San Jose and gained some valuable experience blueberry varieties. One thing that we all learned was that blueberries THRIVE here and produce bountiful crops. Yamagami's Nursery is contributing to the new Master Gardener blueberry test garden to evaluate new and different varieties. Our selection here is based on the latest local findings.

New for us this year is the 'Jewel' blueberry, recently introduced from Florida. It is a very early bearer (April usually) of large, excellent fruit. Like one of my favorites, 'Sharpblue,' it is a little tart until fully ripe. I like a little zing, but if you don't, just wait until it is fully ripe for a sweet treat. It is also a terrific pollinator for 'Sharpblue.' Warning: the supply for this new introduction is limited so we'll probably sell out quickly!

Kids tend to love blueberries and growing them makes them even more fun to eat. They'll never guess how healthy they are!

Five Blueberry Health Facts:

• Blueberries rank first in 60 different fruits and vegetables in antioxidant content. Content is highest when berries are picked ripe from the garden. (Tufts University study)

• Outstanding source of pterostilbene, one of the most powerful anti-cancer, anti-cholesterol, anti-diabetes compounds yet discovered. (several studies)

• Blueberries are rich in iron and vitamin C.

• Blueberries (along with cranberries) contain two compounds that protect against urinary infections.

• Blueberries are a good source of fiber.

Yamagami's is awaiting a fresh supply of several of the best blueberry varieties for our area. We offer a FREE Blueberry Guide and all the supplies you need to succeed. Come in Come in after February 23rd and let one of our helpful Nursery Pros get you started on your way to growing your own blueberry bliss.

Whether you are an experienced gardener or just getting started growing edibles, The Edible garden, a new book from Sunset, provides a wealth of information.

Full of gorgeous photographs, it is divided into sections covering garden design basics and options, the four seasons of planting, special techniques, and an encyclopedia of edibles.

Written in easy to understand language, The Edible garden is a valuable reference book you'll use over and over again.

Increase your harvests with Mason Bees. No, they aren't plant Viagra, but they are very efficient pollinators. These bees are small (like flies), non-stinging, non-buzzing, non-hive-making critters. They are only active for about 3 months (usually March through May) just when fruit trees need the most help. Many more times efficient at pollinating than honeybees, they can make a big difference in your home orchard.

They are available as cocoons in "straws," 6 cocoons per straw. They will hatch and emerge in spring then immediately mate and lay eggs over a 3 month period. During that 3 month period, they gather as much pollen and nectar as they can find, spreading pollen as they go. They will look for a convenient tunnel in wood or another straw near their hatching location to deposit their eggs.

Yamagami's Nursery is now offering straws with cocoons, fresh straws and even a habitat that holds 35 straws for generations of Mason bees to come. Come in soon to increase your fruit harvests! Let the helpful Nursery Pros at Yamagami's help you succeed with your backyard harvests.

Chinese New Year started on February 14th with the celebration of the Year of the Tiger lasting for a week. A traditional symbol of prosperity to come is the golden kumquat. Give the trees or the fruit as gifts or cut and gild branches for decoration. Spread the wish for prosperity to all.

Most popular of the kumquats here is the 'Nagami.' has a pleasing oval shape and, like all kumquats, it is the rind that is sweet, not the fruit. Pop one whole in your mouth for a sweet first taste followed by the tartness of the fruit inside. They are a taste sensation and fun to eat! Some people grow them purely for their ornamental value as the tree is lovely, with glossy green leaves, white fragrant flowers and the very decorative golden egg-shaped fruit adorning it.

'Nagami' kumquats are available as small trees or bushes--both have fruit now. They grow as beautifully in containers as they do in the ground and are one of the hardiest of the citrus. Come to Yamagami's for kumquats and other golden citrus to celebrate prosperity for the Year of the Tiger!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Set your traps for those pesky apple codling moths that are mainly responsible for wormy apples!

Just after Valentine's Day they start to get frisky, so set your traps; they need to be in place a week or two before flowers on your apples and Asian or European pears start to open. The traps are baited with pheromones, attracting love-stricken male moths to their sticky surfaces, thus safely eliminating them from the gene pool.

Trapping alone will reduce codling moth population, but if you see lots of moths start to accumulate in the traps, it's time to start spraying with OMRI approved Monterey Garden Insect Control (Spinosad). Even though it is OMRI approved for organic gardeners, it is best to spray at dusk to avoid spraying precious pollinating bees.

Replace traps that are 25% to 50% full of moths. This is one of those cases where the only effective control is preventative medicine.

Trust Yamagami's Nursery to help you succeed in your garden…the first time. For more information on fruit tree care, pick up our FREE Fruit Tree Care Calendar.

Saturday, February 20th at 10 AM.
Japanese Maple Pruning Class with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant. Learn how to bring out the natural beauty in your maples. See fee information above.

Sunday, February 21st at 11 AM.
Japanese Maple Pruning Class with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant. Learn how to bring out the natural beauty in your maples. See fee information above.

Saturday, February 27th at 1 PM.
Japanese Maple Pruning Class with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant. Learn how to bring out the natural beauty in your maples. See fee information above.

Sunday, February 28th at 11 AM.
Japanese Maple Pruning with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant. Learn how to bring out the natural beauty in your maples. See fee information above.

NEW! Saturday, March 6th from 10 AM to noon.
How to Start a Vegetable Garden. Gisele Schoniger, Kellogg's Organic Gardening Educator, will talk about soils and fertilizers, then Lindsay Del Carlo, Rennee's Garden Seed Garden Manager, will talk about seed starting, planting and spacing.

Together they will talk about organic garden practices and issues like companion planting and container gardening. See fee information above.