DURHAM — Community members gathered around longtime horticulturist Ken Hodge, carefully listening to every single word he uttered about growing fruit trees.
The 35-year owner of Hodge’s Nursery & Gifts held one of his ever-growing popular free gardening clinics to about 60 people Saturday.
Hodge said he was amazed by such a “huge group for winter,” given that the larger groups usually come out during spring.
“It shows that people are chomping at the bit to start planting,” Hodge said.
Hodge lectured and demonstrated his techniques on winter pruning, fertilizing, selection of trees, pest sprays and fending off gophers.
All the topics discussed were centered on smaller fruit trees, Hodge’s passion since he was 5 years old.
“When I was a kid and did gardening, I found it difficult to work with trees that were so big,” Hodge said. “If you keep them small, about 5 feet tall, they can still produce a lot of fruit.”
Growing smaller trees allows for harvesting at knee level, easier pruning, and offers more space for multiple varieties.
“Twenty to 25 fruit trees in a backyard and you can have fruit almost every day of the year,” Hodge said.
The key to “dwarfing” a tree is proper pruning.
“You have to make fruit trees do what you want them to do,” Hodge said. “You can’t just give it the Jedi wave; you have to prune it.”
The fruit tree expert recommended pruning during April, May and June because that is an essential time for new growth and helps keep the tree low enough for reaching and producing.
Chico resident Cassie Johnson attended Saturday’s crash course and appreciated the influx of knowledge.
“I’ve gone to this before and I’m learning, relearning things each time I come,” Johnson said. “From products to use for a better yield to pruning techniques.”
Johnson, a Southern California native, typically dislikes the wintertime but explained how the gardening clinic changed her mindset.
“I go to these and it gets me excited about getting out there and planting, Johnson said. “It’s motivating.”
Hodge hoped attendees take away the ideas discussed Saturday and are able to apply them to their backyards.
“My motivation is to get people to be self-sufficient and be able to grow their own food,” Hodge said.
Free gardening clinics are held almost every Saturday, January through May. During the rest of the year, clinics only happen once or twice a month.
People interested in receiving up-to-date information about the clinics can sign up for the nursery’s newsletter at hodgesnursery.com.
Local Nursery Crawl
Hodge’s Nursery and Gifts will be one of 10 nurseries participating in the Local Nursery Crawl from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 and 29.
The two-day event offers an opportunity for community members to connect with local plant nurseries and enter a raffle for a $25 gift certificate if at least five stamps are collected.
For more information, visit localnurserycrawl.com.