Spring warm-up means one thing: Time to plant tomatoes
Find hundreds of annuals, vegetables and more, including some big bargains
Test your knowledge with a quick quiz
After five-year hiatus, popular event features five historic homes
Placer County master gardeners mark anniversary with workshops, speakers
Enjoy unique private Sacramento gardens plus plant and garden art sales
NEW Orange-raisin sour cream scones with orange-vanilla glaze
Warmer days are enticing for tomato planting
April puts spotlight on America's growing pastime
Weekend events range from Natomas to Orangevale to Placerville
Famous feng shui oasis in Davis hosts tour on Sunday
Find our recipes for seasonal fruit and vegetables all in one place
'In the Garden' is theme for annual show and sale at Shepard Center
Delicious seasonal recipes from your garden.
NEW Celery adds crunch; mint lends an herbal note
Spring-like days finally arrive (but still too cold for happy tomatoes)
As Sacramento weather finally feels like spring, expect rapid changes in your garden.
Open Garden Day this month is on a midweek morning
Get advice from master gardeners; plant sales coming soon
Two historic clubs host Sacramento events devoted to ancient tradition
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 17
Expect the coming storms to knock down an enormous amount of leaves. Grab a rake and get to work!
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Use some of those nice fall leaves as mulch around shrubs and trees or in the vegetable garden.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* After they bloom, chrysanthemums should be trimmed to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. If in pots, keep the mums in their containers until next spring. Then, they can be planted in the ground, if desired, or repotted.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.