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Wanted: Acorn harvesters, no experience necessary

Sacramento Tree Foundation needs volunteers of all ages for gathering acorns

The annual acorn harvest celebrates the beginnings of the life cycle of  native oaks. These are acorns and leaves from a blue oak, which is found on the edges of the Sacramento Valley and throughout the foothills.

The annual acorn harvest celebrates the beginnings of the life cycle of native oaks. These are acorns and leaves from a blue oak, which is found on the edges of the Sacramento Valley and throughout the foothills. Kathy Morrison

It must be (almost) fall; the acorns are dropping.

Will it be a mast year with a bumper crop of acorns? (That could be a harbinger of a wet, cold winter.) Or will be oak fruit be hard to find?

Either way, the Sacramento Tree Foundation needs those tree nuts to grow a new crop of oaks to plant throughout the region and reforest habitat.

SacTree is hosting two Acorn Harvest Saturdays, Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. Each will be morning-long events, from 8:45 a.m. to noon, but in different locations. Sept 24 will concentrate on Folsom oaks. Oct 1 will harvest trees in Natomas. Specific locations will be provided at registration.

The annual acorn harvest is an important part of SacTree’s mission.

“At the Sacramento Tree Foundation, we steward our urban forest from seed to slab,” say the organizers. “The annual acorn harvest celebrates the beginnings of the life cycle of our native oaks. Acorns are harvested by volunteers, carefully sorted by interns, grown into seedlings by schoolchildren, planted at reforestation sites by volunteers, and stewarded by our staff.

“When trees reach the end of their lifespans, we salvage and sell their wood to further support education and programming around the life cycle of the urban forest.”

This crop of acorns will “grow the next generation of oak trees,” they added. “We provide all the necessary training and supplies to harvest acorns. Participants will receive a short hands-on training on site.

Register now! The week before this event, we will send a logistics and directions email with detailed information about how to get to the site. You will receive this email only if you are signed up for this planting.

“Anyone but those who live or work nearby are especially encouraged to attend! This event is open to the general public, you do not need any prior experience to join us and on-site training will be provided. Families with children are welcome.”

Space is limited, SacTree adds. Volunteers under 18 years of age must have their parent or legal guardian sign their consent form during registration. Volunteers under 16 years of age must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. One adult chaperone is required for every six youths under age 16, or for every two children under 10.

Volunteers should wear long pants, long sleeves, closed-toe hiking boots or shoes, and sun protection. Dress comfortably and appropriately for the weather. Bring water. Contact with poison oak, ticks, snakes, bees or other wildland hazards is possible. Check in on time at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers must be present for the tool safety demonstration at the start of the event.

For details and registration: https://sactree.org/events/

 Debbie Arrington

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 9

Be careful walking or working in wet soil; it compacts easily.

* Keep the irrigation turned off; the ground is plenty wet with more rain on the way.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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