Pacific Horticulture's 'Design Futurist Award' to honor gardens and designers that make a difference
This light dessert requires minimal stove time
Sacramento gardening forecast for March 26: Frost, rain and sun
At day-long free event, experts offer advice to inspire spring gardening
Saturday class, presentations focus on vegetable gardening
Free workshop offers advice on fire-wise landscaping renovations
Show and sale features Sacramento Valley's best outdoor orchids
Cold, rainy conditions in forecast for Sacramento
Greatest hits recipe: Ricotta cheese, phyllo part of a perfect brunch dish
Expect a soggy end to winter and start of spring
Expect spring to get off to a soggy start, weather service says
Visit a garden of natives as the green season gets going
Award-winning garden writer, author helped solve backyard mysteries
New Roseville nursery and garden store will be packed with activities March 18
Sacramento Perennial Plant Club hosts vendors and 'The Plant Lady' on Saturday
Triple-orange sugar cookies with or without orange glaze
Sacramento gets soaked (again) as we ‘spring’ forward
Workshop focuses on how plant-based diet can promote better health
Popular Saturday events washed out by weather
Sacramento region could get 4-plus inches of rain, wind gusts up to 50 mph
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Local News
Thanks to Our Sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of March 9
Make the most of the sunny days before the rain arrives mid-week; your garden needs some TLC.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Start preparing vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.
* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Feed citrus trees, which are starting to bloom. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.
* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product; organic fertilizers tend to have lower numbers, such as 4-4-4).
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.
* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.
* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.
* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.
* Soil pH is important for blueberries to produce a crop. Now is the time to test the soil around the plants using a soil test or soil meter. The soil should be in the 4.5 to 5.5 range; most Sacramento soil is in the 7 range. The sulfur package will list the amount to apply, depending on what the test shows.
Powered by California Local
