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Taste tomatoes with superstar hybridizer Brad Gates

Green Acres hosts special event at its Auburn location

New varieties and old favorites will be among the tomatoes available for tasting at Green Acres in Auburn on Aug. 31.

New varieties and old favorites will be among the tomatoes available for tasting at Green Acres in Auburn on Aug. 31. Courtesy Green Acres Nursery & Supply

Here’s an opportunity to get your tomato questions answered – and discover some great tasting varieties to plant next year.

On Saturday, Aug. 31, Green Acres Nursery & Supply at Eisley’s in Auburn will host a special tomato tasting event featuring recent introductions as well as old standards – with an extra-special guest, tomato superstar Brad Gates. 

From 10 a.m. to noon, sample tomatoes in a rainbow of colors and a wide range of flavor intensities. (They all basically taste like tomatoes, but – as gardeners know – some are sweeter and more flavorful than others.)

In addition, Gates will talk about tomatoes in a 30-minute presentation starting at 10 a.m.

Admission and parking are free; no advance registration necessary.

“Join us for a delightful tomato tasting event on Saturday, Aug. 31, at our Auburn location,” say the hosts. “Sample new and traditional varieties to add to your planting list next season. Tomatoes will be provided by a few of our exceptional garden gurus, grown right in the Sacramento region!”

Leading the discussion will be the event’s speaker – legendary hybridizer Brad Gates, who has made homegrown tomatoes more colorful as well as flavorful. Recapping this challenging season as well as his own new hybrids, Gates will give a tomato talk at 10 a.m.

Man in cap
Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms

“Get the inside scoop on growing tomatoes from Brad Gates, founder and cultivator of Wild Boar Exotic Tomatoes,” say the hosts.

Wild Boar Farms is famous for its multicolored varieties with crazy names such as Berkeley Tie-Dye, Pork Chop, Cosmic Eclipse and Brad’s Atomic Grape. Wild Boar produces “the most outrageous tomato varieties available on the planet,” Gates says on his website. “Our focus is in breeding stunning-looking tomato varieties with extreme flavor. ...

“Our tomato varieties are the result of many years of hard work growing tens of thousands of plants, being very picky about seed selection and capitalizing on some amazing gifts from Mother Nature.”

Green Acres is located at 380 Nevada St., Auburn.

Details and directions: https://idiggreenacres.com/.

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Garden checklist for week of May 10

Take it easy during that high heat – then get to work! Your garden is calling.

* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

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Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

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Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth