Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival returns Oct. 5 and 6
New! Toasted coconut, mustard seeds and nuts provide crunch
After September heat, October starts out with triple digits
UC Davis Arboretum celebrates 50 years of fall plant sales.
Water-wise gardening, lavender crafts, fascinating insects and a river habitat celebration
All seven locations will offer seasonal family fun, garden workshops
After oak falls on her house, Auburn teacher turns once-shady space into pollinator paradise
Mazes, pumpkin patch, free tram tours plus gardening experts
New! End-of-summer squash in a side dish or appetizer
Fall gets off to a hot start; it’s time to plant for cool weather ahead
Placer County master gardeners will sell new information-packed calendar at Auburn Home and Harvest Fest
CNPS chapter holds Sept. 21-22 sale with pick-up later
Participate in national Roses in Review survey
Street Festival takes over Capitol Mall; The Village Feast returns to Davis Central Park
Elk Grove landscape designer shows how to use native plants to create bird- and bee-friendly gardens
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition
Coming soon: Much cooler temperatures with possibility of rain
Demonstration garden in Loomis hosts open house, workshop
Sacramento master gardeners will be available for questions, tips during Open Garden
The Secret Garden celebrates with two weekends of family fun
Green Acres hosts veggie talks plus a houseplant pot-up event
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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Garden Checklist for week of Sept. 22
Why plant now? Plants like it: Warm soil is great for planting and rapid root development.
* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant. Some tomatoes and peppers may stretch their harvest into October or November.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing. If you see no new fruit on your tomatoes, pull them out.
* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.
* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.
* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.
* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies.
* Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.
* Late September is ideal for sowing a new lawn or re-seeding bare spots.