NEW Sunny strawberry-Meyer lemon preserves without added pectin
Make most of mild Memorial Day weekend weather
How to make the most now of our unusual spring combination
Free compost available to residents in pilot recycling program
Huge sale and educational event set for Memorial Day weekend in Elk Grove
Also on tap: Guided tour of Capitol Park trees
Too much of a good thing can break tree branches in summer
NEW Ricotta and lemon zest give brunch dish some tang
Warm weather brings rapid snow melt – and cold water
Get advice from experts in Sacramento and El Dorado counties
Event near Davis is free but requires registration
Event features hundreds of vendors, exhibits and cute animals
Ikebana club and Friends of East Sacramento present event full of 'useful and interesting stuff'
Carmichael Cactus and Succulent Society hosts 45th annual sale
NEW Almond flavor three ways enhances the fruit-filled muffins
Heat arrives and so does vegetable planting time
Find huge discounts on water-wise selections, perfect for our climate
Six Loomis and Granite Bay sites to welcome visitors
Find hundreds of rare plants at Sacramento chrysanthemum cutting sale
Sacramento Rose Society hosts auction; heritage rose expert holds yard sale
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Garden Checklist for week of Oct. 20
* October is the best month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Add a little well-aged compost and bone meal to the planting hole, but hold off on other fertilizers until spring. Keep the transplants well-watered (but not wet) for the first month as they become settled.
* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.
* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.
* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.
* Harvest apples and pears. Pick up fallen fruit.
* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.
* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.
* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.
* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.