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Sat, Dec 31, 2022

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 1

New year starts soggy, with more rain on the way

Fri, Dec 30, 2022

Resolutions for gardeners: Have more fun

Tips to help make 2023 your best gardening year

Thu, Dec 29, 2022

Too wet to garden? Catch up on how-to videos

Check out the offerings from the region's master gardeners

Wed, Dec 28, 2022

How to keep your garden afloat in atmospheric river

Up to 3 inches of rain expected in Sacramento through

Tue, Dec 27, 2022

Looking for a bargain? Plant bare root

Fruit trees, roses, berries and more available 'naked' and ready to plant

Sun, Dec 25, 2022

What to do with leftover rolls? Make dessert

Lemon bread pudding with Greek yogurt, raisins and almonds

Sat, Dec 24, 2022

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Dec. 25

Expect a wet finale to 2022 with widespread rain

Fri, Dec 23, 2022

Christmas camellias perfect for Sacramento

'Yuletide' brightens holidays, feeds hummingbirds with December blooms

Thu, Dec 22, 2022

A lively natural habitat includes birds

Feathered friends need food help in winter

Wed, Dec 21, 2022

'Wet and mild' winter could be ahead

Northern California winter forecast is for rain but not too cold

Tue, Dec 20, 2022

Frost damage can show up days later

Don't cut the plant back while weather is still cold

Mon, Dec 19, 2022

Fog and cold lead to attack of gray mold

Damp weather has kicked some fungal diseases into high gear

Sun, Dec 18, 2022

A coffee cake to make for a busy week

Pears contrast with tart cranberries

Fri, Dec 16, 2022

Prune-a-thon returns to McKinley Rose Garden

Learn rose care while helping at this landmark site

Thu, Dec 15, 2022

Five great gifts for gardeners

These are practical and useful all year

Wed, Dec 14, 2022

How to keep poinsettias happy and blooming

Tips for selecting healthy holiday plants

Tue, Dec 13, 2022

After storms, expect several frosty nights

Rainfall has been good in December, but it's over for now

Mon, Dec 12, 2022

Fallen photinia teaches lesson about roots

Crown rot revealed by wind gust during storm

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!