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Thu, Jul 20, 2023

Sacramento County's Harvest Day returns Aug. 5

Plant talks, vendors, food and fun during annual gardening celebration

Wed, Jul 19, 2023

Beyond Jalapenogate: Tough summer for pepper lovers

Cool spring challenged seedling growth, no matter the pepper variety

Tue, Jul 18, 2023

Give trees extra water, TLC during summer heat

Easy irrigation method: Use a bucket with a hole in it

Mon, Jul 17, 2023

Record Sacramento heat brings outbreak of spider mites

Stay hydrated and give your plants a morning shower

Sun, Jul 16, 2023

Whip up a summer cake that takes no baking

Recipe: Peaches and cookies chill in a cool treat

Sat, Jul 15, 2023

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of July 16

Intense heat will challenge midsummer garden

Fri, Jul 14, 2023

Make a 'jewelry box garden' for precious succulents

Sign up now for Green Acres workshops at all locations

Thu, Jul 13, 2023

Learn about good bugs that help control bad bugs

Free UC webinar on 'Natural Enemies & Beneficial Bugs'

Wed, Jul 12, 2023

In all its ag glory, California State Fair opens Friday

Emphasis will be on food with return of festival; visit master gardeners at The Farm

Tue, Jul 11, 2023

Get ready for 'excessive heat' this week

Tips to help keep gardeners, gardens more comfortable in triple-digit weather

Mon, Jul 10, 2023

Iris rhizome sale features hundreds of varieties

Bearded irises are a perfect addition to water-wise Sacramento gardens.

Sun, Jul 09, 2023

Flavorful frittata is good for any meal

Recipe: Spinach-mushroom-pancetta frittata for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Sat, Jul 08, 2023

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of July 9

Make most of mild weather before triple-digit heat returns Friday, opening day of the State Fair.

Fri, Jul 07, 2023

Tickets now on sale for Exotic Plants’ Luau Night

Food, fun and Kokedama orchid workshop part of July 29 special event.

Thu, Jul 06, 2023

Learn water-wise tips for hot July

Make the most of your irrigation; Green Acres offers free workshops.

Wed, Jul 05, 2023

Sacramento Shade program offers free trees, more shade

Program offers more choices to grow our urban forest while withstanding wild weather swings.

Tue, Jul 04, 2023

Last chance to see Shepard Center ‘yarn bombing’

Colorful creations to come down Friday; on Saturday, Shepard Center holds annual meeting.

Mon, Jul 03, 2023

'Jalapenogate is a real thing'

Mystery peppers cause headaches in Sacramento area, nationwide

Sun, Jul 02, 2023

Chilled berry soup a winner

Cool fruity appetizer for a hot summer night

Sat, Jul 01, 2023

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of July 2

Red-hot start could make July challenging

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 5

Take advantage of this break between storm systems to give your garden some much-needed TLC.

* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.

* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback. Save them until summer.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.

* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.

* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.

* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees soon after a rain to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.

* This is also the time to spray a copper-based fungicide to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. (The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.)

* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.

* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.

* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.

* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.

* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.

* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.

* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.

* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.

* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranuculous and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.

* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!