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Fri, Oct 24, 2025

World-record corn maze salutes America’s farmers

Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon offers 40-acre maze and other Halloween fun

Thu, Oct 23, 2025

Find bargain plants that are ‘Good Choices’ this weekend

Small plants, seed mixes, California natives available

Wed, Oct 22, 2025

Plant natives this fall, help wildlife year round

Attract more songbirds, bees and butterflies by offering a colorful buffet.

Tue, Oct 21, 2025

FIMBY: Change is in the autumn air

Cooler weather and more moisture bring pest, fungal issues

Mon, Oct 20, 2025

Big year for giant pumpkins

NorCal growers top contests; meanwhile, local pumpkin patches boast good supplies

Sun, Oct 19, 2025

Double dose of apples in an easy fall tart

New! Apple butter layered under slices of apple

Sat, Oct 18, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 19

Sunny break makes for ideal fall planting conditions

Fri, Oct 17, 2025

Art by Fire hosts fall sale at Shepard Center

Huge event features handmade pottery, ceramics, glass and metalwork

Thu, Oct 16, 2025

Biggest Arboretum plant sale of fall is this Saturday

Expect a huge selection, including many California natives

Wed, Oct 15, 2025

Green Acres hosts huge rose show in (where else?) Roseville

Sierra Foothills Rose Show will feature hundreds of blooms on Oct. 18

Tue, Oct 14, 2025

FIMBY: We don't talk (enough) about beets

The root vegetable includes a second crop: its leafy greens

Mon, Oct 13, 2025

Church rose garden site of free evening concert

Public invited to enjoy baroque music, surrounded by flowers

Sun, Oct 12, 2025

Flavorful pork chops start with apples, onions

New! Pork chops with caramelized apples and onions

Sat, Oct 11, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 12

Get ready for an unusually wet and cold week

Fri, Oct 10, 2025

Get a grant to help your garden project

Schools, clubs and community groups can apply for program offered by the Sacramento Perennial Plant Club

Thu, Oct 09, 2025

Open Garden days all around this weekend

Much to see and learn in Loomis, Placerville and South Natomas

Wed, Oct 08, 2025

Become a porcelain artist at 'Paint-In'

Camellia City Porcelain Artists host hands-on demonstrations at annual show, sale

Tue, Oct 07, 2025

FIMBY: Fava beans do double duty

Winter cover crop also produces delicious beans and greens

Mon, Oct 06, 2025

Ton-topping pumpkin wins Elk Grove weigh-off

First-time champion grower sets Elk Grove record with his giant gourd – 2,147 pounds

Sun, Oct 05, 2025

Peppers plus chicken plus beans -- could it be chili?

New! Call it stew or soup or something else, but it's perfect for fall

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

WINTER:

Jan. 20: Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Jan. 13: Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Jan. 6: Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Dec. 30: Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

Dec. 23: Is edible gardening possible indoors?

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

WINTER

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

Local News

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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 Feb. 1

Take advantage of this week's “normal” February weather and get to work!

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots. Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose-leaf and head varieties).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions. Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips. (Hint: Soak the beet seeds first.)

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before they bloom. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees soon after a rain. But remember: Oils need at least 24 hours to dry to be effective. Don’t spray during foggy weather or when rain is forecast.

* Give spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials some slow-release fertilizer. Fertilize mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Remove aphids from blooming bulbs with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.

* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.

Contact Us

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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!