Harvest Day: One-stop gardening destination

Harvest Day – Sacramento County’s biggest free garden gathering – isn’t just about master gardeners sharing their expertise. It’s a one-stop celebration of gardening know-how – and a great place to do some garden shopping.

See for yourself on Saturday, Aug. 2, when Sacramento County master gardeners host this annual event at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center next to Fair Oaks Park.

Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Harvest Day is a “Gardener’s Dream Day,” with lots to do, see and learn. Admission and parking are free. No pets, please.

Who’s going to be at Harvest Day? A huge slice of the Sacramento area’s garden-related businesses and organizations. At least 10 vendors and 30 nonprofit clubs, garden companies or other organizations will have tables set up outside the Hort Center’s main entrance. Find interesting plants, garden accessories, garden gear and more.

Among the vendors confirmed for Saturday:

• Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society

• Fleet Feet

• Full Moon Metal Design

• Hummingbird Feeders R Us

• Miridae Mobile Nursery

• Morningsun Herb Farm

• Wild Birds & Gardens

• Stones by Laurie

• Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company

• Bruce Fairman Pottery

Harvest Day is dedicated to garden education. The community resources present are particularly diverse. Among this year’s education tables:

• 4-H Sacramento County

• Audubon Society

• 

  Brodeur Landscapes

• California Department of Food and Ag

• The Davey Tree Expert Co.

• EB Stone & Son

• Effie Yeaw Nature Center

• El Dorado 8

• Fair Oaks Water District

• Florin Perkins Landscape Materials

• FOLFAN (Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma)

• Green Acres Nursery and Supply

• Kellogg Garden Products

• LeafFilter Gutter Protection

• Sacramento Master Gardeners Gardening Guide and Calendar

• Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition

• Sacramento County Dept. of Waste Management and Recycling

• Sacramento County Dept. of Water Resources, Stormwater Quality

• Sacramento Perennial Plant Club

• Sacramento River Valley Garden Clubs

• Sacramento Valley Chapter, California Native Plant Society

• Sacramento Valley Urban Forests Council

• Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito Vector Control District

• Sierra Foothills Rose Society

• SMUD

• Solidaritus Health, Inc.

• The Renaissance Society

• UC Master Food Preservers

• William Walker Law Office

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Preservation

Included in that list is the master gardeners' own sales table. It’s the first chance to get the new “2026 Gardening Guide & Calendar” with the theme “Gardening: Basics and Beyond.” Cash and checks are accepted. (They're still working on details for credit cards, so it's best not to assume cards will be accepted.)

There is also some late-breaking news this week regarding the main Harvest Day speaker lineup: Due to illness, fire ecologist Katie Low has had to bow out of her appearance, but her topic remains on the schedule. Kevin Marini, a certified arborist and UC ANR community education specialist in home horticulture and defensible space, will step in to discuss "Community Wildfire Preparedness Fundamentals," at 9:45 a.m. Saturday in the speakers tent.

The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, just south of Madison Avenue.