First October weekend brings a bushel basket of events

The October calendar already is packed with events celebrating fall and offering myriad opportunities for gardeners to learn, buy and plant. Here are some coming up this weekend, in addition to the Shepard Center Fall Sale and Green Acres events we've already written up:

-- Placer County master gardeners' Fall Open House at their Loomis Demonstration Garden, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. This free, family-friendly event features two live presentations: At 10 a.m., a talk on California's state insect, the dogface butterfly, and at 11:30 a.m., "Beyond the Lawn: Water Features." Master gardeners will staff the garden and will be eager to answer gardening questions.

The event also will feature activities for kids and adults, plus the Miridae Mobile Nursery will have native plants for sale. The Loomis garden is on the grounds of the Loomis Library and Community Center, 6050 Library Drive, Loomis.

-- El Dorado County master gardeners' Fall Into Gardening celebration, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, at their Sherwood Demonstration Garden,  6699 Campus Drive, Placerville. This free event will mark the 10th anniversary of the garden's opening and 15th anniversary of the groundbreaking.

Presentations will be offered throughout the event, taught by master gardeners unless otherwise noted. They will include: 10 a.m., Propagation -- Cutting, Division and Seeding; 11 a.m., Composting; 11:45 a.m, Garden Myths, presented by Marlene Simon, aka The Plant Lady; and 12:45 p.m., Vermiculture. A variety of other groups, including beekeepers, 4-H and master food preservers, will be part of the event as well. Admission is free; parking is $2.

-- The Yolo County master gardeners' Fall Plant Sale, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road, Woodland. Rain or shine. The sale will include California native plants, drought-tolerant ornaments, perennials for pollinators and cool-season annuals. Prices are $3 for 4-inch pots, $5 for quarts and $7 for gallons. Cash, credit cards and checks accepted.

-- The Orangevale Farm & Garden Club's Fall Plant Sale Fundraiser,  8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 4, Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut Ave., Orangevale.  On sale will be fall veggie seedlings (just $2) as well as perennials, succulents and houseplants. Cash, credit/debit, Zeffy and Zelle will be accepted.

-- Bohart Museum of Entomology Open House on Sunday, Oct. 5. This UC Davis museum has an astonishing collection, and makes a perfect outing for any kid who loves bugs. The event, themed "Museum ABCs: How to Collect and Curate," will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in the museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It is free and family friendly. Parking is also free.

"We will take some of the mysteries out of entomology and the collecting-to-curating process," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.

-- Natomas Library Pollinator Party, 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. Children of all ages and their families can learn about native plants and pollinators in this hands-on program. Free. North Natomas Library: 4660 Via Ingoglia, Sacramento. Sponsored by the Friends of North Natomas Library. 

-- Soil Born Farms' class on "Plant Propagation for the Home Gardener," 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. Learn how to grow plants from cuttings at the farm. $30. Class will be taught by Emily Hain, greenhouse manager, at Soil Born's American River Ranch, 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova. Register here.