Be prepared for 2024 with the Gardening Guide & Calendar

The Sacramento County master gardeners' Harvest Day event not only is a celebration of the current gardening year, it also brings a subtle reminder that the 2024 gardening year is not that far off.

That's because the next Gardening Guide & Calendar goes on sale for the first time during Harvest Day,  this Saturday, Aug. 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The new price for this invaluable publication is $12, slightly higher than in previous years to cover increased costs. But it's still a bargain, stuffed with monthly gardening tips, a Sacramento planting guide and lists of websites to UC research-based gardening information.

The theme of the 2024 publication is " ... into the wild ... Habitat Gardening," defined as plantings that feed, shelter and otherwise benefit insects,  birds and other wildlife.  Each month's calendar pages features information on important plants for wildlife -- from oaks in January to winter berries in December -- while the back section goes into more detail on how to "habitat garden." Here's a sample:

"Creating a habitat garden can be as simple or as complicated as you want, and can be done on any size lot. Convert a traditional landscape to attract and support wild creatures. All, like us, need food, shelter and water to survive. Habitat gardening will provide all of those whether we have a large garden, a strip of yard or a sunny porch."

The Gardening Guide & Calendar features gorgeous plant pictures, many by local master gardeners Jan Fetler, Roxie Jones, Greta Lacin, Pam Bone and Pat Schink. Edited by Laura Cerles-Rogers, it's written by Sacramento master gardeners for Sacramento-area gardens. (Full disclosure: I'm also a contributor to the publication.)

As usual, the Gardening Guide & Calendar will be available soon at area retailers and online, but the debut sale is always at Harvest Day -- with the added incentive of no tax or shipping costs.