Community Garden hosts free composting workshop
Kitchen waste is the basis of free "garden gold" -- compost! Use as an amendment or a mulch, and your soil will benefit. Photo courtesy City of Elk Grove and Republic Services
Here's a great deal for Elk Grove residents: Turn kitchen waste into a rich soil amendment for your garden. Make your own compost and improve your soil, too.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, learn how to make “garden gold” with a compost workshop offered by the City of Elk Grove and Republic Services.
Free for Elk Grove residents, this hands-on demonstration will be held at Elk Grove Community Garden, 10025 Hampton Oak Drive, Elk Grove.
Space is limited and advance registration is encouraged. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/elk-grove-compost-workshop-tickets-691058493557.
The one-hour workshop will cover the basics of composting, how to mix “greens” (fresh material) with “browns” (dried material) for faster results, plus what to do with the compost when it’s ready. Not only will you be recycling organic waste (banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc.), you’ll be saving money: Soil amendment is expensive!
For more on organic recycling in Elk Grove: https://www.elkgrovecity.org/recycling-and-waste/organic-recycling.
Not an Elk Grove resident? Check out the free Compost and Mulch workshop scheduled by the City of Roseville, 10 a.m. Sept. 23. Registration information is here.
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
Powered by California Local
