Sacramento Digs Gardening logo

Sacramento Digs Gardening Articles

Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

All Articles

Image caption: For bright spots in the garden this summer -- not to mention happy bees -- plant cosmos from seed now.

Featured: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 29

After spring heat wave, prepare for some long-awaited showers

Fri, Mar 27, 2026

Exotic Plants hosts huge ‘Community Plant Swap’

Bring a plant, take a plant; shop from vendors, too

Fri, Mar 27, 2026

Save the dates now for Sacramento-area garden tours

Native plant gardens on view, plus several neighborhood fundraising events

Wed, Mar 25, 2026

Arboretum invites volunteers to ‘Weed Out Stress’

Get some exercise while helping at UC Davis' public garden

Tue, Mar 24, 2026

FLIMBY: Azaleas brighten shady spots

Dependable flowering shrubs bloom in late winter, early spring and sometimes more

Mon, Mar 23, 2026

Student farmers host big plant sale

Find summer vegetables, flowers at Burbank Urban Garden in Sacramento

Sun, Mar 22, 2026

Strawberry bread pudding heralds the new season

New! Spring dessert or brunch dish uses any bread plus fresh or frozen berries

Sat, Mar 21, 2026

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 22

OK, plant some tomatoes; March heat wave continues for another week

Fri, Mar 20, 2026

Spring heat wave may lead to early tomatoes

Soil temperature is warming rapidly with record March highs

Thu, Mar 19, 2026

Revel in early spring at a garden of native plants

Patricia Carpenter opens her garden Sunday to visitors

Wed, Mar 18, 2026

Learn about fruit tree care, from planting to pruning

Placer County master gardeners present free workshop in Lincoln

Sun, Mar 15, 2026

Eat your weeds: How to turn dandelions delicious

New! Braised dandelion greens with spring onions

Sat, Mar 14, 2026

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 15

Winter ending with record heat – but hold off on planting tomatoes

Fri, Mar 13, 2026

Green Acres hosts Spring Fest in Auburn

Event offers gardening fun for the whole family

Thu, Mar 12, 2026

Come see spring emerging at Open Garden Day in Fair Oaks

Therapy dogs will be special guests at Saturday event

Wed, Mar 11, 2026

Shepard Center hosts huge Spring Sale

Local clubs offer plants, flowers, crafts, jewelry, books, garden art and more

Tue, Mar 10, 2026

FLIMBY: Keep camellias happy for years to come

This winter-flowering shrub is perfect for Sacramento

Mon, Mar 09, 2026

Sacramento rose auction features small-space favorites

Plenty of compact varieties available to highest bidders

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Local News

Ad for California Local

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Garden checklist for week of March 29

Make the most of this pleasant weather. Your garden is calling. (And those weeds won’t be ignored.)

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden. As nights consistently warm up over 50 degrees, start setting out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beets, carrots, endrive, fennel, jicama, radishes, turnips and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters,  celosia, cosmos, cornflowers, marigolds, salvia, verbena and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant heat-resistant lettuce seedlings.

* 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.

* 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.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

Contact Us

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event.  sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

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