Procrastinators can still get in the spirit at these favorite haunts
The corn maze at Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon covers 60 acres. Halloween is the last day to try it out this year. Courtesy Cool Patch Pumpkins
Happy (almost) Halloween! If you haven’t already, there’s still time to get in the Halloween spirit – and enjoy some time outdoors, too.
While pumpkin pickings may be slim at neighborhood supermarkets, there are still plenty of distinctive and good-looking gourds at local pumpkin patches. All seven Green Acres Nursery & Supply locations will keep their pumpkin patches open through (at least) Tuesday with more than a dozen varieties. (Uncarved pumpkins make good decorations for Thanksgiving, too.) Green Acres nurseries are located in Sacramento, Auburn, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rocklin and Roseville. For directions and details: www.idiggreenacres.com.
The biggest pumpkin patch in the Sacramento area is Dave’s Pumpkin Patch at Vierra Farms in West Sacramento. Open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Halloween Tuesday, Dave’s does a lot more than sell pumpkins. Located at 3010 Burrows Ave., the farm hosts its annual “Cornival” with hay ride, “jumping pillow,” corn maze, hay pyramid, hay maze and farm animals. Don’t miss Dave’s famous hot apple cider cinnamon donuts.
Admission is $12 per person, age 3 or older. Tots age 2 and younger admitted free. Because of its rural location, Dave’s accepts only cash or check on site. Tickets maybe purchased by debit or credit card in advance online: https://www.vierrafarms.com/.
Feel like taking a drive? Amador Flower Farm, known for its millions of daylilies, has its pumpkin patch and kid-friendly corn maze open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. Admission and parking are free. In the heart of Amador wine country, the flower farm is located near Plymouth less than an hour from downtown Sacramento. Details and directions: https://www.amadorflowerfarm.com/.
Our area’s biggest and most famous Halloween attraction: Cool Patch Pumpkins’ world’s largest corn maze. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, this Dixon attraction draws crowds from throughout Northern California. During the final countdown to Halloween, it’s a little less packed and only 20 miles from Sacramento.
With the help of GPS, the maze – which covers more than 60 acres – is cut differently every September. Allow at least an hour to get through the maze. Five bridges allow visitors to get above the corn and see the pattern – which is actually a tribute to farmers.
“Every year, the maze is completely unique,” says the owners. “This year, we honor the hard work and dedication it takes to be a modern day farmer! In the 1800s, 90 percent of the U.S. population lived on farms; today it is around 1 percent. So no matter who you are or where you're from, chances are you have farming in your heritage.”
More than 20 years ago, Cool Patch started as a pumpkin patch, and the Cooley family farm still boasts an amazing selection in its U-Pick fields (as well as pre-harvested pumpkins). Cool Patch grows more than 50 varieties of decorative pumpkins and gourds. Choose the one you want and pick it right off the vine.
Located at 6150 Dixon Ave. West, Cool Patch is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Halloween Tuesday. Admission is $22 for ages 6 and up; children age 5 and younger admitted free. Details and directions: https://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/.
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower
July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show
July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)
July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy
July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies
June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden
June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners
June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)
June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself
June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude
May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?
May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs
May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power
May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens
May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums
March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses
Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?
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Garden checklist for week of Aug. 2
Get out early in the morning and monitor your garden’s moisture needs. Deep water and add temporary shade structures for plants that are feeling a little burned. In particular, protect developing peppers and eggplant.
* Put off fertilization until this heat passes; plants need to concentrate on hydration instead of growth.
* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers.
* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.
* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don’t let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.
* Pinch off dead flowers from perennials and annuals to lengthen their summer bloom.
* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot.
* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.
* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.
* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.
* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips. Make sure to keep seeds and seedlings consistently moist.
* Plant potatoes.
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Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com
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
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
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
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