Locally produced gardening calendar a helpful gift all year long

The price is right, just $12 each including sales tax, and available online or at area nurseries/retail outlets. Sacramento's can be ordered here; the retail sellers are listed on the same page. Placer's order page is here, which also includes a link to the retailers carrying it in Placer, Nevada and El Dorado counties. 

Prices for calendars purchased at retailers may be slightly higher; online orders include postage costs.

Both gardening guides are fundraisers to support these busy master gardener programs, which rely tremendously on volunteers and donations.

If you want to order online, I would hurry and do it before Dec. 8. I've heard though the grapevine that UC Agriculture and Natural Resources  -- the UC Cooperative Extension's umbrella department -- will be moving its servers to a new data center Dec. 8-10, so the websites will be down for that period.

So what's in these calendars? The Sacramento guide for 2024 focuses on "Habitat Gardening, " with calendar pages devoted to plants that benefit wildlife. January, for example, focuses on native oaks, a "keystone species" for California birds, butterflies and other insects. Behind the calendar pages is essentially a mini course on habitat gardening, discussing plant families, beneficials, local habitats to visit and bird-friendly practices. The Sacramento month-by-month planting chart is a standard part of the annual guide.

The Placer master gardeners in their Valley- and foothills-tailored guide suggest "Try Something New." February's article, for example, looks at "Redefining Your Garden," perfect for the time of year when planning rather than planting is a gardener's primary activity. April's page discusses "Succulents in Small Spaces," certainly a great topic for folks with limited growing space.

Both guides are like having a master gardener in your back pocket, plus an at-your-fingertips place to record weather notes, monthly reminders and quarterly garden duties. (Sprayed your peach trees yet?) I really couldn't garden without mine!