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General Gardening Articles

Fri, May 16, 2025

Get free organic mulch at 'Mulch Mayhem'

Water providers in Sacramento and Placer counties offer customers a chance to load up

Thu, May 15, 2025

Native plant garden open Sunday for rambling and observing

Admission to Yolo garden is free but registration is required

Wed, May 14, 2025

Shop huge selection of succulents, cacti

Carmichael Cactus and Succulent Society hosts 47th annual show and sale.

Tue, May 13, 2025

FIMBY: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

Spend at least a few minutes daily observing -- and responding

Mon, May 12, 2025

Placer master gardeners host 'Giving Day' reception

See Loomis Demonstration Garden in bloom while helping it grow

Fri, May 09, 2025

UC Davis Arboretum hosts Spring Clearance Sale

Select from more than 13,000 water-wise plants at bargain prices

Wed, May 07, 2025

Got garden questions? Come to Open Garden

Watch master gardeners in action at three locations and learn

Tue, May 06, 2025

FIMBY: Maintain moisture for garden success

Mulch works magic – and get free mulch at upcoming event

Mon, May 05, 2025

East Sac Garden Tour returns this weekend

Celebrate Mother's Day in style at beloved event in Sacramento's Fabulous Forties

Fri, May 02, 2025

The Hive hosts its own honey festival

Learn about pollinators, taste honey and mead at Woodland site

Thu, May 01, 2025

Peaceful spot in west Folsom worth a visit

Find inspiration in nature center's native plant landscaping

Wed, Apr 30, 2025

Gardens Gone Native Tour returns Saturday

See more than two dozen private and school gardens featuring California native plants

Tue, Apr 29, 2025

FIMBY: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

Problems this early usually can be fixed -- or there's time to start over

Mon, Apr 28, 2025

Love succulents? Cactus? This Sacramento show, sale is for you

Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society hosts huge three-day event

Fri, Apr 25, 2025

See private gardens galore on these local tours

River Park, Folsom, Curtis Park and Davis destinations in spring spotlight

Wed, Apr 23, 2025

UC Davis Arboretum hosts huge plant sale

Open to the public, this event features thousands of water-wise perennials, trees, shrubs and more

Tue, Apr 22, 2025

FIMBY: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

How tariffs are expected to affect cost-conscious gardeners

Mon, Apr 21, 2025

Sacramento Rose Show moves to new location, day

77th annual celebration to be held in Carmichael; see hundreds of blooms (and take some home)

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of May 18

Get outside early in the morning while temperatures are still cool – and get to work!

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. Transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.

* Plant dahlia tubers.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Are birds picking your fruit off trees before it’s ripe? Try hanging strips of aluminum foil on tree branches. The shiny, dangling strips help deter birds from making themselves at home.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

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!