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General Gardening Articles

Tue, Feb 20, 2024

SacTree needs volunteers for Rancho Cordova tree planting

Registration is open for more neighborhood tree plantings in March and April; families welcome.

Mon, Feb 19, 2024

'Women in Agriculture' share insights into sustainable farming

Sacramento Speakers Series supports scholarships for future farmers and more

Fri, Feb 16, 2024

Murer House in Folsom hosts ninth annual Camellia Day

Feb. 24 event includes blossom show, tours and speaker Greg Gayton

Thu, Feb 15, 2024

Plant sales jam calendar for spring

Save these dates for great finds at great prices

Wed, Feb 14, 2024

Valentine's Day a perfect time to talk roses

Roses are more popular than ever, but what do they mean?

Tue, Feb 13, 2024

Tomato superstar Brad Gates to offer his top tips

Wild Boar Farms breeder will be at Green Acres in Auburn and Sacramento

Mon, Feb 12, 2024

Grab your binoculars for the Great Backyard Bird Count

Volunteer birdwatchers of all ages can take part in four-day census

Fri, Feb 09, 2024

How much rain did Sacramento get from early February storms?

Trees got a good, deep soaking from recent 'atmospheric rivers'

Thu, Feb 08, 2024

The sun will be back Saturday, so bundle up and get outside

Calendar is packed with gardening and related events

Wed, Feb 07, 2024

Looking for a unique Valentine? The Secret Garden offers fun workshops

Recipient can make a birdhouse with a succulent roof or a living centerpiece

Tue, Feb 06, 2024

Learn to grow blueberries in your backyard

Placer County master gardeners offer free workshop

Mon, Feb 05, 2024

Find gardening inspiration, answers at Open Garden Day this weekend in Fair Oaks

Sacramento master gardeners will be on hand to offer advice and tips

Fri, Feb 02, 2024

Farmer Fred shares how to grow a 'Heart Healthy Garden'

After heart surgery, popular garden expert changed his life with homegrown vegetables, fruit

Wed, Jan 31, 2024

Recent warm days wake up pesky mosquitoes

Control district sees spike in calls -- but winter storms this week will bring relief

Tue, Jan 30, 2024

Learn how to start vegetables, flowers from seed

Green Acres offers free seed-starting workshop at all seven locations

Mon, Jan 29, 2024

NorCal Home & Landscape Expo returns to Cal Expo

Huge three-day show features designer landscapes and free seminars

Fri, Jan 26, 2024

Is Sacramento headed for an early spring?

Warm days and early blooms belie true weather conditions

Thu, Jan 25, 2024

Enjoy the subtle sights of a native plant garden in winter

Sign up for a free winter ramble Sunday near Davis

Wed, Jan 24, 2024

The Claw season ends Monday in Sacramento

In-street pick-up service wraps up for another winter

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Garden checklist for week of May 3

Make the most of pleasant spring weather – 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 lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* 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.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* 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.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

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