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Image caption: A pitcher plant blooms in a Sacramento backyard.

Featured: Discover fascinating world of bug-eating plants

Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society hosts 55th annual show and sale

Tue, Jun 17, 2025

FIMBY: Help pollinators help your garden

Tips on how to attract more bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators

Mon, Jun 16, 2025

Daylily Days return to Amador Flower Farm

Enjoy more than a million flowers in bloom in heart of Amador wine country

Sat, Jun 14, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 15

Spring ends with warm days and a potential heat spike

Fri, Jun 13, 2025

Sacramento Tree Foundation hosts Midtown Tree Tour

Free guided tour explores shady streets in historic neighborhood

Thu, Jun 12, 2025

Learn summer tree care in two Saturday events

Free workshops in Roseville, Del Paso Heights

Tue, Jun 10, 2025

FIMBY: Battling early-season tomato pests

Awareness and perseverance will keep plants, fruit in good shape

Mon, Jun 09, 2025

Art Elephant Sale, Indigo Dye Day return to Shepard Center

Sacramento Collective for the Textile Arts hosts fun combination event

Sun, Jun 08, 2025

Cheery way to start the day: Pancakes packed with cherries

New! Cherry buttermilk pancakes made with fresh sweet fruit

Sat, Jun 07, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 8

Expect rapid growth with warm summer-like weather

Fri, Jun 06, 2025

Folsom's Murer House hosts Lavender Day

Come learn (and taste) all things lavender in this free event

Wed, Jun 04, 2025

Tour gardens (and help kids) during 'Gardens of the Hills'

Assistance League Sierra Foothills hosts 15th annual fundraising tour

Tue, Jun 03, 2025

FIMBY: Make your own compost; save money and water

Recycle garden and kitchen waste into nutrient-packed fertilizer

Mon, Jun 02, 2025

Sacramento Tree Foundation celebrates at growing Hanami Line

Unique fundraiser supports SacTree’s plantings and other programs

Sat, May 31, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 1

June starts with a welcome cool-down (but still warm).

Fri, May 30, 2025

Snakes alive! This little guy eats slugs

A garden good guy, sharp-tailed snake looks like a giant red worm

Thu, May 29, 2025

Pleasures and perplexities: Learn about the 3 P's of growing tomatoes and peppers

Planting, pruning, problems are focus of El Dorado County workshop

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of June 15

Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)

* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.

* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Pull weeds before they go to seed.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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!