Sacramento Digs Gardening logo
Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Saturday's the day: Celebrate gardening (virtually)

Harvest Day also marks the release of 2022 Gardening Guide and Calendar

Green and purple grapes
Gorgeous grapes grace the cover of the 2022 Gardening Guide
and Calendar, which goes on sale Saturday.

When the UCCE Sacramento County master gardeners decided last winter that the 2021 Harvest Day would be virtual, just as it was in 2020, it seemed like an overabundance of caution. But with the recent revival of mask mandates and other coronavirus protocols, Harvest Day fortunately can be celebrated safely this Saturday, from the comfort of our homes or gardens.

Get a jump on events by watching master gardener Teri VanAirsdale in the 5-minute 2021 Welcome video ; she covers the full schedule.

The three keynote speakers' presentations also are online already, on the Sac County master gardeners' YouTube channel. Plus, speakers Fred Hoffman, Greg Gayton and Bill Krycia will answer gardeners' questions during a live session online Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.

Then three webinars are scheduled, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring these master gardeners:

* Quentyn Young explores growing new and unusual edibles.

* Lori Ann Asmus provides inspiration for greening the indoor environment with houseplants.

* Ruth Ostroff shares her know-how and enthusiasm for the hardy, drought-tolerant bearded iris.

To receive the link to participate in these online events, register for free here: sacmg.ucanr.edu

All of these online events will be recorded for viewing later, as well.

Saturday also marks the release of the 2022 Sacramento Gardening Guide and Calendar, a popular fundraiser each year for the master gardeners. It's still bargain-priced at $10, including sales tax. It can be ordered online here starting Saturday . (Postage is extra if you order it mailed.) Local retailers typically carry it, too, in the fall. And in-person master gardener events, including the Sept. 11 Open Garden, will have it for sale.

Cherries on a calendar page
Each month includes information on the featured fruit, plus
garden tips for the month, and a suggested less-common fruit
to grow.
The theme for this year is "Fruit: Something Old, Something New," and each calendar month features a beautiful fruit photograph. This is more than just a calendar, though: It's packed with garden advice and planting charts, plus information specific to growing fruit as common as strawberries and as exotic as cherimoya.

Master gardeners Pat Turner and Angela Parker filmed a short preview of the Gardening Guide; view it here . (Full disclosure: In my other identity as a master gardener, I helped with the preparation of this year's Gardening Guide. Fun!)


Comments

0 comments have been posted.

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Ad for California Local

Thanks to our sponsor!

Summer Strong ad for BeWaterSmart.info

Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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!

Join Us Today!