→ View All
Spring Gardening Tips for a Flourishing Garden
As the vibrant colors of spring burst forth and the air fills with the sweet scent of blossoms, it's the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and tend to your garden. Whether you're a seasoned gar...
Chest of Hope
Listed under: Community Service & Support Crime & Justice
After year off, popular event celebrates spring bloom in five towns
This weekend marks the 107th annual Capay Valley Almond Festival, a five-town salute to this major California crop.
After canceling the festival in 2021 due to Covid restrictions, the small cities of Esparto, Capay, Brooks, Guinda and Rumsey will again host all things almond with special events Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26 and 27. Held on the last weekend in February, the festival showcases the beauty of the almond groves in the Capay Valley while saluting this signature crop.
Started in 1915, the almond festival originally was held in October as a harvest celebration. In 1964, the then-new Esparto Regional Chamber of Commerce breathed new life into the almond fest and switched it to early spring when the blossoms are in bloom.
Will there be flowers? Unseasonably warm weather in early February brought out the blossoms very early. Then, extremely cold overnight temperatures this past week forced many almond trees to drop their flowers prematurely. Nonetheless, there still will be trees in bloom along the Capay Valley almond trail and lots of almonds (from the 2021 crop) for festival weekend.
Each town will have something different going. For example, Esparto will host music, food trucks, vendor booths and an almond bake-off Saturday. On Sunday, Esparto festivities start with a breakfast at 8 a.m. and continue all day with music, food trucks, vendor booths, carnival rides and more (including appearances by the 2022 Almond Queen and her court).
Some Capay Valley landmarks will host their own almond-themed events. Seka Hills Olive Mill in Brooks will host Almond Festival events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Admission to most events is free. For a schedule of what’s going on when and where, check out www.espartoregionalchamber.com/almond-festival-capay-valley-cache-creek-california and www.facebook.com/capayvalleyalmondfestival .
Comments
An article about gardening.
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Taste Spring! E-cookbook
Find our spring recipes here!
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s 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.
* 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.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
Taste Summer! E-cookbook
Find our summer recipes here!
Taste Fall! E-cookbook
Find our fall recipes here!
Taste Winter! E-cookbook
Find our winter recipes here!
You are subscribed!
Look for our confirmation message in your email inbox.
And look for our newsletter every Monday morning. See you then!
You're already subscribed
It looks like you're already subscribed to the newsletter. Not seeing it in the email inbox of the address you submitted? Be sure to check your spam folder or promotions folder (Gmail) in case your email provider diverted it there.
There was a problem with the submitted email address.
We can't subscribe you with the submitted email address. Please try another.
Subscribe