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You're invited to Sacramento's biggest garden party

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2019

Just like last year, above, shade will be plentiful throughout the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center during Harvest Day. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Harvest Day returns Aug. 3 at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center

Harvest Day, that education-packed celebration of local gardening, returns Saturday, Aug. 3, at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park. It’s annually Sacramento’s largest gardening event of its kind with hundreds of master gardeners and vendors involved.

Although the weather appears to be cooling back into the mere 90s, organizers are prepared for the heat.

“We have plenty of shady areas,” said Judy McClure, Sacramento County’s master gardener coordinator. “Water will be available (from food vendors). The weather forecast right now says 93 degrees, not 103. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

And a cool addition to the event’s food truck line-up: Gelato!

“We’re looking forward to it,” McClure said. “Even if you’ve been to Harvest Day before, we have a lot of new, fun things this year.”

Under the shade of a giant tent with plentiful seating, three popular speakers will address topics often requested by the public.

At 8:30 a.m., American River College’s Debbie Flower will share tips on water-wise container gardening.

At 9:45 a.m., compost expert Kevin Marini will tell how to know when your soil and plants need fertilizing.

At 11 a.m., landscape horticulturist Pam Bone will get to the root of many tree and shrub issues: root problems.

Two morning mini-seminars are devoted to home vineyard care.

“We have early-, mid- and late-ripening varieties; you can have grapes from May to September,” said McClure, noting plants will be available for sale. “We can help you do that.”

Gardeners will see how experts keep birds and critters away without poison or traps.

Grapes are protected in bags at the Hort Center vineyard.

“We did a lot of bagging and netting,” McClure said. “It’s quite a sight to see all these little organza bags hanging on the vines.”

In addition, pop-up demonstrations will be held throughout the Hort Center. A full schedule is available online at http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/Harvest_Day/

Harvest Day is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with free admission and parking. Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located in Fair Oaks Park, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks.

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Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners Sacramento roots events container gardening Harvest Day vineyards gardening family events Fair Oaks Horticulture Center water-wise gardening compost

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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.

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