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Soil Born hosts Halloween on the Farm

All sorts of fall family fun at this unique seasonal celebration

The Soil Born Farmstand will be open Saturday during the Halloween at the Farm celebration.

The Soil Born Farmstand will be open Saturday during the Halloween at the Farm celebration. Kathy Morrison

It’s Halloween Saturday down on the Farm! And this local celebration comes with all sorts of nods to nature – including real bats and snakes.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, Soil Born Farms’ American River Ranch – Sacramento’s oldest continuously working farm – will host Halloween and fall nature fun for all ages. Hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, payable at the ranch’s turquoise “Info Tent.”

Designed for youth ages 4 to 14, “Halloween on the Farm” packs a lot of fun into one morning.

“Show off your Halloween costumes and explore the Spooktacular Youth Garden for all kinds of fun including animal explorations and tracking, scavenger hunts and games,” say the organizers. “Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento Splash and Save the Snakes will have creatures of all sizes and shapes for your family to see. Create natural Halloween decor for your home. Make acorn owls, autumn leaf butterflies and corn husk dolls. Decorate pumpkins for an additional fee. It is sure to be a treat!”

Other highlights include the Bat Hollow Maze (a Soil Born tradition for all ages), solar telescopes and live music with the Millington Strings.

At 10 a.m., naturalist Cliff Hawley will present a free talk on “Bats, Owls, Crows and Hawks” at the Sacred Circle.

Shawn Harrison, Soil Born’s co-director will lead a “Regenerative Agriculture Farm Tour” at 9 and 11 a.m., discussing how the America River Ranch grows crops while revitalizing the land. It’s also a great opportunity to see this unique Sacramento gem.

For early birds, take a guided bird-watching walk along the American River and around the ranch with Hawley. Fee is $15 with proceeds supporting the American River Ranch Restoration and Development Fund. Register here: https://soilborn.org/events/bird-walk-102922/

As always on Saturdays, Soil Born’s farmstand will be open with fresh locally grown produce. Orders may be placed in advance online (though 9 a.m. Thursday) with scheduled pick-up on Saturday morning.

During the Halloween celebration, Phoebe’s Tea and Snack Bar will offer drinks and treats. A “Farmhouse Kitchen Pop-Up Brunch” will start serving frittatas, pancakes and black bean chili at 9 a.m.

This Saturday also is the last day to buy plants from Soil Born’s Greenhouse Garden Shop and Fruit Tree Nursery (open 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.). Soil Born is known for its great selection of fruit trees that have proved to do well in Sacramento.

Don’t forget to visit the native plant demonstration gardens, created by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

Soil Born’s American River Ranch is located at 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova.

For details and directions: www.soilborn.org.

-- Debbie Arrington

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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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