2026 Gardening Guide and Calendar
Cover Photograph: Cynthia Train
Cover Design: Brooke Sommerdorf
Front Page 2026 – Meet Me in the Garden
Writer: Lexy Martin
Photograph: Jan White
The writer provides a wonderful overview month by month of the 2026 Calendar contents.
January - A Nod to Nostalgia
Writer: Lexy Martin
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
National Garden Bureau, Create Your Own Nostalgia-Rich Garden with Modern Plants, 01/2023 https://ngb.org/nostalgia_garden/
Jan Keahey, Muriel Stephenson, Donna Marshall, All about Lavender, The UCCE Master Gardeners of El Dorado County, 2020. https://my.ucanr.edu/sites/EDC_Master_Gardeners/files/168086.pdf
February – Practical IPM – Before You Reach for Pesticides
Writer: Brooke Johnson
Photograph: Becky Fritchie
IPM website: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/wildlife-pest-identification/
University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. 2025. Natural enemies gallery. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/
University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. 2025. Home, garden, turf, and landscape pests. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html
March - In the Weeds
Writer: Julie Lowrie
Photograph: Julie Lowrie
UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) website, https://ipm.ucanr.edu/
April - Wellness Gardens
Writer: Cooki Vonasek
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
Craft, Patty. Healing Gardens: The Power of Plants. Horticulture Magazine, April 28, 2018. https://www.hortmag.com/headline/healing-gardens-power-plants
Balogh, Anne. How to Design a Wellness Garden for Healing and Relaxation, Garden Design https://www.gardendesign.com/landscape-design/wellness-garden.html
Hubbard, Pamela. How to Create A Healing Garden – Penn State Extension. July 5, 2023, Master Gardener, Monroe County https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-create-a-healing-garden
Graper, David. Creating a Sensory Garden. March 7, 2019 https://extension.sdstate.edu/creating-sensory-garden
May - Keeping it Cute: Training Your Fruit Trees Small
Writer: Michelle Marquard-Lakhani
Photograph: Doug Fee
Fruit Tree Pruning. Fruit Tree Pruning - UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County
The Backyard Orchard Presentation. UCCE Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County. Home Orchard 2025-01-11.key
Marin, O., & Martin, M. (2019). Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An organic approach to growing apples, pears, peaches, plums, citrus, and more. (Forword by A. Waters). 10 Speed Press
Ralph, A. (2014). Grow a little fruit tree: Simple pruning techniques for small-space, easy-harvest fruit trees. Storey Publishing.
California Master Gardener Handbook, 2002, ANR Publication 3382, anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/
June - Meet Me in the Farmers’ Market: Let’s talk eating locally grown produce!
Writer: Tree Justesen
Photograph: Tece Markel
Placer County Farmers' Markets. Placer Grown. https://getplacergrown.com/farmers-markets/
July - Shade Cloth - Relief from Extreme Heat!
Writer: Jan Birdsall
Photograph: Angie Dixon
Womack, Melissa. Gardening in Extreme Heat with UC Master Gardener Tips to Save Your Landscape. UC Master Gardener Program Statewide Blog. July 1, 2024. https://ucanr.edu/blog/uc-master-gardener-program-statewide-blog/article/gardening-extreme-heat-uc-master-gardener
Beat the Heat with Shade Cloth. Hort Coco-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa. July 29, 2024. https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/beat-heat-shade-cloth
Long, Tim. Protecting Your Vegetables from Triple Digit Heat: Shade Cloth. The Stanislaus Sprout. July 15, 2024. https://ucanr.edu/blog/stanislaus-sprout/article/protecting-your-vegetables-triple-digit-heat-shade-cloth
PVC frame with 30% shade cloth over lettuce. Photo: Bonnie D. https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-07/blog108011.jpg.webp?itok=OfCZMJOy
August – Firescaping – Zone 0
Writer: Kevin Marini
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
The UCANR Fire Network is a collection of Fire and Natural Resource Advisors, Specialists, and staff committed to deliver fire-related research, outreach, and support for communities across California. https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-anr-fire-network/roof
September - Small Space Gardening
Writer: Linda M. Wold
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
Efficient Use of Space. University of California. UC Master Gardener Program. n.d. https://mg.ucanr.edu/Gardening/Edible/Planning/EfficientUseofSpace/
Vegetables in Containers: General Gardening. University of California. n.d. https://mgorange.ucanr.edu/General-Gardening/?uid=5&ds=548
Growing Vegetables in a Small Space -6 Tips You Can Use Today. University of California. UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County n.d. https://acmg.ucanr.edu/Over_the_Fence/Growing_Vegetables_in_a_Small_Space_-_6_Tips_You_Can_Use_Today/
October - Keystone Species — The KEY to a Healthy Ecosystem
Writer: Peggy Beltramo
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
Get Started with Keystone Plants. https://homegrownnationalpark.org/get-started-planting-native/
Central California Keystone Plants. https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Keystone-Plants/NWF-GFW-keystone-plant-list-ecoregion-11-mediterranean-california.pdf
November - The Soil Ecosystem
Writer: Ann Beinhorn
Photograph: Pauline Sakai
UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. Publication #31-156. “Working with Foothill Soils”. 08-2003. https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgplacer/files/166289.pdf
UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. Publication #8037. "Compost in a Hurry". 2007.
https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8037.pdf
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. “Soil Health”.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soils/soil-health
December - Watershed - Slow it, Spread it, Sink it, Store it
Writer: Brooke Sommerdorf
Photograph: Carol Holliman
California Watershed Approach to Landscape Design publication, Green Gardens Group, March 2018 https://apldca.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/G3-APLD-CA-Watershed-Approach.pdf