UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

University of California

UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

October in Sonoma County

Planting Natives

Epilobium with native carpenter bee from Bill Klausing's garden

October is a great time to plant California native shrubs, trees and flowers. They are well-adapted to our climate and soil, use less water and promote wildlife biodiversity in your garden. Our recent article in the Press Democrat Advice to Grow By column highlights five California native plants that are low on water-use and require minimal care.

Wildfire Preparedness

Three zone defensible space strategy from UC Regents of the University of California, Publication 8695.

It is not your imagination, fire season now starts earlier and lasts longer each year! We’re at that critical time, just a few months before the rains begin, when our vegetation is at its driest and when red flag days are most frequent. The following resources offer some practical measures we should all take, like implementing a defensible space and hardening our homes, to minimize the threats wild fires might pose to our homes and community.

We are Officially in a Drought!

There are many resources available on-line to help you navigate the drought. There are a variety of articles on our website and here are a few local websites as well:

Food Gardening

Garlic

October is a good the time to plant garlic. Garlic is easily grown in Sonoma County and is a great choice for your winter garden beds. Click here to learn more.

You may also want to consider planting radish, kale, spinach, and mâche.

October Veggie Happenings

Join us for our next Veggie Happenings scheduled on October 12th 12:30 - 1:30 (see our calendar for details and to register.) You can also view last year's October Veggie Happenings on our YouTube channel.

Visit our Food Gardening web page for monthly food garden tasks and tips and food gardening articles.

Recent Facebook Posts

View SonomaCountyMasterGardeners on Facebook

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by the UC Davis Cooperative Extension.

Sonoma County Master Gardeners will provide environmentally sustainable, science-based horticultural information to all of Sonoma County’s population. We strive for diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization.

UCCE Farm Advisor: Stephanie Larson, County Director

SCMG Coordinator: Mimi Enright

The application for the 2022 Master Gardener training class is now closed.

Getting Help

New to Gardening? Click here.

Upcoming Events

Event Name	Date
Succulent Sale thru end of October	10/28/2021
November Veggie Happenings - Zoom Talk	11/9/2021

Sundays with Sue

Click here to read Sundays with Sue. Her column can also be found on our Facebook page.

Master Gardeners in Print

Check out our most recent articles:

The Press Democrat
Advice to Grow By » Master Gardeners
Garlic very easy to get started in October and Planting cover crops 10/16/21

The Press Democrat
Advice to Grow By » Master Gardeners
Tips to avoid sudden oak death in planting new trees, October in the Garden 10/2/21

COVID-19 Notice

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and in compliance with county orders, we have adjusted our services accordingly: All in-person events are suspended. Library talks have been replaced by Zoom events. Please check the "Upcoming Events" section at the top-right of this page for currently scheduled events.

Thanks for your patience during this time. We will inform you when the in-person library talks resume.

Webmaster: Kim Roche

Website Editor: Website team

Food Gardening Editor: Open, master gardeners please apply!

Staff Photographers and Videographers:
Cie Cary, Electra de Peyster