Fred Hoffman is the host of the "Garden Basics with Farmer Fred" podcast         NEW! Subscribe to the Garden Basics Newsletter. Free!   Southern Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin County gardeners can also get current gardening information from Fred in his Saturday gardening column in the Lodi News-Sentinel.      Visit the Farmer Fred Rant Blog Page for These Garden Tips and More:

Vegetables: Interactive Vegetable Planting Calendar Planting Your First Vegetable Garden? Some Tips Peppers Slow to Germinate? Some more tips. Growing Tomatoes in Containers Terrific Tomato Tips Some Vegetables Require Less Water Than Others Will Those Green Tomatoes Turn Red This Fall? Before You Plant, Check the Soil Temperature Make Your Own Planting Mix Starting Tomatoes, Peppers From Seed More Tips on Starting Tomatoes from Seed Pepper Seeds Slow to Germinate? Some Tips Heirloom Vegetables Are Better For You Tomato Troubleshooter Crop Rotation Plan for the Home Garden Crop Rotation for the Garden, Pt. 2 The Hazards of Overfeeding Your Plants  Hand-Pollinating Squash Plants How to Grow Giant Pumpkins Grow Your Own Popcorn   Fruits: Avocado Trees for Sacramento? A Guide Why Are My Oranges Splitting? Frost/Freeze Protection Ideas for Citrus Choosing and Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees Mulch Under a Citrus Tree: Pros and Cons Bareroot Fruit Tree Shopping? Buyer Beware! Harvest Fruits By Look and Feel, Not the Calendar Know Your Fruit Tree Rootstocks Growing Blueberries in Container Anatomy of a Professional Fruit Tasting Why Are the Blackberries Turning White?   Bad Bugs, Diseases, Weeds: Battling Tomato Hornworms Every Season is Ant Season The Green Fruit Beetles Are Back Ants! A Cure for the Cherry Maggot? Controlling Snails and Slugs Peach Leaf Curl: It's Back! Battling Peach Leaf Curl Battling Sooty Mold & Scale on Citrus Controlling Fungus Gnats on Houseplants Crane Flies vs. Mosquitoes Leaf Spot Problem? Here's What to Do Cat Proofing Your Garden Yellowjacket Fun Facts! Control Tips, Too Weedkillers: Read the Label!   ETC. How To Find Garden Answers Online Garden Shoes...or Gardening Shoes? Tips for a Healthy Heart and Thwarting Type 2 Diabetes

The Garden Good Guys: 4 Plants to Attract Pollinators and Beneficials Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects Bring on the Bees! Plants to Attract Pollinating Insects This Blog is for the Birds The Good Bug Hotel What's Killing the Bees? A New Study Offers Clues Landscaping, Lawns, Flowers 100+ Great Roses For California Fall Lawn Renovation Plants For Dry Shade Getting the Yard Ready for a Rain and Wind Storm Watering Tips for Drip Irrigation A Tour of Maple Rock Gardens The Heart-Healthy Garden Plants for Privacy The Cure for Non-Performing Daffodils WELO is coming. Start Planning to Save Water Now Plants Wilting in the Heat? Check Before You Water Water-Saving Tips For Your Yard Get Rid of Your Lawn with Soil Solarization How to Kill Your Lawn in 2 Easy Steps Droopy Plants on a Hot Day. Water...or Not?   Trees and Shrubs How To Stake a New Tree Holy Jumping Oak Galls, Batman!    Fall & Winter: Pruning Tool Primer Rain Draining Strategies to Save Your Home and Garden Winter Storms and Tree Troubles What to Do AFTER a Hard Freeze What to Do When a Hard Freeze is Forecast New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners Persimmons: THE Edible Ornamental of Fall Innovative Peach Leaf Curl Controls Frost, Freezes Ahead. Get Your Yard Ready After a Freeze, What Should a Gardener Do? Fall-Winter Houseplant Care Tips Drain the Rain Away from the House & Garden Get Your Garden Storm-Ready What to Do in Your Yard AFTER the Storm Tips for the Fall-Winter Vegetable Garden Add Color for the Cold, Gray Days of Winter  Winter Storms and Trees: Inspect Them Now! How to Grow Oak Trees from Acorns What NOT to do in the Garden in Fall Dead Foliage Now? Leaf it Alone! Problem Plants Have Horses? Avoid These Plants! Safe Plants for You, But They're Poison to Your Pets Mistletoe Control Tips

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Garden Data (through Sept. 11, 2021)

Avg. evapotranspiration rate this past week : Valley: 1.4-1.5"; Foothills: 1.6-1.8""

Soil Temperature: Valley: 69. Low foothills: 73 Upper foothills: 70

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Chilling hours/portions (hours at 32-45 degrees-F, necessary for deciduous fruit tree production, Nov.-Feb.)

What is a "Chill Hour", what is a "Chill Portion"?

Chill Portion Requirements for selected fruit and nut varieties

Nov. 1, 2020-Feb. 28, 2021 (FINAL):

Chill Hours: 730-1012 valley; 859-1195 foothills. Chill Portions: 77-81 valley; 86-92 foothills.

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Nov. 1, 2019-Feb. 29, 2020 (FINAL):

Chill Hours: 682-756 valley; 674-1159 foothills. Chill Portions: 66-68 valley; 71-85 foothills.

Nov. 1, 2018-Feb. 28, 2019 (FINAL):

Chill Hours: 752-810 valley; 1218-1253 foothills. Chill Portions: 70-76 valley; 81-84 foothills.

Nov. 1, 2017 - Feb. 28, 2018:

Chill Hours: 762-905 valley; 618-1115 foothills. Chill Portions: 67-75 valley; 72-84 foothills.

Nov. 1, 2016 - Feb. 28, 2017:

Chill Hours: 796-933 valley; 900-1350 foothills. Chill Portions: 65-75 valley; 74-93 foothills.

Nov. 1, 2015-Feb. 29, 2016:

Valley: Chill Hours: 714-896 . Chill Portions: 68-74. Foothills: Chill Hours: 744-1360. Chill Portions: 73-85

Nov. 1, 2014-Feb. 28, 2015:

Valley: 444-805 chill hours; 61-69 chill portions. Foothills: 380-1095 chill hours; 65-85 chill portions

Nov. 1, 2013 - Feb. 28, 2014:

Valley (Sac., SJ, Yolo, Sutter, Solano Cos.): 868-1230 hours Foothills (Amador, El Dorado, Placer Cos.): 567-1129 hours 

2012-2013 Chill Season Totals:

VALLEY: 1028-1325 hours; FOOTHILLS: 877-1863 hours

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Wondering when is the right time to plant?

The online Farmer Fred Interactive Vegetable Planting Calendar for Northern California is for you! Click on each vegetable for specific planting information.

Also, download the printable planting calendar.

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Looking for lists and pictures of plants that don't require much water? Go to:

Water-Wise Gardening Websites

This is a project undertaken in conjunction with the municipalities and water districts in many California locales. The website has a wealth of local residential photography and plant information to help homeowners improve their garden in a water efficient way.

Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer residents: click on the link - Be Water Smart .