Garden of eatin’

Whoops! It’s suddenly May, and I don’t have my tomatoes planted yet. But luckily I love garden centers like I love bookstores—for the promise of pleasure that they hold. And there are so many places to find plant starts if you’re too lazy (ahem, busy) to start things from seed.

Last weekend at the Davis Farmers Market, I saw a multitude of seedlings for heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more. I’ve also had good luck trading seedlings with friends. If someone you know has a bounty of plantlets, see if they’ll share one or two with you. Or buy a six-pack of starters and trade half with someone else.

On May 14, the UC Davis Arboretum (Garrod Drive, Davis) is having its end-of-season clearance sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s a great source for native plants that grow easily in our climate.

There is also a Master Gardener workshop scheduled at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center on May 21. You can learn more about grafting fruit trees, berry varieties for Sacramento and water-efficient gardening.