Goodies for Sonoma County gardeners

Sebastopol

Head to Harmony Farm Supply for Appreciation Day

Harmony Farm Supply & Nursery will be hosting its annual Customer Appreciation Day July 21.

Expect plenty of sales, vendor booths, free samples, classes, Three Twins Organic Ice Cream, organic popcorn and a chance to win a Sandstone Garden Bench. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3244 Gravenstein Highway N., harmonyfarm.com, ?707-823-9125.

SANTA ROSA

Score hard-to-find free trees?Dozens of uncommon varieties of apples, pears, plums, pluots, figs, cactus-pear, berries and more will be available at the annual California Rare Fruit Growers sale today.

All trees are custom grafted and grown by the local chapter’s garden club as a fundraiser for agricultural scholarships and nonprofit organizations.

There are thousands of varieties of trees, vines and shrubs that bear edible fruit, the club says.

But most people are familiar with only the most common varieties available commercially in stores.

Many of these commercial varieties are available primarily because of the durability of the fruit for shipping, handling and storage rather than for best flavor.

Even though the best-tasting fruits can be too fragile for commercial distribution, however, they are still good for the home gardener, the club says. A

ll you need is a 6-by-6-foot patch of open sunlight to grow a fruit tree, even if it is only in a box of soil sitting on pavement.

The annual California Rare Fruit Growers of the Redwood Empire’s annual tree sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Original Santa Rosa Farmers’ Market behind Sutter Hospital, 30 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. For more information visit CRFG-Redwood.org.

FORT BRAGG

Evening garden stroll through coastal botanical garden

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is extending its hours to take advantage of the long evening light of summer.

Through Sept. 29 the gardens will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. As the summer progresses, visitors come closer to viewing a coastal sunset. Late summer is a good time to enjoy perennials, dahlias, heritage roses, heathers, fuchsias and hydrangeas

The nursery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Rhody Cafe is open for snacks and lunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. 18220 Highway 1, Fort Bragg. Gardenbythesea.org.

You can send Home and Garden news to Peg.Melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Send items at least three weeks in advance of an event.