Of the many changes we've made to The Bee in recent years, one in particular has bothered longtime readers: the conversion of our Saturday gardening and home section from a tabloid to a broadsheet.

We made that change about three years ago, combining two Saturday features sections (Scene and California Life/Home & Garden) into one. We used the broadsheet format to accommodate the comics pages.

No great outcry followed. But over the years I've learned that a lack of outcry doesn't translate to a lack of concern.

Since that 2008 change, I've gotten at least one question about the section format almost every time I've spoken to community groups. These have been mostly gentle, resigned complaints from people who still read and enjoy the content, but liked the smaller size better.

"You could keep it on the coffee table and leaf through it over and over," a number of readers told me.

That's why this is an enjoyable column to write: On Saturday, Home & Garden converts back to a tabloid format.

(The comics moved to a separate "Fun & Games" section a couple of years ago, so we can make this change without interrupting puzzles and funnies.)

The remodeled section will keep its focus on local and regional gardening and home design and its mix of material that's either useful or delightful.

That includes calendars of garden workshops and classes, how-to columns and profiles of local people, mainstays of coverage going back to the old California Life section.

The updated Home & Garden will offer a couple of new features and lively design aimed at making the section simple to navigate and enjoyable to read.

One of the additions is a do-it-yourself element that will feature real-life experiences offered by our readers. (If you have a DIY project to share, you'll find information on how to join in.)

The feature, called "Tell Us About It," struck a chord with readers right away. Among the experiences to be shared in the first few weeks: a Sacramento man using furlough days to remodel his kitchen, man-cave additions, empty-nester makeovers and grill area projects.

"Part of what we're trying to do with this section is give readers an opportunity to share their success with home projects or get advice about problems," said Joyce Terhaar, managing editor for content.

"We'll still have Debbie Arrington's expert reporting and tips from a variety of local garden and home experts," Terhaar said. "But then we'll also have a way for readers to be involved online (at sacbee.com) and have their projects or questions featured in the new magazine."

Gardening is one of the top pastimes in our region, and our surveys show that it's among the top things people here do on Saturdays (along with shopping).

It'll be fun to expand the pro-am interaction on gardening and decorating. These are participatory sports, after all – and those of us who take part are always eager for knowledge.

Features editors will use the "Ask the Experts" format, which has drawn and answered hundreds of questions on personal finance in our Business section, to unlock expertise on home projects from professionals in our region.

Make room on the coffee table.

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Reach The Bee's editor, Melanie Sill, at (916) 321-1002.

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