→ View All
PHOTO SUNDAY, 5/19/24
The post PHOTO SUNDAY, 5/19/24 appeared first on BigSurKate.
Community Emergency Response Volunteers
Listed under: Public Safety Resilience Community Service & Support
Warm days, nights will prompt rapid growth of summer vegetables
Mid May will feel a lot like mid June as Sacramento settles into a pattern of warm, dry days with above-normal temperatures.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will see three or four days in the low 90s this week with the remainder in the mid to high 80s. Overnight lows are warm, too, with some nights staying above 60. Historically in May, Sacramento averages highs of 80 degrees and lows of 51.
Those above-average nights mean soil temperature will be warming, too. Expect rapid growth from tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash as they soak up that early heat.
While that heat is good for summer crops, it likely will push remaining cool-season vegetables over the top. Harvest cabbage, lettuce, kale, broccoli, beets, carrots, chard, spinach and similar veggies before they go to seed. High temperatures also can turn lettuce and other leafy greens bitter. Pick them now and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
Those 90-degree days will crisp roses and other spring blooms. Take some time this week for clean up. Get chores done early to avoid afternoon sun.
* Deadheading – cutting off spent flowers – will extend bloom season for many shrubs, especially roses. Expect another round of roses six to eight weeks after deadheading re-blooming varieties.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer flowering shrubs and perennials with a balanced fertilizer.
* Are birds picking your fruit off trees before it’s ripe? Try hanging strips of aluminum foil on tree branches. The shiny, dangling strips help deter birds from making themselves at home.
* Run the sprinklers early in the day – before 8 a.m. if possible – to conserve water and minimize plant diseases.
* Mulch around trees and shrubs as well as plants in the vegetable garden. Mulch conserves moisture and cuts down on weeds.
* Transplant tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.
Comments
Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Taste Spring! E-cookbook
Find our spring recipes here!
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
Taste Summer! E-cookbook
Find our summer recipes here!
Taste Fall! E-cookbook
Find our fall recipes here!
Taste Winter! E-cookbook
Find our winter recipes here!
You are subscribed!
Look for our confirmation message in your email inbox.
And look for our newsletter every Monday morning. See you then!
You're already subscribed
It looks like you're already subscribed to the newsletter. Not seeing it in the email inbox of the address you submitted? Be sure to check your spam folder or promotions folder (Gmail) in case your email provider diverted it there.
There was a problem with the submitted email address.
We can't subscribe you with the submitted email address. Please try another.