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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 25

Windy start followed by excellent gardening weather

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 24, 2020

Here's a perfect pepper for Halloween: Count Dracula. The pepper is dark purple when immature,

turning red as it ripens. Its median Scoville heat is 17,500 SHU. Peppers, especially smaller ones, can overwinter in the Sacramento area if in a protected spot. This one has done very well in a container.(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Watch out for sparks! According to the National Weather Service, most of Northern California is under "Red Flag Warning" through Tuesday night.

A combination of strong gusty winds (up to 50 mph in the Sacramento Valley, 60 mph in the foothills and mountains) and low humidity (only 5 to 25%) make for extreme fire danger.

Grass fires easily can be ignited by a stray spark, such as those caused by a lawn mower or edger blade hitting a rock. Wait to use power equipment in high fire areas until winds die down.

Sunday afternoon through Monday, the winds will be at their strongest, says the weather service. Watch out for downed trees or branches.

Otherwise, this week offers glorious gardening weather. Temperatures shouldn't get out of the 70s for the next seven days. Overnight lows are getting chilly, dipping down to 45 degrees on Wednesday.
Enjoy the last week of October outdoors -- after a windy start.

* Summer vegetables will start slowing way down if they haven't already stopped altogether. Consider pulling the last of the tomatoes and squash. Peppers (especially if they have immature fruit) can stick around longer and may overwinter.
* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.
* Harvest apples, pears and persimmons. Clean up fallen fruit.
* Plant trees, shrubs and perennials. This may be your last chance to take advantage of these prime planting conditions.
* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.
* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.
* Plant cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.
* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.
* Work on the lawn. Reseed and feed turf.

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cool-weather annuals seeds Sacramento garden checklist weather fall planting gardening garlic vegetables chelated iron shrubs wind perennials

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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.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy 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.

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