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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Aug. 16

The heat is on; help your garden cope

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 15, 2020

Shade cloth hung in front of tomato plants can help cut the sun's intensity. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Some like it hot -- but not this hot.

This is expected to be the hottest week of the year (so far). The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning, effective through 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Until then, expect daily temperatures to top 106 degrees each day, peaking at 110 on Tuesday. Thursday is forecast to reach 102 degrees before the triple-digit streak ends (maybe) on Friday, which is predicted to be "only" 98.

While people may retreat indoors to air conditioning (or at least shade), our gardens can not. They're dependent on us to make them as comfortable as possible.

* Deep water in the early morning. Pay extra attention to plants in containers; they may need extra water daily.
* Check soil moisture and make sure drip irrigation and sprinklers are getting water where needed. If you can't plunge a 6-inch screwdriver into the ground, it needs more water.
* Mosquitoes love this weather. Wear repellent while working outdoors. Empty any containers that hold water such as saucers under pots that may serve as mosquito breeding areas.
* Watch out for sunburn on tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Create temporary shade structures to shield developing fruit from harsh afternoon rays.
* Red tomatoes won't turn completely red in these conditions. Harvest mature tomatoes and let them redden on your kitchen counter.
* Pick up any dropped fruit; it attracts pests and promotes disease. (Plus it rots quickly in this heat.)
* Don't mow the lawn; it's not growing in this heat. The longer blades shade the roots and help the lawn cope with searing sun.
* Put off any planting or transplanting until conditions cool.
* Still got the urge to garden? Start seeds of cool-weather vegetables and flowers indoors. They'll be ready to go outdoors when temperatures are much more favorable.

For more on helping your garden cope with the heat, see Kathy's post from Thursday .

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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