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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 19

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2019

Day Breaker, a floribunda rose, is like a ray of sunshine on a rainy Sacramento morning. Too much rain can damage roses.
(Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Unusually rainy week keeps temperatures way below normal

The month of May usually has more sizzle than drizzle in Sacramento, but not this year. Wednesday’s record 1.2 inches pushed May’s rain total to more than 1.5 inches. The whole month averages about 0.6 inches.

More rain is in the forecast. After this stormy weekend, showers are expected to linger through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service .

That’s also kept temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal – not good for tomatoes and other summer favorites that crave the heat. Instead of May’s typical 80 degrees, high temperatures are struggling to reach 60 or 70.

Plan and plant accordingly. The added moisture will help seeds get off to a good start. By next week, we’ll be back to normal with sunny dry days in the low 80s.

* Dump out any water that accumulates in saucers or other spots around the garden before those little puddles become mosquito breeding grounds.

* Rain also can accumulate inside roses and other large flowers, weighing them down and breaking their stems. Give them a gentle shake to get rid of that added water weight. Bring flowers in for bouquets.

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

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Set out tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings. 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. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* 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.

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Garden Checklist for week of April 27

Once the clouds clear, get to work. Spring growth is in high gear.

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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