Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 14

These tomato seedings, protected from the expected rain, are just about ready to go in the ground. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Good planting weather: A little more rain, then lots of sun

Is your garden ready for spring extremes?

The week ahead will have yet more rain with a soggy Monday in the forecast. Overnight lows dip into the 40s on Tuesday, then a string of warm days will push Sacramento afternoon temperatures into the low and mid 80s by Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

What will that do to your newly planted garden? The extra moisture will encourage deep roots. Those balmy days will prompt rapid growth.

Such conditions make this prime time for planting summer vegetables, flowers and more. Watch out for fungal disease, aphids and weeds!

* 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.

* Smell orange blossoms? 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. It will green up almost overnight.

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

* Start setting out tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings.

* 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.

* Weed, weed, weed! Pull them out before they flower and go to seed.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

Sacramento pests garden chores spring planting citrus trees fertilizer weather seedlings gardening summer vegetables summer annuals rainfall bulbs perennials flowers weeds

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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.

* 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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