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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Aug. 5

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 4, 2018

Apple trees may need thinning to allow fruit to fully develop.
(Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Smoky skies temper heat in peak of summer

After a super-hot July, this first week of August may feel downright balmy. High temperatures are expected to hover just above normal; August averages 91 degrees in Sacramento.

Part of that weather picture is due to the smoke cover from nearby wildfires. Acting like clouds, all that haze can bring down afternoon heat.

Recent triple-digit days may have taken a toll on fruit trees. Concentrate this week on making them more comfortable -- and bountiful:

* Deep-water trees. Make sure moisture reaches at least 6 inches down at the tree’s dripline, the outer edge of its leaf canopy.

* Replenish mulch if necessary. Ideally, trees like 3 to 4 inches deep of organic material (such as shredded leaves or bark). Don’t let it mound around trunks; that can promote crown rot.

A last round of fertilizer will help citrus trees.
(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

* Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s now forming. Always deep-water before applying fertilizer.

* Recent heat prompted trees to drop fruit, too. Pick it up. This cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot.

* Thin apples and pears to allow fruit to fully develop. Watch out for codling moths.

* Wash harvested fruit, tomatoes and vegetables carefully to remove any soot or grit from wildfires.

* Feed stone-fruit trees (peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, etc.) with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year. (Remember: Water first.)

What to plant?

* Outdoors, direct seed bush beans, beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips. Keep soil evenly moist until they sprout. Plant potatoes.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Pick tomatoes, squash, peppers, beans, corn, tomatillos and more. This is your garden’s peak summer production.

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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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