Relief from triple-digit temperatures coming this weekend, but smoky skies may linger
A Cherokee Carbon tomato ripens on the vine. Because of wildfire particulate in the air, tomatoes may develop a smoky taint. Kathy Morrison
Sacramento’s forecast high for Saturday (July 27): 82 degrees. That’s 20 degrees cooler than last weekend – and most of this month.
So far, July is trending to be one of the hottest months on record – not just in Sacramento, but worldwide. Monday (July 22) went down as the hottest day in recorded human history, European climatologists reported this week.https://apnews.com/article/hottest-day-ever-climate-change-weather-heat-extreme-global-warming-8e2b0b7fa0360ecb931ca333a832c694
Sacramento has been doing its part. Through July 25, Sacramento highs have averaged 101 degrees – that’s more than eight degrees above normal (92.6) for July. Helping hold in that heat were unusually warm nights; lows averaged 65 degrees, about six degrees above normal.
This intense heat dried vegetation to a crisp, especially grasses; that’s created high fire danger throughout Northern California. With abundant fuel, the Park Fire in Butte County doubled in size in less than 24 hours, growing to more than 164,000 acres – an area larger than the city of Chicago.
Smoke from that blaze is drifting across the valley and foothills, dropping ash and polluting air. That can trigger breathing problems for people with sensitivities as well as burn eyes.
All this heat and smoke can have major effects on our summer gardens, too. Expect to see some ozone damage to foliage. Smoky skies tend to cut down on bee activity, too. Tomatoes and grapes may develop smoke taint to their flavor. Make sure to wash fruit and vegetables well before eating; soot and ash can cling to their skin or leaves.
With such high fire danger, just a spark can start a catastrophe, warns the weather service. Do not use power equipment outdoors; a lawn mower or edger hitting a rock may be all it takes to cause a blaze. Likewise, don’t park vehicles on dry grass; igniting an engine also can ignite a grass fire.
Cooler conditions starting Saturday will help relieve that fire danger. In fact, the weather service predicts no more triple-digit temperatures for the rest of July – and August starts Thursday.
For more weather updates: https://www.weather.gov/sto/.
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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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