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Where to find blooms in Yolo County
Summer is right around the corner, and many of us are looking for ways to immerse ourselves in all its glory. For some, summer means sipping wine at a local [...]
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Pre-Christmas week looks chilly but dry
Expect frosty mornings for a few more days. Kathy Morrison
The final days of fall will be chilly and foggy. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect “widespread frost and fog” Saturday through Monday. Ground moisture and frosty nights will combine to create thick fog in many sections of the greater Sacramento area.
Overnight lows will dip to freezing or just below; stay on frost alert the next three nights. Daytime highs will be on the cold side, too, topping out at 53.
Midweek cloud cover will keep nights warmer – above 40 degrees – and help warm afternoons, too. The final shopping – and gardening – days before Christmas (and first days of winter) should be in the high 50s, says the weather service.
Unfortunately, those clouds are unlikely to drop any local rain; check soil moisture, then turn on irrigation as needed.
* Wednesday is the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year – and the traditional time to plant garlic and onions for harvest in summer.
* Mulch, water and cover tender plants to protect them during threat of frost. Succulent plants are at particular risk if temperatures drop below freezing. Make sure to remove coverings during the day.
* Just because it rained last week doesn't mean every plant got watered. Give a drink to plants that the rain didn't reach, such as under eaves or under evergreen trees. Also, well-watered plants hold up better to frost than thirsty plants.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they'll bloom again next December.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they're dormant.
* Start pruning roses even if they’re still blooming. Make sure to remove foliage and rake out fallen leaves from beneath bushes to prevent spread of fungal disease.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Bare-root season is here. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb. Beware of soggy soil. It can rot bare-root plants.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head or leaf lettuce, mustard, radicchio and radishes.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
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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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