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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 27

Last days of October may get a little damp

You can't beat primroses for adding bright pops of color to the fall and winter garden.

You can't beat primroses for adding bright pops of color to the fall and winter garden. Kathy Morrison

Rain? Really? Well, maybe.

According to the National Weather Service, Northern California should get ready to get wet as a storm system blows in Sunday. Rain showers are expected to continue through Monday. The storm may even deliver some light snow in the Sierra passes.

But don’t expect much precipitation in Sacramento; our forecast rain total is less than 0.1 inches with a possible quarter inch in the foothills. The weather service warns of slick roads from accumulated oil on streets; be careful while driving.

Halloween on Thursday could be a little damp, too, as a second round of showers pushes through in the morning hours. (On Thursday evening, trick-or-treaters should be fine.) Again, the predicted total is less than 0.1 inches for Sacramento.

We’re overdue for some rain. Historically in Sacramento, October averages 0.95 inches – almost always in the last part of the month. It’s highly unlikely we’ll reach that average this October.

Temperatures will be mild and cool. Late October averages highs of 77 degrees; due to cloud cover, this next week will see mostly 60s, topping out at 67 degrees on Friday.

That’s still great weather for gardening. Grab a sweater – and an umbrella, just in case – then get to work:

* October is the best month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials.

* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.

* Pick apples and persimmons. Remember to pick up fallen fruit, too; it attracts pests.

* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.

* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.

* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.

* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.

* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.

* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.

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Garden Checklist for week of May 4

Enjoy this spring weather – and get gardening!

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. 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. (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.

* 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.

* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. 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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