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March arrives with more cold, damp weather
Winter showers bring ... weeds. Get them out while they're small! Kathy Morrison
March can be blustery (as we’ve already seen this month) and unpredictable. When gardening, plan accordingly; be ready for spikes in temperature, both up and down.
Be patient, too. Some afternoons may feel like spring, but the soil is still mighty cold – bad for root development. And that soil is unlikely to warm up much this week.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will stay rainy through Wednesday. Forecast highs are 52 or 53 degrees every day this week but Thursday when we “warm” to 55. (The forecast low early Thursday morning: 32 degrees.) Friday’s forecast: More rain and 53 degrees.
That’s more than 10 degrees below average. Normal for this week in Sacramento: High of 66 degrees and low of 44.
March also can see rapid warm-ups. In March 2022, we enjoyed six consecutive days of 80-degree weather peaking at a record 86 on March 26. (That was just three weeks after Sacramento set a record low of 35 on March 6.) Spring will be here for real before you know it.
* No matter how tempting, don’t transplant tomatoes outdoors yet. If seedlings need more room, transplant them into 1-gallon pots lined with newspaper; that will help warm their growing roots.
* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear. Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 8-8-8, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).
* If aphids are attracted to new growth, knock them off with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap. To make your own “bug soap,” use two tablespoons of liquid soap – not detergent – to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up before use. Among the liquid soaps that seem most effective are Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soaps; try the peppermint scent.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Start preparing vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Pick up browned camellias and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce, collards and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.
* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.
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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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