Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 4

Our taste of summer was just that – a taste. After a weekend in the 90s, we’re slipping back into mild spring weather with several days in the low 80s – maybe even the 70s.

According to the National Weather Service, cloudy and breezy conditions will put a cap on our early June heat wave and keep daytime temperatures unusually cool, following a trend we’ve seen all spring. The forecast high for Tuesday in Sacramento is only 78 degrees – 10 below average for early June. While our afternoons may feel a little chilly, our overnight lows will remain warm – staying above 56 degrees, which is our average low for June.

The result: Warm soil and comfortable days – wonderful conditions for planting and growing. It’s not too late to set out tomato and pepper seedlings as well as squash and melon plants. They’ll appreciate this not-too-hot weather. Just remember to water.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, melons, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Give summer flowers a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.