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Spring Gardening Tips for a Flourishing Garden
As the vibrant colors of spring burst forth and the air fills with the sweet scent of blossoms, it's the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and tend to your garden. Whether you're a seasoned gar...
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Intense heat will challenge midsummer garden
Sunflowers at least thrive in summer heat. Make sure the rest of the garden is prepared to handle triple-digit temps. Kathy Morrison
Is your garden ready for a blast furnace? Near-record temperatures will torch much of Northern California this weekend, including Sacramento.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect highs of 107 degrees on Saturday and Sunday with another triple-digit day on Monday. Temperatures will peak each day in the late afternoon – 3 to 5 p.m. – and will stay hot most of the evening.
The NWS has declared an Excessive Heat Warning for the Sacramento region with “dangerous heat” expected from 11 a.m. Saturday through 11 p.m. Sunday. Some communities may see 114 degrees. Overnight temperatures will stay in the 70s, getting mornings off to a warm start.
“Very high risk of heat stress or illness for entire population,” warned the NWS Sacramento office Saturday morning. “Stay hydrated. Avoid being outdoors in the sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
“Consider canceling outdoor activities during the heat of the day,” added the weather service. “Stay in a cool place.”
Atmospheric conditions will make these high-heat days feel even hotter; 107 will seem more like 110 or higher. However, our local rivers are still running fast and extremely cold due to snow melt; be careful near our waterways, the weather service adds.
By Monday (fingers crossed), our Delta breeze will return. Tuesday through Thursday are expected to be in the mid 90s – normal for mid July. At 93 degrees, Tuesday may be the best day to visit the State Fair. Friday is expected to start a streak of seven consecutive triple-digit days.
Meanwhile, our gardens are in survival mode:
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Prioritize watering. Provide extra irrigation to recent transplants, vegetables, trees and shrubs.
* Check soil moisture before irrigation. Clay soils tend to hold moisture longer, looking dry on top but wet underneath.
* Mulch helps keep soil moist longer and roots cooler; add 2 to 3 inches of mulch if necessary.
* Weeds love this hot weather and will quickly go to seed. Whack them at their roots, aiming a hoe about an inch below the surface. (But wait until a cool morning midweek to tackle this chore.)
* Skip feeding vegetables and flowers until midweek when temperatures are cooler. Make sure to water deeply before fertilizing.
* Don’t let tomatoes, peppers or eggplant dry out completely; that can lead to blossom end rot. Deeply water veggies two to three times a week.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* Bees tend to rest during extreme heat, so new squash blossoms may not be pollinated. Either pollinate by hand with a small paintbrush or harvest the blossoms.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
* One good thing about hot days: Most lawns stop growing when temperatures top 95 degrees. Keep mower blades set on high.
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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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