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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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Start seeds for fall, winter favorites for transplanting after Labor Day
Chard and other cool-season favorites can be started from seed now for transplanting after Labor Day. Debbie Arrington
What can a gardener do during the hottest days of summer? Think about fall – and plant cool-season vegetables.
These autumn-loving greens and winter favorites may not go into the ground when it’s triple-digits outside, but they’re very comfortable starting life on your kitchen counter or in a sunny window.
The Dog Days of Summer – July 3 through Aug. 11 this year – correspond with Sacramento’s historically warmest weeks. “Dog Days” get their nickname from the ancient Greeks; this period marks when Sirius, the “Dog Star,” rises in the skies above the Northern Hemisphere. They knew when they saw that very bright star, it was going to get hot.
As we retreat indoors to air conditioning, it’s an opportunity to look over our seed inventory and start a new crop of little lettuces, broccoli, cabbages or peas.
Here’s advice from the UCCE master gardeners of Placer County, as shared by their master gardener neighbors in El Dorado County:
“Although it seems counter-intuitive, the Dog Days – particularly the latter part, i.e. now – is a good time to start seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, and Brussels sprouts for the fall garden. You can plant the seeds in pots or flats, or they can be sown in a sheltered place in the garden.
“With the warm soil temperatures, the seeds sprout quickly,” add the master gardeners. “Keep them watered and you'll have young plants to transplant after Labor Day. This is a HUGE savings as the cost of transplants at nurseries has sky rocketed in recent years. Plus, your plants are likely to be more vigorous and healthier than those raised for mass production, with a greater choice in varieties.”
Due to increased interest in home vegetable gardening, seed for some popular varieties has been selling out. Order early.
“In addition (to planting), it's a good time to look over seed packets and purchase cool season veggie seeds if needed so you can be prepared,” say the master gardeners. “And ordering seed packets is a good ‘garden activity’ to do on a hot summer day.”
What are some cool-season crops that can be started now? All the brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, etc.), greens (chard, spinach, leaf lettuce, head lettuce, etc.), root vegetables (radishes, turnips, carrots, beets, rutabagas, onions, etc.), and peas.
“Don't forget to order a few cool season flowers as well!” say the master gardeners. “These include sweet peas, violas, stock, cornflowers, and others, along with native California wildflowers like California poppies. Native wildflowers grow quite happily amongst the kale and radishes in a cool-season veggie garden!”
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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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