Watch out for wind – and fire danger – during blustery first week of summer
Learn about bees while enjoying many tastes of honey
Expect mild morning weather Saturday at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center
Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society hosts 55th annual show and sale
Tips on how to attract more bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators
Enjoy more than a million flowers in bloom in heart of Amador wine country
New! Peach-blackberry crumble is easier than pie
Spring ends with warm days and a potential heat spike
Free guided tour explores shady streets in historic neighborhood
Free workshops in Roseville, Del Paso Heights
Sacramento County master gardeners host special Open Garden
Awareness and perseverance will keep plants, fruit in good shape
Sacramento Collective for the Textile Arts hosts fun combination event
New! Cherry buttermilk pancakes made with fresh sweet fruit
Expect rapid growth with warm summer-like weather
Come learn (and taste) all things lavender in this free event
Speakers, kids activities and more Saturday in Loomis
Assistance League Sierra Foothills hosts 15th annual fundraising tour
Recycle garden and kitchen waste into nutrient-packed fertilizer
Unique fundraiser supports SacTree’s plantings and other programs
New! Small batch of basic aioli whips up quickly
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of June 22
Mornings this first week of summer will remain comfortably cool – just right for gardening!
* Water early in the morning to cut down on evaporation. Check soil moisture and deep water trees and shrubs. Keep new transplants and veggies evenly moist. Deep water tomatoes to encourage deep roots.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, 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.
* 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.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* 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. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* 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.