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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 27

Triple-digit heat is back again; take precautions


White flowers on basil plant
Pinch the flowers off basil to encourage it to grow more leaves. (Photo: Kathy
Morrison)



June ends with another dangerous heat wave. According to the National Weather Service, an Excessive Heat Warning is in effect from Saturday afternoon through 10 p.m. Wednesday. For parts of the Valley and foothills, temperatures could peak at 111 degrees.

Ouch! That’s more than 20 degrees above normal for late June in Sacramento.

The heat will be most intense in the foothills and valley north of Sacramento. Closer to the rivers and downtown, high temperatures will be more tolerable, climbing to “only” about 100.

Little overnight cool down will start each day warmer. Lows will stay in the mid 60s through next weekend.

During these extra-hot days, there’s a high chance of heat stress or illness for people and animals. Keep pets indoors or give them shade. Make share they have access to fresh water.

NWS’s advice for people: “Drink extra water. Avoid outdoor strenuous activities 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Plan to be in air conditioned buildings.”

That applies to gardening, too. Give vulnerable plants a drink in the morning. Take care of chores early in the day. Then, retreat indoors.

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Erect temporary shade for plants that are getting too much sun. Watch peppers, eggplant and tomatoes for sunburn.

* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering 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.

* Pick up fallen fruit. It attracts pests.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Harvest tomatoes, squash, peppers and eggplant. Prompt picking will help keep plants producing.

* 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.

* It's not too late to plant summer annuals such as petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Seeds may need daily watering to sprout.

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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.

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