Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 25

Windy start followed by excellent gardening weather

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED OCT 24, 2020

Here's a perfect pepper for Halloween: Count Dracula. The pepper is dark purple when immature,

turning red as it ripens. Its median Scoville heat is 17,500 SHU. Peppers, especially smaller ones, can overwinter in the Sacramento area if in a protected spot. This one has done very well in a container.(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Watch out for sparks! According to the National Weather Service, most of Northern California is under "Red Flag Warning" through Tuesday night.

A combination of strong gusty winds (up to 50 mph in the Sacramento Valley, 60 mph in the foothills and mountains) and low humidity (only 5 to 25%) make for extreme fire danger.

Grass fires easily can be ignited by a stray spark, such as those caused by a lawn mower or edger blade hitting a rock. Wait to use power equipment in high fire areas until winds die down.

Sunday afternoon through Monday, the winds will be at their strongest, says the weather service. Watch out for downed trees or branches.

Otherwise, this week offers glorious gardening weather. Temperatures shouldn't get out of the 70s for the next seven days. Overnight lows are getting chilly, dipping down to 45 degrees on Wednesday.
Enjoy the last week of October outdoors -- after a windy start.

* Summer vegetables will start slowing way down if they haven't already stopped altogether. Consider pulling the last of the tomatoes and squash. Peppers (especially if they have immature fruit) can stick around longer and may overwinter.
* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.
* Harvest apples, pears and persimmons. Clean up fallen fruit.
* Plant trees, shrubs and perennials. This may be your last chance to take advantage of these prime planting conditions.
* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.
* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.
* Plant cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.
* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.
* Work on the lawn. Reseed and feed turf.

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

cool-weather annuals seeds Sacramento garden checklist weather fall planting gardening garlic vegetables chelated iron shrubs wind perennials

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Thanks to our sponsor!

Sites We Like

Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!