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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 18

Indian summer continues; time to plant now!

Orange viola in pot
Violas are great container plants. Add some fall color to your patio or front walk.
(Photos: Kathy Morrison)



Our Indian (or endless) summer continues with more dry and warm days in the high 80s and low 90s.

According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will continue with a solid week of above-normal temperatures before cooling slightly – to a high of 81 degrees – on Friday. Nights are warm, too, staying above 56 degrees.

Meanwhile, winds (and fire danger) will die down.

It's time to get things done!

* Now is the best month to plant trees and shrubs in the greater Sacramento area. Need some shade? Plant it now.

* October is also the best month to plant perennials in our area. Add a little well-aged compost and bone meal to the planting hole, but hold off on other fertilizers until spring. Keep the transplants well-watered (but not wet) for the first month as they become settled.

* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.

Chard sprouts
Chard is just starting to sprout. Harvest it while very young
for microgreens, or just a bit bigger for salads.


* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach, chard and peas.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.

* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.

* 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.

* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.

* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.

* Pick apples, pears and pomegranates.

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Garden Checklist for week of June 29

We're into our typical summer weather pattern now. Get chores, especially watering, done early in the morning while it's cool.

* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.

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

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.

* Don’t let tomato plants 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.

* 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.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

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