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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 12

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED APR 11, 2020

Are your tomatoes growing impatient to get into the ground? Even though our nights are still chilly, the next week will be lovely during the day. You can try putting in a few now and see how they do. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Warm weather brings urge to plant veggies

Get ready for spring fever! And this case has nothing to do with coronavirus; it's about planting tomatoes and other favorites.

According to the National Weather Service, we're in for terrific gardening weather. High temperatures will remain above normal, maybe even nudging into the 80s on Easter Sunday.

Although nights will still feel chilly, the next seven days should see afternoons in the 70s.

Is it still too early for tomatoes? Transplant a few now and see what happens.

Our main tomato planting date is still two weeks away, so these early-bird Early Girls may not do much at first. But if this warm weather pattern holds, you may have fresh tomatoes by Memorial Day.

Elsewhere in the garden:
* 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.
* 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, pumpkins, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* Transplant leaf lettuce seedlings.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer favorites.
* Plant perennials, dahlia tubers and summer bulbs.

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seeds tomatoes Sacramento onions garden chores spring planting citrus trees gardening April mulch checklist perennials flowers transplants

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Garden Checklist for week of July 21

Your garden needs you!

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

* Feed vegetable plants bone meal, rock phosphate or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting. (But wait until daily high temperatures drop out of the 100s.)

* 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.

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

* 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.

* 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.

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