Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 23

Cut back fruit-bearing canes after berry harvest. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Get busy outdoors during mild days ahead

It's time to dive into summer gardening. Take advantage of cooler weather later this week to get things done.

This first summer weekend will feel like many weekends to come: Hot and a little sticky. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will see highs in the mid 90s on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

But then we'll slip into several days in the low 80s: Perfect summer gardening weather. A little TLC now will pay off in weeks and months to come.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries after harvest.
* Pick up fallen fruit and discard if unusable.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer. Water before and after application.
* Deep-water tomatoes, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* 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.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

Coneflowers add some bright color to the summer garden. Now is a good

time to transplant these and other flowering perennials. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, melons, beans, squash and sunflowers.
* 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.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

fertilizing seeds tomatoes Sacramento roses garden chores deadheading weather gardening heat summer annuals tree fruit bulbs perennials summer

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Dig In: Garden Checklist

For week of March 26:

Sacramento can expect another inch of rain from this latest storm. Leave the sprinklers off at least another week. Temps will dip down into the low 30s early in the week, so avoid planting tender seedlings (such as tomatoes). Concentrate on these tasks before or after this week’s rain:

* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.

* Knock off aphids with a strong blast of water or some bug soap as soon as they appear.

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Prepare summer vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit.

To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

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