Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 26

Squash seedlings will grow rapidly once the weather warms up. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

After so much rain, summer gardening hits high gear

How will your garden respond to all that rain?

Sacramento’s wettest May on record gave everything a thorough and deep watering. Most of the area received 3-plus inches, more than four times normal for the month.

All that extra (free) irrigation got most summer transplants off to an especially strong start. Meanwhile, cool weather – 10 degrees or more below normal temperatures – prolonged the season for many early spring vegetables such as snap peas and lettuce.

Your peppers and melons may have just been sitting there, but soon they’ll be kicking into high gear. Temperatures in the 80s are forecast by mid-week, and warmer summer weather patterns are on the way.

Tomato transplants already are growing rapidly and setting their first fruit. That may mean ripe tomatoes by July 4.

* Weed! Weed! Weed! That wet weather prompted millions of dormant weed seeds to sprout, and now those plants are growing rapidly. Pull or whack them while they’re young, and definitely before they set seed.

* It’s not too late to plant a summer garden including transplants of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Choose quick-maturing varieties.

Still plenty of time to plant melon seeds -- they'll grow rapidly

in more typical late spring temperatures.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. For faster flowers, transplant seedlings.

* Plant dahlia tubers.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and
perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Dead-head roses, pruning off spent flowers. The bush will re-bloom in six to eight weeks.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

seeds gardening Sacramento pruning annuals roses garden chores summer vegetables rainfall perennials weeds

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

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Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

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Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Garden checklist for week of March 8

During this sunny week, get your garden set up for a beautiful spring:

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

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

* Prepare 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.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

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

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (Soak beet seeds first for better germination.)

* 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.

* 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.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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