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 March 10

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 9, 2019

Trellis and tie up pea plants; they can grow rapidly now - and get heavy. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

After so much rain, spring is on its way

Spring may not officially start until March 20, but we spring forward this weekend. Sunday (March 10) is the start of Daylight Saving Time. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour.

What does this mean for gardeners? More daylight in the late afternoon and early evening to get things done.

After a wet start to March, warmer (and drier) weather is expected soon. Postpone planting tomatoes until temperatures warm later this month. Meanwhile, consider these tasks:

* As weather permits, prepare beds for planting. Cut down cover crops (such as clover). Add compost and soil amendments. Cover with mulch until you’re ready to plant.

* If aphids are attracted to new growth, knock them off with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap. To make your own “bug soap,” use two tablespoons liquid soap -- not detergent -- to one quart water in a spray bottle. Shake it up before use. Among the liquid soaps that seem most effective are Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soaps ; try the peppermint scent.

* Watch out for early signs of powdery mildew on roses and other ornamentals plants. It explodes when temperatures edge into the 70s. Apply neem or jojoba oil.

* 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.

Enjoy your spring flowering bulbs.
Pick some daffodils to enjoy indoors.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant seedlings of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Harvest those same cool-season crops as they mature. Broccoli tends to bolt quickly in warm weather.

* Harvest peas as they mature. Tie up and trellis vines; they grow rapidly and need more support.

* Seed chard, beets, radishes, carrots and onions directly into the ground.

* A cool start to March means it’s not too late to plant such spring annuals as pansies, violas, primroses and calendulas.

* Plant summer bulbs and tubers, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias, callas and dahlias.

* Pick daffodils, tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs to enjoy indoors.

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

gardening daffodils what to plant now cool-weather vegetables garden checklist spring planting peas

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Local News

Dig In: Garden Checklist

For week of March 19:

Spring will start a bit soggy, but there’s still plenty to do between showers:

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

* Watch out for aphids. Wash off plants with strong blast from the hose.

* 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 fight blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees as they start to blossom.

* 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.

Sites We Like

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