Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Dec. 16

Red chard and green chard make a festive combination. Transplant it now, along with lettuce, peas, greens and cabbage. If you don't have space in the garden, chard does very well a pot. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Colder weather cues dormancy -- and pruning time

After such a warm fall, the weather in these final days before winter may seem chilly and dank, but it's actually normal for December in Sacramento. This month averages 56-degree days and 38-degree nights, right around what we've been seeing.

These colder temperatures cue deciduous trees and shrubs to start thinking about taking a long nap. If they haven't already dropped their leaves, they will -- very soon.

That dormancy cues a round of early winter chores. Here's what to do in between storms:

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they're dormant.
* Prune deciduous fruit trees except apricots (they're pruned in August). Remove and dispose of any "mummy fruit" that clings to the branches; it's full of fungal disease.
* Spray peaches and nectarine trees with copper fungicide spray to prevent leaf curl. This treatment also helps fight brown rot and fire blight. It needs at least 24 hours of dry weather after spraying to be effective.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Expecting company? Brighten the holiday garden with winter bloomers such as calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses. They'll add instant color and instant cheer.
* It's not too late to transplant trees, shrubs and perennials.
* Transplant lettuce, cabbage, chard, peas and greens.
* Plant from seed radishes, beets, leaf lettuce, greens, peas and fava beans.
* Friday is the first day of winter. That's also the shortest day of the year, the traditional time to plant garlic and onions for harvest in summer.
* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb. But beware of soggy soil. It can rot bare-root plants.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

Sacramento peach leaf curl tools dormant spray garden chores winter greens weather gardening holiday plants pruning annuals dormancy perennials

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Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* 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.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* 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, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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