Summer gets off to blazing start with string of 100-plus days
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| Harvest ripening peaches, along with apricots and plums. Hot weather is expected this next week as summer arrives. (Photo: Kathy Morrison) |
Get ready for a red-hot summer! Tuesday is officially the first day of summer – and what could be the start of a string of triple-digit days.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect to see afternoon highs of 100 to 103 degrees Tuesday through Friday before a slight dip back into the high 90s next weekend. The forecast is relentlessly sunny and dry. Normal for mid June in Sacramento: high of 87 and low of 56.
Overnight lows also will be about 10 degrees higher than normal, hovering in the mid 60s. That makes for warm mornings, too. Irrigate before 8 a.m. to avoid quick evaporation. That’s the best time for exercise and any outdoor chores, too.
This warm spell has benefits. Say goodbye to powdery mildew! Infected leaves will fall off and (fingers crossed) soon be replaced with healthy foliage. Make sure to pick up and dispose of that mildewed foliage; otherwise, it can reinfect healthy leaves in the fall.
Hot days also prompt rapid growth of such summer favorites as tomatoes, squash and peppers. Inspect plants daily if possible. Watch for evidence of spider mites, leaf-footed bugs and tomato hornworms, and act quickly if you find them.
* Keep vegetables irrigated with even moisture in the root zone. That will help those fast-growing plants cope with high heat as well as prevent blossom end rot.
* Are plants getting enough water? Check soil with a moisture meter or feel for yourself – take a trowel and dig down 6 inches. If the soil will ball in your hand, it’s moist. If it’s powdery or (worse) if you can’t dig down 6 inches, it’s time for a deep soak.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. Use organic material (premade mulch, wood chips, leaves, straw), but not rocks -- rocks absorb heat and will stress the plants.
* Water your lawn during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* If you haven’t already, upgrade lawn irrigation with rotator heads; this simple switch waters better (deeper, more complete coverage, less runoff) while saving water. Rebates are available, www.bewatersmart.info .
* Don’t fertilize during triple-digit heat. It can stress plants. Wait until another cooldown.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries after harvest.
* 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.
* Harvest onions and garlic.
* Harvest fruit; apricots, plums and peaches are ripening quickly. Pick up fallen fruit to dissuade pests.
* From seed or transplant, plant basil, corn, melons, bush beans, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds, cosmos and zinnias.
* Transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a polinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums
March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses
Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?
Local News
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Garden checklist for week of April 12
After these storms pass, get to work on spring clean-up.
* Weed, weed, weed! Take advantage of soft soil and pull them before they go to seed.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, 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. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant heat-resistant lettuce seedlings.
* Feed roses and other spring-blooming shrubs.
* 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.
* 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.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds. Avoid "volcano mulching" -- be sure to keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks or the stems of shrubs. This prevents rot and disease.
Contact Us
Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com
Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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