Relief from triple-digit temperatures coming this weekend, but smoky skies may linger
A Cherokee Carbon tomato ripens on the vine. Because of wildfire particulate in the air, tomatoes may develop a smoky taint. Kathy Morrison
Sacramento’s forecast high for Saturday (July 27): 82 degrees. That’s 20 degrees cooler than last weekend – and most of this month.
So far, July is trending to be one of the hottest months on record – not just in Sacramento, but worldwide. Monday (July 22) went down as the hottest day in recorded human history, European climatologists reported this week.https://apnews.com/article/hottest-day-ever-climate-change-weather-heat-extreme-global-warming-8e2b0b7fa0360ecb931ca333a832c694
Sacramento has been doing its part. Through July 25, Sacramento highs have averaged 101 degrees – that’s more than eight degrees above normal (92.6) for July. Helping hold in that heat were unusually warm nights; lows averaged 65 degrees, about six degrees above normal.
This intense heat dried vegetation to a crisp, especially grasses; that’s created high fire danger throughout Northern California. With abundant fuel, the Park Fire in Butte County doubled in size in less than 24 hours, growing to more than 164,000 acres – an area larger than the city of Chicago.
Smoke from that blaze is drifting across the valley and foothills, dropping ash and polluting air. That can trigger breathing problems for people with sensitivities as well as burn eyes.
All this heat and smoke can have major effects on our summer gardens, too. Expect to see some ozone damage to foliage. Smoky skies tend to cut down on bee activity, too. Tomatoes and grapes may develop smoke taint to their flavor. Make sure to wash fruit and vegetables well before eating; soot and ash can cling to their skin or leaves.
With such high fire danger, just a spark can start a catastrophe, warns the weather service. Do not use power equipment outdoors; a lawn mower or edger hitting a rock may be all it takes to cause a blaze. Likewise, don’t park vehicles on dry grass; igniting an engine also can ignite a grass fire.
Cooler conditions starting Saturday will help relieve that fire danger. In fact, the weather service predicts no more triple-digit temperatures for the rest of July – and August starts Thursday.
For more weather updates: https://www.weather.gov/sto/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of June 22
Mornings this first week of summer will remain comfortably cool – just right for gardening!
* Water early in the morning to cut down on evaporation. Check soil moisture and deep water trees and shrubs. Keep new transplants and veggies evenly moist. Deep water tomatoes to encourage deep roots.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* 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.
* 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.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* 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.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* 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. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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