Pre-Christmas week looks chilly but dry
Expect frosty mornings for a few more days. Kathy Morrison
The final days of fall will be chilly and foggy. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect “widespread frost and fog” Saturday through Monday. Ground moisture and frosty nights will combine to create thick fog in many sections of the greater Sacramento area.
Overnight lows will dip to freezing or just below; stay on frost alert the next three nights. Daytime highs will be on the cold side, too, topping out at 53.
Midweek cloud cover will keep nights warmer – above 40 degrees – and help warm afternoons, too. The final shopping – and gardening – days before Christmas (and first days of winter) should be in the high 50s, says the weather service.
Unfortunately, those clouds are unlikely to drop any local rain; check soil moisture, then turn on irrigation as needed.
* Wednesday is the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year – and the traditional time to plant garlic and onions for harvest in summer.
* Mulch, water and cover tender plants to protect them during threat of frost. Succulent plants are at particular risk if temperatures drop below freezing. Make sure to remove coverings during the day.
* Just because it rained last week doesn't mean every plant got watered. Give a drink to plants that the rain didn't reach, such as under eaves or under evergreen trees. Also, well-watered plants hold up better to frost than thirsty plants.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they'll bloom again next December.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they're dormant.
* Start pruning roses even if they’re still blooming. Make sure to remove foliage and rake out fallen leaves from beneath bushes to prevent spread of fungal disease.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Bare-root season is here. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb. Beware of soggy soil. It can rot bare-root plants.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head or leaf lettuce, mustard, radicchio and radishes.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
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Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
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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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