Downtown has received more than 18 inches so far in 2024 -- with more on the way
A moisture meter is an essential tool for the Sacramento-area gardener. Makes a great gift, too! Kathy Morrison
Will 2024 be remembered as a wet or dry year? (Hint: Look outside.)
Although we’ll certainly remember the heat (with more than 50 days in triple digits), 2024 saw above-average rainfall – and we’re not done yet.
According to the National Weather Service, Downtown Sacramento has totaled 18.03 inches through Dec. 17 – more than 1.5 inches above average for those 50 weeks.
February (4.63 inches), April (1.60), November (3.53) and December (2.27 and counting) all tracked above average and other months (such as January with 3.53 inches) were pretty darn close.
This weekend, another atmospheric river will flow a steady stream of showers into Northern California. Starting Saturday (the first official day of winter), Sacramento is expected to receive 1 to 2 inches more rain before Christmas (including a very soggy Christmas eve), says the weather service. That could push our annual total close to 20 inches – 3 inches above normal.
Our fall rainfall has replenished reserves in both reservoirs and our own landscapes. No matter how dry 2025 may be, we’re set up to have a good “water year,” which officially runs through Sept. 30.
The new year could get off to a wet start, too. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, January and February 2025 are expected to be warmer and wetter than usual. Those two months combined average more than 7 inches in Sacramento. In 2024, January and February delivered a total of 8.16 inches.
Be prepared for all that moisture:
* Get a rain gauge. It will help you track your own garden’s micro-climate and precipitation totals.
* Use a moisture meter. Check your soil before irrigating; top soil may look dry, but a few inches down, it can stay damp much longer.
* Dig up and store bulbs that are prone to rot (such as dahlias).
* Place stepping stones through planting beds so damp soil isn’t compacted by your heavy footprints while tending flowers or vegetables.
* Consider setting up rain barrels and saving some of that water for dry periods to come.
For the latest weather updates and rain totals: https://www.weather.gov/sto/#
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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 8
Get out early to enjoy those nice mornings. There’s plenty to keep gardeners busy:
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal or rock phosphate can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. Inconsistent soil moisture can encourage blossom-end rot.
* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers or eggplant.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
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