Spring-like days finally arrive (but still too cold for happy tomatoes)
Don't forget to enjoy the early spring bloomers -- such as these summer snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) -- before they fade in warmer weather. Trim spent flowers but not leaves of any spring bulbs. Kathy Morrison
The Easter Bunny is bringing us some sunshine. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect a sunny Easter Sunday – and Monday – with temperatures in the high 70s.
“The warming trend begins today, despite some cloud cover,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Saturday morning. “Even warmer temperatures are forecast for Sunday and Monday when many locations will see their warmest day of the year (so far).”
The forecast calls for 78 degrees on Monday – 16 degrees warmer than Friday, which also saw 0.15 inches of rain. Normal for this week of April: 72 degrees.
Now for the real question: Is it warm enough to plant tomatoes? Yes – and no. Those afternoons in the 70s are mighty tempting, but the soil is still cold.
Not helping those early tomatoes, Sacramento will be right back down in the low 60s on Wednesday with a forecast high of 64, and overnight lows will continue to linger in the low 40s every night but Monday and Tuesday.
The good news: Many more warm days are coming soon, says the weather service. Next weekend’s forecast also calls for highs in the 70s. The later you wait this month, the happier your tomato transplants will be.
If you must plant tomatoes this week, give them some extra protection and warmth such as heat caps and mulch.
Elsewhere in the garden:
* 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 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.
* 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.
* 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 summer-blooming perennials, gladiolus and dahlia tubers.
* Transplant lettuce and kale seedlings.
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Garden Checklist for week of July 21
Your garden needs you!
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Feed vegetable plants bone meal, rock phosphate or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting. (But wait until daily high temperatures drop out of the 100s.)
* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
* It's not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.
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