Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 18

Hold onto your hat – and your trellises, too. According to the National Weather Service, we’re in for a windy weekend – and cooler temperatures.

The NWS Sacramento office says to expect “locally gusty onshore winds this weekend. Avoid outdoor burning. Secure loose outdoor items and temporary structures.”

In Sacramento, expect gusts of 20 to 25 mph on Sunday, Father’s Day, with the breeze building in intensity after 5 p.m. That pattern repeats almost every day this next week; light breezes earlier in the day with gusty conditions in late afternoon and early evening.

These breezes will keep temperatures down. After a normal high of 86 on Saturday, Sacramento will be back in the 70s on Monday and Tuesday with high temperatures hanging in the low 80s through next weekend.

Nights will be on the cool side, too. After a 60-degree low on Sunday night, overnight temperatures will dip down into the low 50s. Average low for mid-June in Sacramento: 56 degrees.

Unlike recent days, we’ll see little cloud cover; those breezes will make for very sunny skies.

Make the most of these last days of spring and dive into serious summer gardening (preferably before the wind kicks up).

Although temperatures will be below our June averages, it’s still plenty warm for fast-developing tomatoes, squash and peppers. Keep plants evenly watered and they’ll keep growing strong.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! That wind can dry out soil. This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during summer weather.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support (especially during windy conditions).

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* 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.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

* 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.

* Transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.