Several vegetables and flowers can be planted in late July (just remember to water)
Sunflowers planted now will provide pollen for bees into fall. Kathy Morrison
“What can I plant now?” I hear that question every week in our Sacramento community garden. For myriad reasons, a gardener has a vacant patch and wants to fill it immediately.
During midsummer in Sacramento, that list of possibilities is considerably shorter than it would be in May or June. But there are still several summer replacements that can get started now and thrive into fall.
A caveat to midsummer planting: Don’t transplant a seedling on a 106-degree day. Wait until we’re back in the mere 90s, Sacramento’s forecast for next week.
According to the National Weather Service, “very hot temperatures” are forecast through Saturday, with Valley and foothill highs ranging from 100 to 112. In Sacramento, overnight lows will be normal – low to mid 60s – and that will temper our heat. Monday’s forecast high is 93 degrees, followed by slightly below normal temperatures through at least Thursday.
That represents a window of planting opportunity. It’s still warm, but below Sacramento’s late July average of 96 degrees.
If planting (or any gardening), make the most of cool mornings; it will stay in the 70s until at least 10 a.m. It’s easier on the plants and the gardener. Keep seeds and transplants moist. Some transplants may need some temporary shade.
Flowering annuals can be transplanted now into the ground or containers for a splash of summer color. How about a pot of Barbie pink petunias or zinnias? Container gardens can be moved around (in and out of intense summer sun, for example). They brighten up any outdoor gathering. Besides petunias and zinnias, try snapdragons or marigolds.
* From seed or transplants, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. The pumpkins will be ready right around Halloween. Pumpkins are heavy feeders; enrich soil with plenty of compost. Squash and pumpkins both like to grow atop hills; plant them on a mound with a basin or moat around it to hold water. That prompts the roots to grow out. Make sure the top of the hill stays moist, too. Remember: Squash and pumpkins need room, too; they will sprawl.
Warm soil will make seeds sprout quickly, especially if presoaked. Wrap seeds in a damp paper towel for 30 minutes or longer, up to overnight. Choose varieties that take less time to mature. Regular watering is vital to get these late additions rooted and ready for heat waves to come.
Now is also time to start planning and planting for fall. Those same warm conditions are great for cool-season crops. And you don’t have to set foot outdoors.
Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce. This will keep you and the kids busy. Use recycled egg cartons or other methods. Those seedlings will be ready for transplant by Labor Day.
Seeds for several cool-season favorites can be planted in the ground now; the soil temperature will sprout them quickly. In the garden, direct-seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.
Got sprouted potatoes? Plant those, too. August is a great time to plant potatoes for late fall harvest.
Want more water-wise flowers? Now is a good time to sow seeds of perennials in pots including yarrow, coneflower and salvia. Once mature, they can be transplanted into the garden.
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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 15
Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)
* 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 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. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* 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.
* Pull weeds before they go to seed.
* 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.
* 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. It also helps smother weeds.
* 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.