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Sacramento catches a break in hottest July on record

Weather roller-coaster continues; triple-digit temperatures return this weekend

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUL 31, 2023

At Harvest Day 2022, master gardeners Peggy Ruud, left, and Debi Brakebill were among the greeters handing out gift bags at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. Visitors at Harvest Day this Saturday also will receive gift bags. Kathy Morrison

We’re riding a weather roller-coaster. After another warm weekend to end July, temperatures are expected to dip into the low 80s for parts of the greater Sacramento area before returning to triple digits by week’s end -- and Harvest Day.

Saturday’s forecast will be in the range of 97 to 105 degrees, says the National Weather Service. Sunday will be even hotter.

Harvest Day, the Sacramento region's biggest free gardening event, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, at Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park. The forecast high: 102 degrees at 5 p.m.

The first week of August follows a yo-yo weather pattern of temperature dips and spikes that we’ve seen all summer, including four times in July. We saw record highs (107 each time) on July 1 and July 16, but we also saw record overnight lows (53 twice) on July 9 and 10. (The high on July 9 was an almost-shivery 76 degrees.)

The warmer days outnumbered the below-average ones; 17 days recorded highs above average for their dates. July’s high temperatures averaged 94.3 – almost two degrees above average for this month in Sacramento.

“Remember, even normal temperatures this time of year are still quite warm and can cause heat-related illnesses,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Monday morning. “Be sure to stay cool & hydrated!”

Compared to other places, Sacramento got off easy during what will be remembered as a red-hot July. Climate scientists estimate that July 2023 is the hottest month ever recorded on Earth with three continents – North America, Europe and Asia – experiencing deadly heat waves. Last week, heat advisories or warnings were issued for the home communities of more than 128 million Americans.

Some heat has been truly extreme: Phoenix recorded highs of 110 degrees or hotter every single day in July, hitting 119 degrees three times. Helping to maintain that record heat, overnight lows stayed above 90 degrees on 19 nights.

Fortunately for the greater Sacramento area, August is expected to be a more normal month with most days in the low to mid 90s – thanks to the Delta breeze.

Those lower temperatures literally take the heat off our tomatoes, peppers and other summer crops. It still will be warm enough for steady ripening and harvest, but cool enough for these plants to also set more fruit. For example, tomatoes need temperatures below 95 degrees to set.

Keep your garden evenly hydrated – not too wet but never completely dry. Provide afternoon shade if possible for developing tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

And start planning and planting for fall; those little lettuce seeds sprout faster in warm soil.

For more on Sacramento weather: https://www.weather.gov/sto/.

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Harvest Day weather Sacramento gardening heat weather records August UCCE master gardeners July vegetables pollination irrigation

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Garden checklist for week of Aug. 16

During this break in the heat, feed your garden. Make sure to water before and after applying fertilizer.

* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.

* Plant potatoes.

* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers. Also, give them a boost with phosphate-rich fertilizer to help fruiting.

* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.

* Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s still small.

* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don't let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.

* Camellia leaves looking a little yellow? Give them some chelated iron. That goes for azaleas and gardenias, too.

* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot. Then feed fruit trees with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year.

* To prolong bloom into fall, feed begonias, fuchsias and container plants. Always water before fertilizing.

* Fertilize fall-blooming perennials, too. Chrysanthemums can be fed until the buds start to open.

* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials, then give them a boost of fertilizer. Make sure to water plants before feeding. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.

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