Weather roller-coaster continues; triple-digit temperatures return this weekend
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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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 12
Once the winds die down, it’s good winter gardening weather with plenty to do:
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback. Save them until summer.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* After the wind stops, apply horticultural oil to fruit trees to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based fungicide to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. (The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.)
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladioli for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.
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