Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Smoky skies serve as a reminder of fire danger

Red Flag Warning means be cautious; what Sacramento-area gardeners need to know

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 30, 2023

With smoke in the air, be sure to wash particulate dust off any produce before consuming it -- including those snack-perfect cherry tomatoes. Kathy Morrison

We’re in the midst of California fire season. If you need any reminders, just go outside.

Hazy skies are due to smoke from six major wildfires burning in Northern California plus more in southern Oregon. The closest blaze is more than 200 miles away, but the smoke is funneling into the Sacramento Valley and floating our way.

And we’re surrounded by potential fire danger. Due to our wet winter, there’s an abundance of plant material throughout our region. Recent triple-digit weather dried annual weeds and grasses tinder-crisp. That’s fuel for hungry wildfire.

“A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through 8 PM today for portions of the Sacramento Valley,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Wednesday morning. “Breezy winds & very dry conditions will create critical fire weather conditions. Be sure to use extra caution if using outdoor equipment and keep vehicles off of dry grass!”

In the afternoon, winds will push some of the haze out of the Sacramento area, but we can’t breathe easier.

“The smoke and haze present across much of the Valley this morning will diminish briefly this afternoon,” says the weather service. “However, we're expecting haze/smoke to return overnight and into Thursday morning.”

To check your local air quality, go to: http://airnow.gov

Low humidity, gusty winds and plenty of dry fuel can be a recipe for catastrophe. On Wednesday, humidity levels will dip down to 5 to 17% with wind gusts of up to 35 mph, says the weather service.

“Fire safety should be exercised to prevent fires,” it adds. “Always have an emergency plan if a fire starts near you.”

All it takes is a spark. A metal blade of a lawnmower or trimmer against a rock can ignite dry grass. A vehicle parked on dry grass or weeds can start a fire, too. So can a chain dragging from the back of a trailer. Use extra caution.

As for the hazy skies, tomatoes, peppers and other ripening vegetables could be dusted with fine particulate matter. Make sure to wash anything you harvest before eating. (No backyard cherry tomato-munching right off the vine.)

Spider mites love these dry, hazy, dusty conditions. Take out the hose and give your tomato vines and rose bushes a morning shower; that will knock mites off and refresh plants.

So far, there hasn’t been enough smoke in our area to worry about smoke taint, the absorption of smoke flavors through the skin of ripening fruit. But that could be an issue for grape and fruit growers closer to the fires in Trinity, Humboldt and Siskiyou.

As we know from fire seasons past, conditions can change dramatically in a hurry. It’s better to be prepared.

For tips: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/.

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

Sacramento gardening August summer fire season smoke air quality tomatoes produce irrigation high temperatures weather heat

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

Local News

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!

Thanks to Our Sponsor!

Sites We Like

Garden checklist for week of Feb. 8

Dodge those raindrops and get things done! Your garden needs you.

* Start your spring (and summer) garden. Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots. Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions. Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before they bloom. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees soon after a rain. But remember: Oils need at least 24 hours to dry to be effective. Don’t spray during foggy weather or when rain is forecast.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Remove aphids from blooming bulbs with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.

* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

Taste Spring! E-cookbook