October blows out with windy weekend before pleasant planting weather to start November
'Green Wave' mustard is a pretty addition to the winter vegetable garden -- it's productive and frost-hardy. But cabbage moths like to lay their eggs on brassicas, which include mustard, so it's best protected with a row cover.
Kathy Morrison
October is going out with a blast. Strong gusty winds are expected to blow through the Central Valley this last October weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Tie down those Halloween decorations or your goblins could fly away.
“Gusty north to east winds are expected this weekend,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Saturday. “Be sure to secure any loose outdoor items such as decorations, avoid outdoor burning, and use caution when driving in/around high profile vehicles!”
Coupled with low humidity, these strong winds create “critical fire danger,” says the weather service. A “red flag warning” is in effect through at least 5 p.m. Sunday. Sacramento can expect winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 40 mph with relative humidity dropping to 10% in the afternoon.
After this windy weekend, Sacramento will settle down into a pleasant pattern of highs in the low 70s and overnight lows in the high 40s. Halloween Tuesday will be dry with a high of 71. Temperatures will stay comfortably in the 60s until after 8 p.m., so trick-or-treaters shouldn’t need heavy coats.
This weather also is a treat for gardeners. Make the most of it; finish planting your cool-season garden.
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Plant bulbs for spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea, sweet alyssum, bachelor buttons and stock.
* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.
* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.
* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.
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For week of Nov. 26:
Concentrate on helping your garden stay comfortable during these frosty nights – and clean up all those leaves!
* Irrigate frost-tender plants such as citrus in the late afternoon. That extra soil moisture increases temperatures around the plant a few degrees, just enough to prevent frost damage. The exception are succulents; too much water before frost can cause them to freeze.
* Cover sensitive plants before the sun goes down. Use cloth sheets or frost cloths, not plastic sheeting, to hold in warmth. Make sure to remove covers in the morning.
* Use fall leaves as mulch around shrubs and vegetables. Mulch acts as a blanket and keeps roots warmer.
* Stop dead-heading; let rose hips form on bushes to prompt dormancy.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location – and definitely indoors overnight. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Plant spring bulbs. Don’t forget the tulips chilling in the refrigerator. Daffodils can be planted without pre-chilling.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet peas, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Plant trees and shrubs. They’ll benefit from fall and winter rains while establishing their roots.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Bare-root season begins now. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.
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