Overnight lows near freezing put poinsettias at risk
This display by the Sacramento County master gardeners shows how to protect a young citrus tree with frost cloth and/or old-fashioned Christmas lights. In practice, the cloth would be pulled completely over the tree on all sides. Kathy Morrison
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento and its surrounding areas can expect areas of frost in the early hours of the morning Saturday through Tuesday. We’re officially under a frost warning from 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday morning.
Overnight lows are expected to dip into the low 30s every night from Friday through Tuesday.
“Near to below freezing overnight/morning temperatures will return to the Valley tonight and continue through the middle of next week,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Friday morning. “Be sure to take the necessary precautions to protect pets, plants and people, especially for the vulnerable populations!”
In Sacramento, the lowest temperature currently predicted is 33 degrees in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. That’s not quite freezing, but cold enough to burn the leaves and bracts of tender poinsettias. It also can speed the decay of decorative pumpkins. To avoid damage to either, bring them indoors.
Also provide frost protection for tender new seedlings such as newly transplanted cabbage or lettuce. Slip a plastic milk jug over the whole plant; it becomes an instant mini greenhouse.
Provide protection for succulents or any remaining pepper or tomato plants. They’ll definitely feel the chill.
Bring container plants indoors or put under cover. Use cloth sheets (not plastic) for temporary protection. Make sure to remove these sheets during the day so plants don’t overheat and smother.
Except for succulents, water frost-tender plants in the late afternoon before a chilly night is predicted. That extra moisture raises the soil temperature just enough to avoid frost burn.
For more tips on freezing and frost: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/frostdamage.html.
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Garden checklist for week of July 5
Mornings may seem almost cold with temperatures in the 60s before 10 a.m. Wear layers – and give your garden some TLC.
* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.
* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week. Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* If your melons and squash aren’t setting fruit, give the bees a hand. With a small, soft paintbrush, gather some pollen from male flowers, then brush it inside the female flowers, which have a tiny swelling at the base of their petals. (That's the embryo melon or squash.) Within days, that little swelling should start growing.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
* Feed vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.
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Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
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Hints for choosing tomato seeds
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How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
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Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
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Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
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Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
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Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
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!)
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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
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