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Checklist for the Week Articles

Sat, Jun 14, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 15

Spring ends with warm days and a potential heat spike

Sat, Jun 07, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of June 8

Expect rapid growth with warm summer-like weather

Sat, May 24, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 25

After mild Memorial Day weekend, expect rapid warm-up

Sat, May 17, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 18

Gusty winds signal fire weather; more heat on the way

Sat, May 10, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 11

After early heat, some relief as weather cools

Sat, May 03, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 4

This month, be ready for anything (especially heat)

Sat, Apr 26, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 27

April showers bring May flowers – and fungal disease

Sat, Apr 19, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 20

Summer-like feel to post-Easter weather; remember to water new transplants

Sat, Apr 12, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 13

Warm days and nights signal tomato planting time has arrived

Sat, Apr 05, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 6

Plenty of sunshine prompts spring fever.

Sat, Mar 29, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 30

April starts with showers (surprise!), then more sunshine.

Sat, Mar 22, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 23

Sudden warm-up could bring record temperatures (but keep an umbrella handy)

Sat, Mar 01, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of March 2

Keep umbrella handy as one last winter storm rolls into NorCal

Sat, Feb 22, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Feb. 23

Spring-like weather will get plants blooming, growing.

Sat, Feb 08, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Feb. 9

More wintry weather on tap; be ready for frost and rain

Sat, Feb 01, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Feb. 2

After dry January, February gets off to soggy start

Sat, Jan 25, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 26

Frosty and (maybe) damp forecast reminds Sacramento gardeners it’s still winter

Sat, Jan 18, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 19

Chilly mornings (and frost danger) continue for Sacramento area

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of June 15

Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)

* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.

* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Pull weeds before they go to seed.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!