This month, be ready for anything (especially heat)
Learn about pollinators, taste honey and mead at Woodland site
Find inspiration in nature center's native plant landscaping
See more than two dozen private and school gardens featuring California native plants
Problems this early usually can be fixed -- or there's time to start over
Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society hosts huge three-day event
New! Blueberry spinach salad with honey-Dijon vinaigrette
April showers bring May flowers – and fungal disease
River Park, Folsom, Curtis Park and Davis destinations in spring spotlight
Smaller fundraising sales offer bargains, too
Open to the public, this event features thousands of water-wise perennials, trees, shrubs and more
How tariffs are expected to affect cost-conscious gardeners
77th annual celebration to be held in Carmichael; see hundreds of blooms (and take some home)
New! Strawberry lemonade bars perfect for spring holidays
Summer-like feel to post-Easter weather; remember to water new transplants
See vintage homes and private gardens during community event
More than just perennials at this big fundraising event in South Natomas
Family-friendly free event features plant sale, youth garden, bird walk, fresh produce and more
Choosing, grouping varieties key to success
Sacramento Iris Society hosts 74th annual show at Shepard Center
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
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!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
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
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of June 8
Get out early to enjoy those nice mornings. There’s plenty to keep gardeners busy:
* 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 or rock phosphate 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. Inconsistent soil moisture can encourage blossom-end rot.
* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers or eggplant.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
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