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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Sept. 6

Record heat brings warnings; keep garden and yourself hydrated

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED SEP 5, 2020

Plants will appreciate a morning shower during this heat wave. Coneflowers especially will -- they have rough leaves that easily collect dust and, lately, ash from wildfires. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

The heat is back on this Labor Day weekend with the possibility of more records. Sacramento could see its hottest September day ever; 110 is forecast for Sunday. That's 20 degrees above normal for early September. The previous record for the month: 109.

For the Sacramento region, the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning through Tuesday night. Then, the Delta breeze is expected to start back up, giving us some relief.

In the meantime, drink extra water and avoid outdoor activities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., advises the weather service. Help kids and elderly family or friends stay cool. And pets, too.

That also goes for your garden. Irrigate early. Give plants in containers extra water. Shade maturing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash.

What else should you be doing in your garden this week?

* In these smoky conditions, foliage could use some water, too. Give your plants a morning shower. Rinse off dust, ash and grime.
* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant. In this high heat, pick before your crops get overripe.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished blooming and producing.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with "eyes" about an inch below the soil surface.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds. Make sure to keep them hydrated.
* After the heat wave ends, transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.

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Garden Checklist for week of May 5

Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:

* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.

* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.

* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

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