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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 6

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 5, 2019

Use bypass pruners for pruning roses.

Always a good idea to sharpen them
beforehand. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Work around storms during rainy early January

January's first weekend is wet. And that's normal; January typically is Sacramento's rainy month.

According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect two big doses of deep-soaking rain, maybe three, in the next four days. About a half inch was expected Saturday, followed by another half inch Sunday night. More rain is forecast for Wednesday.

In addition, strong gusts of wind -- up to 43 mph -- are forecast for Sacramento through Monday. That combination of wet ground and gusty wind can be dangerous. Keep an eye out for toppling trees and shrubs, especially new transplants. Evergreens may drop branches.

The forecast starting Thursday calls for sunny skies and highs nudging 60. Wait until then for most outdoor chores. In between storms or when the sun comes out, here's what should be on your garden to-do list:

* Turn off the sprinklers for another week.
* Browse the new seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Prune deciduous fruit trees, except apricots and cherries. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.

These navels can be harvested now. But you can "store" them
on the tree for the time being. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

* Harvest citrus as it ripens. Navel oranges, lemons and mandarins are ready now.
* Add some instant color. Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* Plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.

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seeds Sacramento McKinley Park Rose Garden roses bare-root plants weather winter annuals deciduous trees citrus gardening pruning seed catalogs rainfall bulbs

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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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