March arrives with more cold, damp weather
Winter showers bring ... weeds. Get them out while they're small! Kathy Morrison
March can be blustery (as we’ve already seen this month) and unpredictable. When gardening, plan accordingly; be ready for spikes in temperature, both up and down.
Be patient, too. Some afternoons may feel like spring, but the soil is still mighty cold – bad for root development. And that soil is unlikely to warm up much this week.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will stay rainy through Wednesday. Forecast highs are 52 or 53 degrees every day this week but Thursday when we “warm” to 55. (The forecast low early Thursday morning: 32 degrees.) Friday’s forecast: More rain and 53 degrees.
That’s more than 10 degrees below average. Normal for this week in Sacramento: High of 66 degrees and low of 44.
March also can see rapid warm-ups. In March 2022, we enjoyed six consecutive days of 80-degree weather peaking at a record 86 on March 26. (That was just three weeks after Sacramento set a record low of 35 on March 6.) Spring will be here for real before you know it.
* No matter how tempting, don’t transplant tomatoes outdoors yet. If seedlings need more room, transplant them into 1-gallon pots lined with newspaper; that will help warm their growing roots.
* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear. Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 8-8-8, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).
* If aphids are attracted to new growth, knock them off with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap. To make your own “bug soap,” use two tablespoons of liquid soap – not detergent – to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up before use. Among the liquid soaps that seem most effective are Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soaps; try the peppermint scent.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Start preparing vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Pick up browned camellias and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce, collards and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.
* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.
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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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