Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Nov. 13
Grab a sweater; chill is definitely in the air.
According to the National Weather Service, cooler than normal conditions are expected across the country this week – including Sacramento. High temperatures won’t peak above 62 degrees with most days in the 50s. Normal high for mid-November: 64 degrees.
Overnight lows will be chilly, too, flirting with freezing in the wee hours of Monday and Tuesday mornings. Every night is forecast for the mid to low 30s. Be prepared for frost.
Otherwise, expect clear, calm conditions and no rain – at least for this week. The next showers are expected Thanksgiving week.
In the meantime, make the most of soft ground and clear skies.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Speaking of leaf curl, this looks like a good week to spray. Apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree on fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective when applied now.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* After they bloom, chrysanthemums should be trimmed to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. If in pots, keep the mums in their containers until next spring. Then, they can be planted in the ground, if desired, or repotted.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* There’s still time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them opportunity for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
