Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 25

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Our unofficial start to summer includes some nice gardening weather with relatively mild temperatures. Monday’s expected high for Sacramento is “only” 82, according to the National Weather Service. That’s just above average for late May.

But after this mild holiday weekend, we’re headed for a rapid warm-up. After a few days in the low 90s, we could see our first triple-digit day of 2025 on Friday, May 30, says the weather service. Next weekend could be red hot.

So, get your garden chores done now. Your tomato transplants will be much happier in the ground than in little plastic pots. Just remember to keep those babies watered.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. Transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.

* Plant dahlia tubers.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let those unwanted plants go to seed or you’ll only multiply your work.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.