Dig In: Garden Checklist for week of June 24

Here's what happened on a hot day when a dripline didn't reach a rose
 in a pot: toasted foliage.

What to do in Sacramento-area gardens during the first week of summer (and high heat)

By Debbie Arrington

Just hours into this new season, summer heat arrived with a fury, toasting tender growth. Fruit trees dropped loads of fruit, ripe or not, to cope with triple-digit temperatures. Other plants simply wilted.

Get garden chores done early in the morning or early evening. Where to focus? These areas top the checklist:
- Water early and deeply, allowing the moisture to soak in 6 inches or more to help plants cope with heat later in the day.
- Check irrigation to make sure everything is getting the water it needs. Driplines or sprinklers may need repairs. Make adjustments to run times. 
- Is water reaching roots? Take a long-handled screwdriver and try to push it into the soil in various spots around your garden. If you can't push it in more than 2 inches, that area needs some deep watering.
- Pay special attention to plants in pots. They may need water every 100-degree day. If rootballs dry out too much, water will run right out the sides of the pot without benefiting the plant. 
- Avoid fertilizing or spraying pesticides during extremely hot weather. They may burn foliage.
- Mulch! Mulch! Mulch! Keep moisture in the soil and roots cooler with an insulating blanket of organic material such as bark, wood chips or shredded leaves. Don't use rocks or gravel in full sun; that material retains more heat.
- Pick up dropped fruit; it invites pests and problems.
- Harvest vegetables as soon as they're ready, especially summer squash. (In hot weather, it gets big in a hurry.)
- Pick a bouquet of fresh flowers to enjoy indoors.