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Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 31

More rain is on the way, then good garden days

Moisture meter and temperature probe in soil
Yes, that soil is wet -- and cold! We can expect
more rain Monday night. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)





Keep your rain gear handy. After 2 inches of rain this week, another storm is on its way.

According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will see up to an inch of rain from this next weather system, expected to hit Monday night and extend through Tuesday.

The rest of the week may be partly cloudy, but mostly dry with high temperatures in the 50s and lows in the 40s – just about normal for the first week of January. Expect to see sunny skies and warmer weather Thursday.

In the meantime, don’t walk on soggy soil; it may compact. Wait until the soil dries out a little before digging.

But once excess moisture drains, the ground should be soft and easy to work. Expect good gardening weather by next weekend.

* During this rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. Irrigation can stay off at least a week.

* Check soil moisture before watering.

* Finish pruning roses and dormant trees and shrubs.

* Weed, weed, weed! Pull them while they’re small.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer.

* Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers and bare-root rhubarb roots, asparagus and horseradish.

* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Plant bare-root roses, shrubs and fruit trees.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 9

Be careful walking or working in wet soil; it compacts easily.

* Keep the irrigation turned off; the ground is plenty wet with more rain on the way.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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