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Dig In: Garden checklist for Dec. 9


Leaves piling up? Put them to work in the garden as mulch or in
a new compost pile. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Make the most of sunny December days; plant and renovate



Get out and enjoy the bright sunshine during these brisk December days.

In between storms, soil is soft and ready for renovation. Add some compost to the vegetable beds to prepare them for future planting. Make use of fallen leaves as instant mulch.

Need more ideas?

* Empty standing water under pots or other spots where rain may have collected. Put saucers away for winter.

* Clear debris away from storm drains. If piling leaves in the street for pick-up, make sure water can flow freely in gutters.

* Tidy up fallen branches and leaves knocked down by stormy weather.

* Start a new compost pile with all those fallen leaves. Add some manure and compost starter to get decomposition rolling.

* Start pruning dormant trees and shrubs. Cut back vines.

* Transplant trees, shrubs and perennials. That will help them get established before spring growth.

* For winter and early spring color, transplant Iceland poppies, primroses, pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies and snapdragons.

* Plant sweet peas from seed.

* Plant spring bulbs. Don’t forget the tulips in the refrigerator.

* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, peas, lettuce, mustard, radicchio and radishes.

* Plant garlic and onions now for harvest in summer.

* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

* Dig up new potatoes after the vines die back.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 16

Take advantage of this nice weather. There’s plenty to do as your garden starts to switch into high gear for spring growth.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before their buds open. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees.

* Check soil moisture before resuming irrigation. Most likely, your soil is still pretty damp.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* 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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