Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Nov. 17

Grab a sweater – and an umbrella, too. We’re about to get an early taste of winter.

According to the National Weather Service, an “unsettled weather pattern” including “multiple weather systems” is expected to drop into Northern California from Alaska starting Sunday and extending throughout next week.

Expect heavy snow in the Sierra and the return of valley rain, says the weather service. How much and when? That’s still up in the air.

As of Saturday, the weather service predicts Sacramento could see rain late Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning. After some clearing, the storms return Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The current forecast looks like we’ll see more drizzle than downpour, but it will feel cold with high temperatures tracking below normal. Average highs for mid November in Sacramento: 64 degrees. Instead, we’ll stay mostly in the 50s.

Overnight lows could get downright freezing (or close to it). Between storms, the overnight low is expected to dip down to 35 degrees on Tuesday morning with frost warnings in effect for the predawn hours. Remember to protect your tender seedlings.

Cold nights and stormy weather will bring rapid changes in our gardens. Lower temperatures cue plants to start shutting down and enter winter dormancy. Expect the storms to knock down an enormous amount of leaves.

Grab a rake and get to work!

* 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.

* Use some of those nice fall leaves as mulch around shrubs and trees or in the vegetable garden.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* 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.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time 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.