Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Nov. 24

How did your garden hold up during this first big storm? It’s time to survey the damage and prepare for cooler (and maybe wetter) weather ahead.

According to the National Weather Service, “likely rain showers” are expected to stick around through Tuesday, although much less intense. But Thanksgiving is expected to be dry, cool and clear; Thursday’s forecast high in Sacramento is 57 degrees with an overnight low of 39.

While slamming into other parts of Northern California, this first atmospheric river of the season mostly skirted Sacramento. It was still plenty wet. By Tuesday, downtown Sacramento will total about 3 to 4 inches from this weeklong storm, possibly double normal for this month. Historically, our November rain averages 2.08 inches.

After starting on the warm side, our November has turned cool. Eight out of the first 10 days in November hit 70 or more degrees. But the 11 days since never reached our November average high of 64 degrees. We also had our first freeze warning of the season Nov. 19 with a 33-degree low in Sacramento.

In between rainy episodes, keep your gutters and storm drains cleared. Watch out for leaning trees or weakened branches; if you spot trouble, call an arborist.

Remember to turn off the sprinklers or other irrigation. Be careful walking on or working with wet soil; it can compact easily.

* On rainy days, do some indoor gardening. Tend to houseplants. Sort seed packets. Start seed indoors for cool-season veggies and flowers.

* 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.

* Rake and compost leaves, but leave at least some healthy leaves in planting beds for nesting insects and foraging birds. But dispose of any diseased plant material. For eample, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* If you decide to use a living Christmas tree this year, keep it outside in a sunny location until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree.

* 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 such as California poppies and plant spring bloomers such as as sweet peas, 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.