Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 31

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.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

fertilizing seeds Sacramento February trees garden checklist wet conditions weather vegetable garden gardening pruning planting shrubs rainfall weeds

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Thanks to our sponsor!

Sites We Like

Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!