Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Dec. 21

At the start of a new season, Sacramento traded fog advisories for a flood watch.

According to the National Weather Service, the Sacramento area could receive a total of 7 inches of rain between Saturday and Christmas night. That’s prompted a flood watch through 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 26.

Don’t drive into flooded intersections, warns the weather service. Keep an eye on small creeks and streams; they could overflow. Watch out for mudslides and falling rocks (and falling branches). Strong gusty winds topping 40 mph are expected on Christmas Eve. Hang onto your hat, Santa!

All this rain follows a record 23 consecutive “gloomy days” of tule fog and low clouds. At least now there’s a chance of the sun peeking through (maybe Tuesday). And the Sierra will finally get some snow (above 5,500 feet).

Sunday (Dec. 21) marks the official first day of winter, but for most of December, Sacramento has been unusually chilly. A streak of 11 consecutive days in the (mostly low) 40s ended Monday, Dec. 15. Then our temperatures relatively soared to a record high of 65 degrees on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

With the arrival of this current atmospheric river on Friday, Northern California settled into another pattern. Instead of being stuck in the 40s, our temperatures will stay in the 50s, day and night, through at least Friday. Normal for this week: Highs of 58 and low of 39.

Plan your garden tasks around the weather. When the rain stops, make a break for it.

For weather updates: https://www.weather.gov/sto/

* Turn off sprinklers and other irrigation this week. Mother Nature has it covered.

* Clear gutters and storm drains. Make sure water isn’t pooling next to foundations.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location – not outdoors. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Rake and compost leaves from trees, 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.

* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Plant a last round of spring bulbs. Don’t forget the tulips chilling in the fridge.

* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

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