All this wonderful rain, already approaching double our average amount, coming about each week with several sunny days between, is the perfect timing to have it drain deep down into the soil.  Deep-watering, indeed! Not stomping around in the garden for the first day after the rain is a great idea to avoid compacting the soil.  Then, working in the garden can accomplish several tasks. 
 
Weeding
     The first task is to pull the weeds that have already set flowers and seedheads.  You definitely don’t want to let these develop further, or put them into the compost pile, since either of these actions will result in “recycling” them for future gardens.  The still-moist soil will ease the task and more assure getting the entire root system out. 
 
Harvesting Bolting Lettuce, Spinach, etc.
     Much of the lettuce, spinach, bok choy, tatsoi, cilantro and parsley that I’d sown last fall and we’ve been eating since has begun to bolt.  As each plants begins to elongate, its hormonal changes to setting seed will differ in each plant.
     Luckily the lettuce plants have been sending up their seed stalks at different times, so we’ve been able to continue eating them just ahead of the time that each goes bitter as its hormones change – although this does require taste-testing a leaf from each plant to make sure it hasn’t gone too bitter.   Another cue is the white sap that beads up at the base of the lettuce leaf at the stem.  Nothing worse than picking a whole batch of lettuce from many plants, making a salad, and then being startled by that unwelcome too-bitter-to-eat piece!
     Spinach and bok choy will elongate, but both leaves and stems will remain tender and tasty, even extending to the flowers.
     Cilantro and parsley will form inedible stalks while the minimal foliage will still be edible.
  
Re-Transplanting and Re-Seeding
     As spaces appear in the garden beds as a result of harvesting, new seedlings can be transplanted and seeds sown.  These plants will provide harvests through late spring when summer heat makes them bolt.
 
Pruning Fruit Trees and Roses
     Once buds begin to swell, and especially once flowers begin to open and leaf clusters form, it’s very easy to see where to trim. 
     Trim branches to the outer-facing leaf cluster at the length you want. 
     Shortening fruit tree branches to as little as 3 inches and as much as a foot will provide enough blossoms for fruiting and leaves for photosynthesis while keeping the entire plant short enough to always been within reach from the ground. 
 
Planting Tomatoes – But No Other Summer Crops
     Do plant tomato seedlings into well-prepared and enrichened soil.  They will do fine withstanding continuing chilly weather.
     But don’t plant any other warm-weather-loving crops, even if you see them in nurseries.  Those other vegetables have been grown in cozy greenhouses and they just don’t adapt to our cold outdoor soil and air temperatures.  If you do plant them, they’ll just pout and glare at you, and while they may survive they won’t thrive once the soil and weather warms up.  
     Better to wait at least a month – preferably two months – when warm weather has really settled in, to transplant the first seedlings.  Then, they’ll thrive immediately and overtake any you plant now that will struggle and ultimately not thrive.
 
Wait to Seed Warm-Weather Crops
    The same goes for seeding.  Whatever seeds of summer crops you sow now will probably rot because the soil temperature is too cold.  If any do germinate, they’ll struggle to grow slowly.  Even if you wait to sow in two months, they’ll germinate quickly and grow sturdily.  Any gaps that appear can be reseeded, and inside of another couple of weeks those second-seedings will be just as tall and vigorous.
 
Continue Sowing and Transplanting Cool-Weather Lovers
     So, continue to concentrate on cool-season veggies that thrive now!  This includes beets, caraway, celery, carrots, chard, chervil, chives, collards, cilantro (coriander), dill, endive, fennel, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mustards, green onions, bulb onion sets, parsley, peas, white potatoes, radishes, shallots, spinaches, and turnips. 

     This is the big month for pruning deciduous fruit trees and vines. Basic guidelines for winter dormant pruning are to remove crowded or crossed branches, to open the center for good light exposure and airflow, to repair structural weakness, to remove vigorous vertical-growing branches (waterspouts), and to reduce the height or width of the tree to keep harvesting easily within reach when standing on the soil.
     Take care to not leave stubs or to overprune in any single year, as this encourages excessive new foliage and less fruit.
  An excellent, inexpensive, and easily-used disinfectant for pruning tools is rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. Wipe shears with the alcohol after pruning every several cuts to avoid spreading any diseases. Clean the blades extra well before moving to another tree or bush.
      Pruning cuts that are under one-and-a-half inches across don't need protective covering. Paint larger cuts with an off-white or sand-colored interior latex paint that has a matte finish, not a glossy one – paint must be latex-based for interior use since exterior-use paint is oil-based and will suffocate tree pores.
     Never use black asphalt substances or dark-colored paint, especially on south-facing surfaces, since they will concentrate the sun's heat, baking and killing the tissue that the tree is trying to heal.
 
Citrus
     Pruning citrus trees requires a different approach.  Remove entire branches at the trunk. Heading branches back--cutting off only portions--will remove wood that would have blossomed and set fruit this coming season and stimulate more bushy growth.
 
Cane Berries
     Cane berries are most easily pruned when all their leaves have fallen off and the buds have just begun to fill out and show their light pink color. The dead canes and the plant structure are then quite apparent, and the thorns are more easily avoided.         
     When clipping away all the dead growth at the base of the plant, be careful to not injure the new pink shoots at the crown. Then prune each strong cane from the root crown about six inches above its point of attachment to the top horizontal support of the trellis.
     Prune side shoots just after the third strong bud. This second-year growth is where most of the blossoms and berries will set.
     Spread and re-anchor the upright canes evenly along the trellis in order to keep the area open for good ventilation and promote the even spread of developing foliage.
   This pruning and trellising procedure will encourage strong growth of fruiting vines but not of unnecessary foliage. Another approach, cutting down all dead and growing vines at the soil level in a clean sweep, is an easy approach, but it encourages weak bushy growth resulting in only a few berries setting very low on the plant.
 
Grapes
     The choice of pruning approach depends on the specific varieties and trellis structures you have. Generally, grapes will bear on second-year growth, so prune to encourage this.
     Pencil-sized grape cuttings with at least four nodes can be used to start new vines. To identify which end is which, cut the bottom (root end) of the cane flat across, and cut and the top (foliage end) at a slant. Bury the lower two nodes in the soil. Don't be concerned if new foliage doesn't appear from the upper nodes until very warm weather, as the strong root system develops first.