Home

• Clean rain gutters. Leaves and other debris will hamper drainage and may promote rusting and roof damage. Compost any leaves you remove from gutters. 
• Check to make certain that rainwater is draining away from a building's foundation. A simple way is to attach three or more feet of clear plastic tubing to each downspout elbow. Rather than having water pool on a lawn or in a planter area, punch holes in the plastic (beginning about two-feet from the downspout) and create a sprinkler.
• Inspect crawl space after rain for water accumulation or excessive moisture, as well as indications of water damage on the subfloor and joists beneath bathrooms, kitchen and laundry. Look for signs of pest or dry rot damage. Do not block perimeter wall vents to a crawl space in winter.
• Check the operation of all electrical circuit breakers by turning each off and on. Do the same with ground fault circuit interrupters, usually found in bathroom, kitchen, garage and outdoor outlets. Replace those that don't work properly.
• Clean garbage disposal by grinding up two trays of ice cubes made from a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of water.

Garden

• Spray fruit trees with dormant spray. 
• Buy bare-root strawberries, grapes, berries, roses, fruit trees, shade trees, asparagus, artichokes and plant them.
• Lift and divide over-grown, tired, non-productive perennials. Daisies, mums, Cannas, Gerberas, daylily, yarrow, coreopsis and ornamental grasses are but a few to consider.
• Plant violas and pansies from transplants for instant color
• Start planting gladiolus corms every three weeks for a nice succession of bloom this spring. If purchasing, get the 1-1/2-inch size, they are the best bloom producers.  
• Garlic, onions are started from sets, and seed potatoes can be planted this month.    
• The first winter rains bring out the weeds so keep after them before they get too big. They are food robbers, taking nutrients away from your plants.
• Keep the dust off houseplant leaves. Closed homes create dust and can hinder your plants growth. Wash off or apply a commercial plant leaf shine or polish to make hard-surfaced leaves sparkle.