Gardening

For dedicated gardeners, here are suggestions from the California Assn. of Nurserymen:

* To keep weeds in check during the winter rains and give a neat appearance to your flower beds, weed now and apply a layer of mulch.

* If you have hard-packed soil, including clay, be sure to apply gypsum or other additives to the yard in order to break the barriers to water penetration.

* Did you spray your peaches and nectarines to prevent peach leaf curl yet? If not, do so immediately and then follow it up with another spraying before the buds swell.

* Leave your poinsettias in the pot after the blossoms have gone and put them outside in a protected area, watering them occasionally. Plant them in the ground only after all chance of frost is gone.