Southern California November Garden To-Do List

The weather is in conclusion faithfully cooler now in Southern California , and our attention is shifting from heating and flatus protective covering to tucking our gardens in with new plants and fresh layers of compost or mulch . We are tending to ourcool - time of year veggie cropsand sowing natural covering crops . There is plenty to do in November , so take some time to find your repose in your garden this month .

Cut back coolheaded - season grass . Many weed are view “ cool - season , ” meaning that their active growing time begins in the coolheaded month . Now is the prison term tocut down these grassesbefore they lead off to press out fresh growth . Grab your shears and cut these grass to about 6 inches from the dirt line . Some exercise of cool - season native grasses you might be familiar with are deergrass ( Muhlenbergia rigens , Zones 7–10 ) , giant wildrye sens ( Leymus condensatus , Zones 7–10 ) , and pink muhly grass ( Muhlenbergia capillaris , Zones 6–11 ) .

Mulch , mulch , and mulch some more . Mulching helps with water retention , weed abatement , and most significantly , building dirt . filth microorganism love the decaying affair as well as the coverage from the sun that mulch offering . So go forwards and mimic the born process of fallen decaying topic that you ’ll find in the wild bymulching . But be sure to avoid cover the crowns of plants with mulch .

concentrate irrigation . As the weather cools and rains begin , make certain that you correct your irrigation . This is also a serious prison term to swap out the batteries in your irrigation timers . Deep water your trees one last clip will help with possible hoar damage if you live in an area that experiences hoarfrost . For some tips on saucy irrigation , arrest out :

Plant spring - bloom bulbs . It ’s fourth dimension to visit your local nursery and pick out some spring - bloom bulbs . The general rule of thumb forplanting bulbsis that you should plant them in a hole two to three time the meridian of the light bulb . daffodil tame well in our area and will generally flower in March . There ’s no need to travail them up each class . essay adding some os meal for a boost in rootage development when plant , and commemorate that medulla look more prominent when planted in a mass . For some recommendation on spring - flower bulb for our region , read on here .

Sow insure craw . Do you have an domain you have yet to garden in or that you just complete using?Cover cropsare a great way to make soil fertility and forestall erosion . Cover crops do several things to improve ground . They can fix nitrogen , which is necessitate by all plants to prosper . They build up organic affair in soil as they decompose , which in spell course microorganism that in turn free up nutrients postulate for plant health . Some mintage to try during the cooler month are fava noodle , hairy vetch , and pea . Johnny ’s Selected Seeds and Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply are two of my favourite sources for cover crop seeds .

— Cara Hanstein is a headspring gardener at the Huntington Library , Art Museum , and Botanical Gardens in San Marino , California .

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Southern Plains November Garden To-Do List

Northwest November Garden To-Do List

Southeast November Garden To-Do List

South November Garden To-Do List

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mulched rose garden

Add an extra layer of mulch to your garden beds this month.Photo: Rachel Young

pink muhlies

Learn whether your grasses are cool-season or warm-season before attempting to cut them back. These pink muhlies are cool-season grasses that can be cut back now.Photo: Cara Hanstein

mulch