November in the Desert Garden

November is when the desert garden finally settles into its cool season — time to plant winter color and vegetables, and to start watching for the first frost.

What To Do in November

Grass

• Bermuda should be watered with two to three inches of water each week. Bermuda will become dormant as temperatures drop below 50 degrees.
• Dethatch to prevent fungus diseases.
• Overseeding should have been done by now.
• Winter ryegrass should be mowed to 1½ to 2 inches. Keep watering until established, then water only about once a week.
• Yellowing of the winter lawn may occur when the cold weather sets in. An application of ammonium nitrate will bring back the dark green color.

Trees & Shrubs

• Cut back watering of all trees and shrubs, but continue to water deeply. Don’t over-water or fungus will grow.
• Plant 3–5 gallon shrubs and 10–15 gallon trees.
• Clean dead branches out of trees and shrubs.
• Trim unwanted sprouts from the interior of your citrus trees. This makes it easier to harvest fruit.
• Keep the skirt of your citrus trees pruned and trimmed to about two or three feet from the ground. This permits better air flow and minimizes the chance of fungus.

Flowers

• Plant in full sun: petunias, calendulas, dianthus, and snapdragons.
• Plant in part sun or shade: dianthus, geraniums, impatiens, and primrose.
• Plant bulbs in well-drained soil that is also high in compost or organic matter. Your bulbs should be planted with about two inches of sand beneath them. Cover with a coarse material such as peat moss or crushed wood products like bark. Plant amaryllis, anemone, calla and Easter lily, Dutch crocus, daffodil, freesia, gladiolus, iris, and ranunculus. Planting in clusters rather than in rows makes for a nice arrangement. Bulbs should be given a good soaking immediately after planting, and every seven to ten days after growth begins.
• Keep spent rose blooms pruned.

Vegetables

• Now is the time to plant seeds for beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, endive, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, and turnips.
• Transplants in November include asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, and lettuce.
• When you plant leaf lettuce you can harvest it and the plant will keep growing new leaves — you don’t have to pick the whole head.
• Plant strawberries now to get berries next spring.
• If you planted vegetables in October, thin out seedlings about three to four weeks after germination. Snip them, don’t pull them.

Don’t Make These Garden Mistakes in November

1. Don’t forget to check for aphids in the garden. Use soapy water in a spray bottle to control them.
2. Don’t water the lawn when it’s dark.
3. Do not fertilize frost-tender plants such as bottlebrush, bougainvillea, oleander, and citrus.
4. Don’t procrastinate about preparing for cold weather. Toward the end of November we can get frost, and your garden will be at risk if you don’t cover tender plants, flowers, and vegetables.
5. Don’t ignore weeds. Either pull them later, or use pre-emergent now.