November is still a great time to add plants to your San Diego garden. Our seasonal rain has started, so you might want to adjust your irrigation. The trimmings and fall leaves you’re cleaning up can also make beautiful holiday decorations.
Plant Poppies
Plant poppy seeds now for easy care spring flowers. Try our state flower, the California poppy, Eschscholzia; horned poppies, Glaucium ; or breadbox or opium poppies, Papaver somniferum. California poppies now come in classic orange, pink, cream, yellow or red-orange.
You can find seeds at Renee’s Garden Seeds (https://www.reneesgarden.com/), Botanical Interests (https://www.botanicalinterests.com/) and Thompson & Morgan (https://www.thompson-morgan.com/). Annie’s Annuals (https://www.anniesannuals.com/) carries plants.
Manage Weeds in San Diego Gardens
With the rain come the weeds. Mulch flower and vegetable beds to keep weeds from growing. Hand pull or hoe newly emerging weeds before they have a chance to set seed. If you want to know which weeds you’re fighting and the best way to control them, UC Davis has a Weed Gallery that will help.
Start Strawberries
You can start strawberries now. Choose varieties that work in San Diego gardens like Sequoia, Seascape, Chandler, Albion and Quinault. You should be able to find bare-root options in local nurseries.
Plant strawberries 12 inches apart where they get 6-8 hours of sun. Give them a slow-release fertilizer since they are heavy feeders. They prefer good drainage, and it’s best to water them from below with drip irrigation. If you plant them in pots, near the edge of raised beds, or somewhere the berries don’t sit on wet soil, that will help keep them away from pests.
San Diego Garden Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardening Tips comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.