Plant, plant, plant. Fall is a great time to plant perennials, shrubs and trees in San Diego gardens. It’s better than spring for most because it gives roots time to become established before next summer’s heat
Start Strawberries
You can start strawberries now. Choose varieties that do well 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 six to eight hours of sun. Add organic matter if your soil is sandy or clay, and give them a slow-release fertilizer. They prefer good drainage, and it’s best to water them from below with drip irrigation.
Plant strawberries in pots or near the edges of raised beds where the berries don’t sit on wet soil. This will help prevent rot and deter pests. I grow mine in pots on stands to keep sowbugs, pillbugs, snails and slugs out.
Manage Weeds
With the first rains 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 can help.
Prune
November is a good time to prune many ornamental trees, including crape myrtles, and summer-flowering shrubs such as butterfly bush as they become dormant. Wait until December or January to prune roses and most deciduous fruit trees. Apricot and cherry trees are exceptions and should be pruned in summer after harvest.
When pruning trees, it is best to call a certified arborist. And never top a tree. Topping encourages weakly attached branches to grow below the cuts, damages the tree’s natural structure and can create future problems. Poorly trimmed trees, especially topped ones, often end up looking like lollipops.
San Diego Gardens Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens 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 answers to your home gardening and pest control problems.