November Garden Checklist: Planting, Composting, and Protecting Fruit Trees

Plant

Get cool-season annuals in the ground before month's end so they establish before cold. From six-packs: calendula, Iceland poppies, pansies, primroses, snapdragons, stock, violas. Zones 15–17: also calceolaria, cineraria, nemesia, schizanthus. Direct-sow: baby blue eyes, forget-me-nots, sweet alyssum, sweet peas, spring wildflowers.

'Muskogee' crape myrtle (25 ft) bears lavender summer flowers and brilliant red fall foliage; highly mildew-resistant. Find in nurseries or see at Gardens at Heather Farm (1540 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek).

On slopes, ensure thorough planting so roots hold soil during winter rains. Temporarily secure bare slopes with wildflower and perennial grass seeds (e.g., blue wild rye, Elymus glaucus, from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply).

Zones 14–17 (inland/coastal): Continue sowing beets, carrots, chard, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, turnips. Set out broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. Coastal: continue lettuces. Zones 7–9, 14 (foothills, Central Valley, inland): Sow peas, spinach; plant garlic, onions.

Maintain

Build an animal-proof compost bin: bend a ~13-ft × 4-ft piece of 12–14 gauge wire fencing into a 4-ft cylinder; hook edges. Fill by alternating 2–8 inch layers of brown (dry leaves) and green (grass clippings), watering each brown layer. Top with manure or soil to heat the pile. Keep moist but not soggy (cover with plastic or place under tree). Aerate every few weeks with a pitchfork.

Protect

Clean debris and fallen leaves around fruit trees; remove dried fruit. For brown rot on apricots, spray Bordeaux mixture (hydrated lime + copper sulfate) or copper fungicide. For peach leaf curl on peach/nectarine, spray lime sulfur after leaf fall. Apply on dry days with no rain forecast for 36 hours. Cover branches, stems, trunk, and ground beneath.