Food Gardening Tasks and Tips by Month

Food Gardening Tasks and Tips (monthly)

Click here for monthly tips for landscape plants.

January

• Plant bare-root fruit trees, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, and asparagus. Plant onion bulbs. Your nursery will have a great selection in early January. See “Food Gardening Articles” for planting bare-root trees. 
• It is too early to plant most cool weather crops. Instead, enjoy acold or rainy day looking through seed catalogs to select crop varieties with “days to maturity” (DTM) that suit your microclimate. As always, err on the conservative side and consider drought-tolerant varieties and those with short DTM. Check the date stamped on the package of any seeds left over from last year. Many seeds are good for at least three years if stored properly, but some, such as onion, parsley and parsnip, lose viability after 1 year.
• Prepare a garden plan that includes what to plant, where to plant, and when to start seeds indoors, and/or set out transplants. Plan to place crops with similar water needs near each other. New gardeners should keep it simple: start with transplants unless it is a crop that is recommended for direct seeding in the garden. The experienced gardener will want to make the most of garden space by planting a succession garden which typically involves succession planting, companion planting and intercropping.   
• When planning your spring garden, implement water-wise practices. See the “Food Gardening with Less Water” page and video prepared by the Food Gardening Specialists.
• Record planting and harvest dates based on DTM on a calendar. Make notes as to your successes/favorites and failures. If you kept a record last year, use it in your garden planning decisions.
• If you only have space for a small vegetable bed, modify your garden plan to include edibles in your ornamental beds.
• Spray fruit trees with copper and dormant oil after pruning and before buds start to open.
• Protect frost-tender plants on cold nights. If you use a plastic tarp or sheet on evergreen plants, use stakes to make sure that covers do not touch the leaves. Remove plastic or heavy covers during the day; frost cloth may stay in place on cold days. If you use lights as a heat source, note that the new energy-saving LED light strings do not generate enough heat. Pull mulch away from the plant so that soil can absorb heat during sunny days. Potted plants can be moved under shelter. Finally, make sure that citrus is well-watered as freezing temps will turn water in the soil to ice, making some of it unavailable to plants. Also, the temperature above moist soil is warmer than the temperature above dry soil.
• Good soil = healthy plants. Top your soil with finished compost. This will improve soil nutrition and tilth and feed the beneficial microorganisms that help plants uptake nutrients in the soil. No need to work it in—let winter showers, soil macrobiota, and soil “heaving” do that for you. In any event, do not work very wet soil. If you had serious problems in your food garden last year, a soil analysis may be helpful. Many local nurseries have kits for this purpose. The analysis will show levels of nitrogen (N) which encourages green growth, phosphorus (P) which stimulates root growth and potassium (K) which promotes flower bud and fruit growth. In addition to other nutrients, the test also measures pH (measure of acidity or alkalinity) which affects the availability of nutrients to plants.

February

• Given the unpredictable nature of global warming's effect on our weather, consider conservation preparations for spring planting. Prepare to plant only what you will consume or share, install drip in the food garden, add water-holding compost to the soil, plan to mulch this spring.
• Continue to protect frost-tender citrus and crops on cold nights. If you use a plastic tarp or sheet on evergreen plants, use stakes to make sure that covers do not touch the leaves. If you use lights as a heat source, do not use the new energy-saving LED strings as they do not generate enough heat. Pull mulch back from the plant so that the soil can absorb solar energy during the day. Potted plants can be moved under shelter. Finally, make sure that plants are well-watered as freezing temps will turn the water in the soil to ice, making some of it unavailable to plants.
• Plant bare root fruit trees. If you planted trees last year, remove stakes over one-year old.
• If you haven’t already pruned dormant fruit trees, there is still time for most fruit trees. See UC’s guidance on pruning and training fruit trees.
• Spray fruit trees with dormant oil and copper after pruning and before buds start to open.
• Spray fixed copper on peach trees just before bud swell to control peach leaf curl and brown rot. The same spray will help prevent fire blight in apples and pear trees.
• It may be time to harvest citrus. Since fruit ripens only on the tree, sample one to determine its ripeness. If scale insects are present, spray citrus with volck or superior oil.
• Prepare pots, hanging baskets, and other containers if they will be used for vegetables or herbs this spring; add fresh potting (not garden) soil. At a minimum, replace one-fourth of the soil each year and add a light balanced fertilizer following the manufacturer’s instructions. When you purchase seeds or transplants for pots, look for clues like “pixie,” “mini” or “patio” in the variety name.
• Start tomato and other warm-weather vegetable seeds indoors so they’ll be ready to plant outside after the threat of frost has passed. While the last average frost date in Sonoma County is about April 15, this is a 30-year average. Most gardeners delay planting warm-weather vegetables until early- to mid-May.
• A few vegetables can be planted this month. However, vegetable garden soils should be moist, but not wet, and dry enough to crumble when pressed in your hand before preparing it for planting.
• As spring planting begins in earnest, select disease-resistant crop varieties; this is especially important in a small garden where crop rotation is difficult. The abbreviations on the tag are important (e.g., “VFN” means that a plant is resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and Nematodes). Inspect crops regularly for early problem diagnosis and resolution. Refer to University of California’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) site.

MARCH 

• Ongoing concerns about water shortages indicate that we should all plan on reducing water use as much as possible this summer, so we suggest you check out the Food Garden Specialists’ video on growing vegetables with less water and other related materials.
• Eliminate early emerging weeds before they go to seed. Weeds in the veggie garden can usually be pulled by hand. It’s one of the big pluses to adding compost regularly. Do not allow weeds to compete with your food garden for water.
• If you grew a cover crop, cut or mow it down and lightly till it into the soil; or for minimum soil disturbance, chop it and drop it and plant right into the crop residue. Add more compost on top.
• The most efficient way to deliver water to your food garden is with a drip system. If you already have drip, flush and test the system; identify and repair any leaks; clean the water filter. If you hand-water, check the condition of hoses and nozzles; replace old washers to prevent drips.
• If you have never started seeds indoors, start a favorite variety of a warm weather veggie this month to set out when the danger of frost passes in early May. Because there may be water issues this year, consider growing a variety with fewer days to maturity (an early variety) so that you have fewer days to irrigate before harvest. For advice, see: Growing Vegetables from Seed.
• Consider growing dwarf varieties in addition to full-size plants in pots or in the ground. They are especially useful when gardening in small spaces. Always look for disease-resistant varieties.
• If you are thinking of growing potatoes, many nurseries have been selling seed potatoes in the last weeks. If the ones you bought are not yet sprouting, leave them in a paper bag and add an apple which will produce ethylene gas that will hasten sprouting. Put the closed paper bag in a larger plastic bag, tied to reduce airflow. Check progress every few days. Read more on our website about growing potatoes.
• Certain crops may benefit from row covers to protect shallow seed from being washed away by spring rains and to protect tender seedlings from insects and birds. Row covers also can collect dew that falls on the soil—a strategy to consider in a drought year. Light-weight covers can be laid over the rows and secured with irrigation staples or bricks, or draped over PVC hoops and secured to the ground.
• Encourage bees and good bugs to visit you garden by planting beneficial-friendly plants near your vegetable bed. Nepeta (catmint), Rosmarinus (rosemary), Salvia (sage), Lavandula (lavender), and Thyme are just a few. Many perennial Mediterranean herbs are loved by beneficials and are low-water. Calendula (pot marigold) blooms for long periods and reseeds easily adding color from fall through spring.
• Thin root and salad crops so they do not become overcrowded.
• Fertilize fruit trees. Applying 2inches of aged compost is ideal. Alternatively, apply a 7-1-7 organic fertilizer in the spring. If mature fruit trees did not put out sufficient shoot growth and/or good fruit set last year, the UC ANR recommends applying half of a nitrogen fertilizer in March or April and the second half of the treatment in July or August.
• Applying 1-2 inches of aged compost to your vegetable gardens will improve soil tilth and plant nutrition. Place the compost on top of the existing soil and let spring rains and soil macroorganisms move nutrition down. In a drought year, plan to add 3-4 inches of mulch (e.g., compost, rice straw, leaf mold, etc.) to the top of the soil to keep it cool, retain moisture, and to inhibit weed growth.
• Plant citrus in early spring to give tree roots the longest possible time to become established before exposed to frost. For UC’s guidance on citrus, click here. Consider your water availability when choosing thirsty new trees.
• Continue to protect frost-tender citrus and crops on cold nights and remove covers on sunny days. If you use lights as a heat source, do not use the new energy-saving LED strings as they do not generate enough heat. Pull mulch back from the plant so that the soil can absorb solar energy during the day. Potted plants can be moved under shelter.
• Prune 1-year old grape vines when growth just begins in spring so that new growth will avoid damage from late-spring frosts. Refer to UC guidance on growing grapes.
• Most grape varieties are susceptible to powdery mildew. Once it appears, it is too late to treat. Powdery mildew is controlled during the growing season by spraying with water-soluble sulfur. Begin applying treatments when all buds have pushed. Thereafter, repeat at 10-day intervals in the spring if disease pressure is high.
• Inspect crops regularly throughout their growing season for early problem diagnosis and resolution. Refer to University of California’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) site. If we have a warm March, aphids may make an appearance on vegetables and ornamentals—control with insecticidal soap. Normally, we suggest a water blast from the hose, but there may be restrictions on hose use. Some gardeners have had success removing aphids with a hand-held car vacuum.
• As spring planting begins in earnest, select disease-resistant crop varieties, especially important in a small garden where crop rotation is difficult. The abbreviations on the tag are important (e.g., “VFN” means that a plant is resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and Nematodes).

April

• COMPOST! MULCH! WEED! These actions will help you keep moisture in the soil during our hot dry season. Lightly incorporate 2-4 inches of compost in your soil to retain moisture, improve soil health, and to see higher yields with the same amount of water. Or, you can simply add a 2-inch layer of compost on top of the soil, leaving a gap around the collar/stem of plants to avoid rot. Let irrigation and the macroorganisms move the nutrients into the soil. Add 3-4 inches of mulch—straw, decaying leaves, grass clippings—to retain water, cool soil and suppress weeds that compete with desirable plants for water; or layer weeds that have not yet set seeds to compost. Strawberries and blueberries prefer acidic mulch such as pine needles; straw is also good. Coffee grounds, available free at coffee houses such as Starbucks, also work well on blueberry beds. If you want to add 2 inches of compost in an 8 x 4-foot raised bed, you will need 0.20 cu. yd. of compost. If you want to add 4 inches of mulch to the top of this bed, order 0.40 cu. yd. of mulch.
• Rely on compost as your slow-release fertilizer. Caution: If you add too much compost or additional high nitrogen fertilizer, you may see a green flush of growth that will require extra water and will attract more sucking insects.
• Start irrigation when there is insufficient moisture in the soil. However wet the winter, Sonoma County has water availability issues, so, always plan to conserve water. Check the soil daily. Dig to the active root zone level or use a probe to check soil moisture. Watch plants for signs of stress—wilt or dull leaf color. When the weather is hot, a good strategy is to divide the plants’ weekly water needs into single daily applications so that there is even soil moisture. If you can only water very other day, then double the daily amount.
• Currently, April 15 is the average last frost date in Sonoma County. This is just an average in a county with many microclimates. Low spots can have a frost risk into May, but for many of us, April is when we start planting our summer veggies. Watch weather predictions and protect any warm weather crops set out before the end of the month. 
• When buying transplants, look for uncrowded sturdy seedlings. Stay away from thick peat pots that don’t decompose well in Sonoma County’s hot, dry summer. Also, look for crops and varieties that are labeled “drought-tolerant” or “drought-resistant.” Don’t be tempted by large flowering plants in small pots—they will likely be root bound and will have depleted the soil nutrients. Check out our “Drought Resistant Crops and Varieties” guide.
• Build or purchase trellises for spring/summer crops that may require support or that you wish to grow vertically. Peas, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes are easy to grow on a trellis or in an upright cage. Install the trellis before planting. Potato towers also save space and provide a long harvest if you layer late-, mid- and early-season varieties in the tower.
• Continue to thin/harvest any root and salad crops for proper spacing.
• During the spring bloom period, fertilize citrus. For mature trees use 3 lbs. of urea or 20-30 lbs. of animal manure, less for smaller trees, splitting the application into three: April, June and August. Citrus is a heavy water user. Consider waiting until fall before buying and planting new trees.
• If you haven’t already done so, paint or re-paint, the trunks of your deciduous fruit trees to protect from sunburn. Note that the half-and-half mixture of white latex paint and water we usually recommend is not organic—there are organic tree-trunk protection products available on-line but they do cost more.
• Codling moth can be a significant problem for apple and pear trees. If you had “wormy” fruit last year, spray summer oil weekly during the egg-laying period, which is anytime moths are flying. An option for backyard orchards is hand thinning to remove all infested fruit during each generation before worms leave fruit and removal of dropped fruit.
• Most grape varieties are susceptible to powdery mildew. Once it appears, it is too late to treat. Powdery mildew is controlled during the growing season by spraying with water-soluble sulfur. Begin applying treatments when all buds have pushed. Thereafter, repeat at ten-day intervals in the spring if disease pressure is high.
• As spring planting begins in earnest, select disease-resistant crop varieties, especially important in a small garden where crop rotation is difficult. The abbreviations on the tag are important (e.g., “VFN” means that a plant is resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and Nematodes.
• If earwigs are gnawing on your plants, trap them with rolled newspaper, bamboo tubes, or short pieces of hose. Place these traps on the soil near plants just before dark and shake accumulated earwigs out into a pail of soapy water in the morning.

May

• Weed, weed, weed! Weeds are competing with your crops for sun, water and nutrients. And, weeds can harbor some nasty food garden pests.
• Continue to compost, compost, compost and mulch, mulch, mulch! Both will retain soil moisture along with other benefits. Some crops, such as tomatoes and corn, are heavy feeders and will benefit from 2-4 inches of compost. Don’t over-compost or add additional fertilizer high in nitrogen—it will only cause a flush of green growth requiring extra water and will attract pests.
• Check your drip controller settings and adjust for changing weather. Use this worksheet to calculate your garden's watering needs.
• Protect young pea plants, strawberries, and blueberries from birds.
• Many Sonoma County gardeners buy warm-weather veggie transplants this month. Don’t buy a plant forming fruit—it’s been in the container way too long. Tomatoes and peppers should be wider than they are tall. Check not only for healthy green foliage, gently slide the plant out of the container to make sure that roots are healthy and not matted.
• Consider choosing varieties with fewer days-to-maturity and production, and labeled “drought-resistant” or “drought-tolerant” in the variety description. Best choices are California-bred plants suitable for our climate. Look for determinant tomatoes that save water since the fruit matures about the same time.
• You might be tempted to plant citrus this month; however, citrus requires lots of water to become established. We recommend you wait until the fall rains.
• If mature citrus sustained frost damage over the winter, you can tip prune the deadwood once all threat of frost has passed. Prune damaged parts down to the new growth buds. After pruning, water deeply and apply a balanced fertilizer. (When the winter rainfall has been below average, we recommend using a smaller amount of fertilizer than the manufacturer’s recommendation.) Also, add 3-4 inches of mulch, keeping it away from the woody trunk to retain moisture and keep the soil cool this summer.
• If May weather turns unusually hot, put shade cloth on tender seedlings for a few weeks and do your best to keep the root area moist, not wet. Make sure that added protection for seedlings is over them and not touching them.
• Overly vigorous fruit trees, or trees that are too large, or fruit trees that were not sufficiently pruned because of the wet winter, may be summer pruned from the end of May to June/July. Pruning reduces the production of fruit, but less fruit requires less water. Cherries and most peaches can be pruned after the fruit is harvested. At a minimum, remove upright waterspouts emerging from branches and suckers emerging from the tree roots or base. These thin branchlets do not flower or fruit and they compete for water and nutrients.
• Most, but not all, fruit trees benefit from fruit thinning; a favorable fruit-to-leaf ratio promotes large fruit. In general, space fruit every 4-6 inches along a branch or leave one fruit per spur; but leave the largest fruit even if unevenly spaced. Remove small and damaged fruit.
• Beneficials are insects that feed on common garden pests like aphids and caterpillar pests. Attract bees and other beneficial insects to your food garden by including ornamentals and flowering herbs that provide nectar and/or pollen. Preferably, choose low-water plants such as California pipevine, yarrow, thyme, salvia (sage), lavender, rosemary, and dwarf germander.
• Depending on the weather and how much nitrogen you may have applied, May can see some heavy infestations of aphids. Use a spray of water to remove aphids; usually, they can’t find their way back up the plant. Soap sprays can be used, but the infestations must be thoroughly covered and repeat applications may be necessary.

June

• Despite the heat, any recent periods of rain have encouraged weeds to sprout and grow, so, weed and weed some more. Add more mulch as necessary to maintain a 3-4 inch depth to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Keep mulch away from plant stems and tree trunks.
• As the weather warms up, the evapotranspiration (ET) rate increases and affects the amount of moisture your food garden needs. ON AVERAGE, during the summer your garden needs 1 inch of water per square foot per week. How much is 1 inch of water in a square foot? About 2/3 gallon (0.623 gallon to be more exact). To use water efficiently and avoid wasting water: 
• Plant dwarf varieties that require less moisture to sustain.
• Rely on compost to feed your soil. Compost and mulch help retain soil moisture.
• Water daily if possible—adjust the weekly water needs to a daily figure if not watering daily. In general, vegetables perform better when there is even moisture in the soil in the Sonoma County hot, dry summer.
• Water only the active root zone. For most veggies, this is 6-12 inches deep; in deep soil in an open field, this may be 18 inches deep; for many fruit trees, this is 2-3 feet deep.
• Use a drip system, the most efficient application of water. Keep it in good repair. This requires regularly checking for leaks and plugged-up emitters.
• For 1/2 gallon emitters spaced 1 foot apart, running the system for 11 minutes per day achieves the recommended 0.623 gallons/week.
• In a system with multiple drip runs, consider installing an on/off valve at the head of each long drip line; this allows you to easily cut off water to plants like tomatoes once they start producing, or to alliums when they get close to harvest.
• Irrigate in the early morning or the cool of the evening—not mid-day when evaporation rates are at their highest. If your soil has a high clay component, split your irrigation time and water early morning and late evening for maximum efficiency.
• Water only when needed. If the ET rate drops below average, you can decrease irrigation. Check the moisture in your soil regularly, monitor your plants’ appearance, and adjust your irrigation accordingly. Actual watering schedules will depend on soil type, container vs. in-ground, plant age, leaf/plant size, mulch, exposure, and especially temperature.
• Stake tomatoes using soft ties or use cages. Removing most of the shoots that grow in the crotches between the stem and the leaves will keep the plant more open, but this is a matter of choice. Do train the plants to your trellis or support as they grow, but don’t handle plants in the morning when they are wet from dew—disease can spread and you can bruise the plant. The stems will bend more easily in the afternoon.
• Tomatillos are only slightly self-fertile and you need at least two plants for a good crop.
• As you finish your transition from a spring to summer garden, choose early vegetable varieties with shorter days to maturity that have high yields, and/or that are drought-tolerant or drought-resistant to efficiently use water. Note that a heat-resistant label refers to air temperature and does not mean that the variety performs well with less water.
• When apple, pear, peach, and nectarine trees have formed small fruit, thin them to about 4-6 inches apart, about the space between your thumb and pinky finger. Less fruit requires less water and fewer fruits on the tree will grow bigger.
• During the spring bloom period, fertilize citrus. Typically, mature trees use up to 3 lbs. of urea or 20-30 lbs. of animal manure per year, less for smaller trees; split the application into three parts, applied during April, June and August.
• Remember to look at your planting calendar, annotated with days to maturity, so that you harvest your crops at their peak of flavor.
• Use yellow sticky tape to control whiteflies or apply insecticidal soap to the undersides of leaves. Larger pests such as hornworms and squash bugs can be handpicked and dropped into a container of soapy water or cut worms in half with garden shears.

July

• Weeds are easiest to control when they are small. They will grow large rapidly in a garden bed that is irrigated, and it is important not to let them flower and go to seed. Hand pull or hoe weeds. If you haven’t installed drip in your veggie bed and your water quality permits using drip—do it! It’s the most efficient delivery of water to your veggies in a drought year AND you won’t be watering weeds inadvertently.
• As the summer heats up and soil moisture evaporates at a higher rate, adjust your irrigation. Ideally, water between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Avoid fluctuations in soil moisture. The soil near the roots should remain evenly moist, not soggy to avoid problems such as fruit cracking and blossom end rot in tomatoes. Keep the active root zone—usually 6-12 inches—moist by watering daily, if possible. The AVERAGE summer evapotranspiration rate requires 1 inch of water per square foot—about 2/3 gallon per square foot per week. Divide that into daily applications or do the best you can if you can't water daily. Many gardeners do not water their tomatoes after they start to set fruit. By then, they will have developed deep roots which will access enough water.
• If you are container gardening, add a complete slow-release fertilizer but consider adding half of the manufacturer’s recommendation. A second half dose can always be applied later if the plant seems to need it.
• Follow-up feedings may be required periodically through the growing season for heavy feeders and long-season crops if a controlled-release fertilizer was not applied at planting. Side dressing your plants with 2 inches of compost is adequate. Fruiting plants benefit especially from phosphorus and potassium; if using an organic fertilizer, use half of the manufacturer’s recommended amount.
• Keep herbs pinched back to control their size, to encourage new tender growth, and to discourage them from bolting. Let a few plants flower to attract beneficials but be mindful of free-seeding plants such as cilantro.
• Fertilize fruit trees with a half application of nitrogen in July or August if mature fruit trees have not put out sufficient shoot growth and/or good fruit set. However, if your trees are stressed for any reason—such as low water availability—avoid fertilizing them as overuse of fertilizer increases growth and water demands. If water is unavailable, do not fertilize at all because trees will be unable to absorb the nutrients. If the tree is developing fruit, this is a critical watering period. Add 3-4 inches of mulch to retain moisture, but keep the mulch 12 inches away from the trunk.
• If you haven’t already added flowering herbs or ornamentals in or near your food garden, do so now to attract beneficial insects. Low-water options such as Achillea (yarrow, Coreopsis, rosemary, thyme, chives, and Salvia (sage) add a colorful touch. 
• Remember to look at your planting calendar, annotated with days to maturity, so that you harvest your crops at their peak of flavor.
• Is the summer garden infested? An insecticidal soap spray or a horticultural oil will smother many soft-bodied pests including aphids, mites, thrips and whiteflies without harming many beneficial insects and bees. Also, watch for codling moth larvae on pears and apples—look for tell-tale red-brown droppings—and refer to UC IPM for infestation control. Larger pests such as hornworms, squash bugs, snails and slugs that can be handpicked and dropped into a container of soapy water or cut hornworms in half with garden shears. Or control snails and slugs by building a trap using a 12x15-inch board raised off the ground by 1-inch runners. As they collect under the board, scrape them off and destroy daily.

August

• It’s time to start many cool-season veggies. Sow root crops such as beets, carrots and parsnips directly in the ground. Pay close attention to days to maturity. Timing of planting is very important. Fall crops must mature and produce before the growing season ends; winter crops must develop vegetable structure before winter so that they won’t bolt in spring without producing. Bulb onion seed sown now will produce green onions throughout the winter and bulb onions in the spring.
• Set out fall/winter vegetable transplants later in the afternoon and use a row cover for a couple weeks to protect tender seedlings from the sun or underplant fall/winter crops to access shade from summer crops that are still productive. Mulch will help with water retention and weed suppression now and protect against cooler weather in October and November. Mulch should not touch the plant stems. Stagger plantings of leafy greens and other favorite cool weather crops that can be harvested before mid-November (average frost date for Sonoma County) and root crops that will survive the winter for a continued harvest.
• Many fall crops are not the most water-wise, so consider these strategies: Instead of direct-seeding in the hot, dry month of August, you may want to transplant when the weather cools and, hopefully, fall rains arrive. Check for varieties with a shorter days-to-maturity that can reach maturity before the average first frost date—mid-November in Sonoma County. This will allow you to plant later, not in the heat of summer. Given the uncertainties of climate, choose varieties labeled “drought-resistant” or “drought-tolerant” if they are available. Note that this terminology reflects the established plant characteristics; all seed requires water to germinate. Also, see our Food Gardening with Less Water page.
• Remove finished summer crops by cutting plants just below the soil line to leave the roots to decompose in place. Before planting fall/winter crops, prep up your garden soil by adding 1-2 inches of properly composted organic matter. No need to dig it in, just add it to the top of the soil and plant into it. Other options include using dried chicken manure pellets with a formulation of 3-4-3 OR a complete organic fertilizer, always following the fertilizer manufacturers’ instructions.
• As always: Weed. Do not let weeds go to seed! They are competing for water and light.
• Pinch back flower heads and spikes on your herbs to maintain the best leaf taste, to encourage new growth, and to discourage bolting in August heat.
• Applying a few drops of mineral oil with a medicine dropper to corn silks just inside each ear 3 to 5 days after silks first appear may be effective in preventing damage from corn earworm.
• Remember to look at your planting calendar, annotated with days to maturity, so that you harvest your crops at their peak of flavor.
• Is the summer garden infested? An insecticidal soap spray or a horticultural oil will smother many soft-bodied pests including aphids, mites, thrips, and whiteflies without harming many beneficial insects and bees. If you could not control corn earworm (AKA tomato fruit worm) this summer, remove or disc stalks to reduce overwintering populations and prevent migration to neighboring crops. If the veins in your tomato leaves turn purple, your soil is deficient in phosphorus; this is easily treated with a foliar spray of Epsom salts and/or adding bone meal to the soil. Continue to monitor for slugs and snails; handpick and drop them in a container of soapy water.

September

• Don’t stop weeding—weeds are still growing and competing with your vegetables for water and light.
• If you did not replenish the food garden soil last month, add 2 inches of good quality compost on top of the soil now. Compost
• builds soil structure by creating pores for air and water,
• improves moisture retention in light soil and improves drainage in heavy soil,
• feeds microorganisms that provide a symbiotic relationship between the soil and your plants so that plants can use the nutrients,
• provides all the nutrients in combination with the soil that your plants need,
• helps plants produce better yields with the same amount of water.
• If September is hot, set out fall/winter vegetable transplants later in the afternoon and use a row cover for a week or two to protect tender seedlings from hot sun. If possible, try to time transplanting veggie starts to coincide with the start of a cooler weather cycle, then watch to make sure they have adequate water when the temperatures go up.
• In Sonoma County, the summer food garden is still in high production. If you have an overabundance of squashes, pick them when they are very young and tender. If you have more produce than you can use, your neighborhood food bank or a neighborhood gleaning program will be happy to help you out.
• Mulch will help with water retention and weed suppression now and protect against cooler weather in October and November. Use 3-4 inches depending on the size of the mulch particles. Mulch should not touch the plant stems. Do not cover seed beds with mulch.
• Stagger plantings of leafy greens and other favorite crops that can be harvested before mid-November, the average frost date for Sonoma County.
• Plant hardy crops that will survive the winter for a continued harvest.
• Remove the tips and small fruits of melons and winter squash as they won’t have time to mature. Also, pinch off the last blossoms of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and squash to encourage larger fruits that are already forming.
• Clean up fallen fruit after harvest. Dispose of diseased material.
• Citrus trees benefit from applications of 1/2 pound organic fertilizer with a formulation of 5-2-1 mixed with 1 tablespoon Epsom salts per tree; then water well.
• Foliar feed raspberries with liquid fish fertilizer twice this month.
• If you find snails and slugs in your garden, build a trap using a 12x15-inch board raised off the ground by 1-inch runners. As they collect under the board, scrape them off and destroy daily.

October

• If a fall/winter garden was not planted, plant a cover crop such as enough fava beans to feed the soil and to harvest as a food crop for you and your family. Or plant red clover to add nitrogen and organic matter, to improve the soil tilth and water penetration, and to help mitigate disease issues related to crop rotation. For maximum nitrogen benefit, cut down the crop next year just as flower buds begin to form, leaving the roots in the soil. The tops can be simply chopped and dropped or put in your compost pile.
• Mulch perennial crops and any bare soil. Option: rake leaves into a pile, run the mower over them and use this as organic mulch; 3-4 inches are recommended to retain soil moisture even in the cooler fall when drought conditions persist. Mulch also reduces splash and, therefore, reduces the number of disease spores that might move from the soil to your fall and winter crops. During wildfire season, follow Cal Fire guidelines regarding defensible space and keep all combustibles, including mulch, 5 feet away from structures.
• If tomatoes are still in the garden, cut off their water to help ripen what is left. Pruning the growing tips of indeterminate tomatoes will divert all of the sugars and energy from the foliage to ripening the existing fruit before the first frost, on AVERAGE, mid-Nov to early-Dec in Sonoma County.
• As veggies fade, cut plants off just below soil level to preserve the soil micro-biology on the roots. Toss any plants showing signs of pests or disease in the trash. The rest can go into the compost. If you are immediately replanting the bed, just add a 2-inch layer of compost and, if you encounter the existing sub-surface root, just put each new plant-start to the side of it.
• Strawberries can be planted October through spring. We recommend day-neutral or everbearing varieties for Sonoma as opposed to short-day types, but, if planting short-day varieties, they should be planted now through February. Trim off all runners as they develop because they weaken the mother plant and reduce fruit size. See University of California guidance on Strawberries.
• Lightly fertilize cool-season vegetables in a fall/winter garden if compost or a slow-release fertilizer was not added earlier. Do not add nitrogen to root crops. Citrus: apply 1/2 lb. of fertilizer formulated 5-2-1 mixed with 1 tablespoon of Epson salts; water well.
• Fruit Trees: apply a fertilizer formulated 7-5-7 per bag instructions around drip line of trees and work in, being careful not to disturb roots.
• Despite the fertilizing schedule outlined above, reduce the amounts if the rainfall outlook suggests below normal precipitation as more vigorous plants require more water.
• Turn off your automatic watering system when rainy weather arrives. But, if a dry spell follows the first rain storm, don’t forget to turn it back on. A drip system is the most efficient way to deliver water to your veggie garden. If you didn’t install one this spring/summer, now is a good time to rectify this.
• Clean, sharpen and oil garden tools and store them in a dry space. Steel wool will remove rust build up; wear gloves for safety. Some gardeners use wax paper throughout the year to wipe cleaned and dried blades after use to prevent/reduce rust. Drain garden hoses and hang them in the garage during the rainy season.

November

• Start watching weather predictions and, if necessary, protect citrus and harvest frost-tender crops. You can extend the growing season by covering some crops with cloth or plastic-covered hoops during cold nights—remember to remove the cover when the sun appears.
• Between November 17 and January 23, there are less than 10 hours of daylight. As a result, plants essentially stop growing. Some cool weather crops, if they are near maturity before this time, will overwinter and start growing again when daylight and temperatures allow.
• If this is a fairly dry November, it is a good time to add a new vegetable bed for next spring. Articles to read: No-Till Food Gardening and Growing Vegetables. Remember that water is always an issue when you live in an area with a long hot, dry season. Don’t make your bed larger than you can support with available water.
• Fall is an ideal time to add aged manure to provide the nitrogen that your leafy crops will need next spring. Apply 1 lb. of dry steer or dairy manure per square foot of soil surface or 1 lb. of dry poultry manure per 4-5 square feet of soil surface. If there is straw, wood shavings, or sawdust in the manure, apply nitrogen fertilizer before planting next spring. Alternatively, apply 1-2 inches of compost to amend the soil.
• Two herbicides, Clopyralid and Aminopyralid, have been showing up in some manures from pasture fed animals. These are herbicides used on pastures to kill broad-leafed plants but not grasses. Peas, tomatoes, sunflowers, potatoes, lettuce, and spinach are particularly affected by extremely small quantities of these pesticides. Question your manure and compost supplier as to sources of ingredients and testing. Organic products should be free of pesticides.
• Established cane berries can be pruned after harvest, but selecting the canes to remove or shorten is easier after leaf fall. See University of California’s guidance on berries.
• Peach and Nectarine Trees: To address problems with peach leaf curl and shot hole fungus, spray with fixed liquid copper around Thanksgiving. See University of California’s guidance on safe use of pesticides and copper fungicides.
• Citrus: Apply 1/2 lb. of fertilizer formulated 7-3-3 mixed with 1 tablespoon Epsom salts and water well.
• If your citrus tree has been in a pot for more than 3-4 years, carefully remove the citrus from the pot, trim an inch off all around the root ball and replant in fresh potting soil.
• Turn off your automatic watering system when rainy weather arrives. But, if a dry spell follows the first rain storm, don’t forget to turn it back on. A drip system is the most efficient way to deliver water to your veggie garden. If you didn’t install one this spring/summer, now is a good time to rectify this.
• Drain garden hoses and hang them in the garage during the rainy season.

December

• Given the uncertainties of weather, it’s advisable to prepare and protect garden beds from possible heavy rain. Wait for a period of dry days to spray or prune trees. Spray after the trees have dried out, and long enough before predicted rain for the sprayed trees to have dried, longer if possible.
• Spray fixed copper to peach and nectarine trees after leaves have fallen to control peach leaf curl and brown rot.
• Spray fruit trees with organic and vegetable oil-based dormant oil. The oil smothers overwintering insect eggs and pests.
• Dormant pruning of fruit trees can be done from the beginning of leaf fall up to bloom. See UC guidance on pruning and training fruit trees. Little or no pruning of citrus is required: prune out any crossing, broken or shaded out branches from the interior of the tree.
• If you don’t have a drip system in your food garden, buy supplies so that you’ll be prepared to install the system before your early spring garden is started. Drip is the most efficient way to deliver water to your garden—an important consideration during a drought.
• Instead of raking and depositing your leaves in the green bin, run the lawnmower over them to shred them and use them as mulch on your winter veggies beds. These leaves contain the many nutrients that trees pulled out of the soil and atmosphere. In addition to feeding your soil, you will be protecting soil from erosion and moisture evaporation, retarding winter weed growth and preventing splash from rain that could deposit soil-borne disease on your winter crops.
• If a heavy freeze is predicted, cover citrus trees with frost cloth, sheets or burlap draped over stakes, keeping fabric away from foliage and fruit. A 100-watt outdoor bulb under the cover will provide a few degrees of added warmth.
• Grow sprouts and herbs in a sunny kitchen window.
• Read up on cold frames, plastic tunnels, row covers, cloches and other plant protection in order to extend the growing season next year.
• Take advantage of sales on the supplies you will need for planting early spring crops.
• December 21 is the shortest day of the year with the longest shadows. At high noon, note where the yard is sunniest—this is the best place to plant your fall and winter food garden next year.
• With fewer gardening tasks, this is a good month to research perennial weed problems. Look at University of California’s weed photo gallery to identify weeds and watch a video on weed control techniques. With the recent rains, your soil should be pretty soaked, so now is a great time to pull weeds before the new root growth is strong enough to anchor them firmly.

March 2023