Place Christmas cactus in darkness to stimulate flower bud formation. (Photo: Gary J. Wood from Toronto, Canada, Wikimedia Commons)

Tasks

• The tuberous roots of sweet potatoes will be ruined if the foliage is damaged by frost. Harvest before freezing temperatures kill the vines
• Use fall leaves as mulch
• This is the month to stimulate flower bud formation in your Christmas cactus by placing it in darkness for 12 to 14 hours each day when the temperature is 50° to 55° at night

Pruning

• “Pre-prune” roses by aggressively deadheading spent blooms and removing leaves from canes to nudge plants into dormancy
• Prune shrubs and trees to shape, except for spring-flowering varieties
• Thin black pine candles

Fertilizing

For even application of nutrients, use time?release fertilizer formulations on cool season vegetables

Planting

• As outdoor garden activity slows, use the time to transfer some design ideas to paper
• Fruits and vegetables: cabbage, garlic
• Trees, shrubs, vines: almond, apple, apricot
• Annuals: snapdragon (Antirrhinum), calendula, Baja fairy duster (Calliandra californica), Leucanthemum paludosum, Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)

Enjoy now

• Annuals and perennials: snapdragon (Antirrhinum), calendula
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: paperwhite (Narcissus)
• Trees, shrubs, vines: abelia
• Fruits and vegetables: apples, broccoli, cabbage, limes
• Fall color: aster, Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)

Remember to clean your hummingbird feeder regularly. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Things to ponder

• Feed the birds, including resident hummingbirds (and remember to clean your feeders regularly)
• Repair shops are busiest in spring. Now is a good time to have repairs made to power tools and to have your lawn mower serviced
• Historically, Nov. 15 is the first frost date for Zone 8 and Dec. 15 for Zone 9, but frost may occur earlier
• Move or cover tender plants. Plastic is not recommended

Drought tip

• Clean rain gutters and use downspout extensions to direct rain runoff back into the landscape, rather than into the street and storm drains

Pumpkins make great Halloween and fall decorations, but don't throw out your pumpkins as fall turns into winter. Pumpkins are versatile and can provide a variety of products. Best of all, it is easy to grow pumpkins from your seeds. 

Follow these simple steps for saving seeds and you will have home-grown pumpkins for next Halloween. 

1. Cut open the pumpkin and remove the fibers and seeds. Place them in a bowl of water and rub the bundles of seeds to separate them from the fibers. This is a messy slimy job - kids love it!
   
   
2. There will be a lot of seeds. Plan on saving two to three times more pumpkin seeds than the number of plants you plan on growing. Larger seeds will have a better chance of germinating.
   
   
3. Place the seeds on wax paper or parchment paper and allow to dry for about a week. Don't use paper towels because the seeds stick and are difficult to remove. Space the seeds out so they don't stick to each other. Once the seeds are dry, store in an envelope in a cool dry place. You will know that they are dry when they are white and feel papery. Don't store in a plastic bag because the plastic will hold in moisture. Some people store their pumpkin seeds in the refrigerator. Don't forget to label the packet with the type of pumpkin. All seeds look alike and you will want to know what type of pumpkin you are planting.

Planting seeds

I like to start the seeds inside. I usually start them in March to harvest my pumpkins close to Halloween. To see if the seeds are viable you can also perform the water test. If the seeds sink after being in water 15 minutes, then they're still viable. Otherwise, they might not sprout.

I always test to see if the seeds will germinate before I plant them. To test the seeds place them between damp paper towels. Place the paper towels with the seeds in a Ziplock bag. The healthy seeds will germinate within 7 to 10 days. It is easy and fun to see the seeds sprout so quickly. 

Now it is time to plant your seeds. Young pumpkin plants do not like to be moved so planting the seeds in peat pots allows you to plant the seeds and move them outside when ready. Plant 2 to 3 seeds in each peat pot. Once they are growing well, choose the best one to keep in each pot and clip the others off. After the soil has warmed, leave the plants in the peat pot and place into the ground. I usually plant outside in May when there is no threat of frost and the plants are about 3 inches tall. When planting outside, proper spacing is important. It may seem like the little pumpkin plants do not need much room but each plant grows long, large vines. Make room because one pumpkin plant can take over your garden. 

Other uses for pumpkins

There are so many other uses for pumpkins. Seeds can be dried or roasted to eat. Pumpkin seeds are very high in magnesium and are a good source of protein and fiber. Many pumpkins are delicious for eating as candied pumpkin, pumpkin preserves and, of course, pumpkin pie. Look up UCANR Master Food Preservers for more information on safely cooking and preserving pumpkins.  

Enjoy the versatile pumpkin and happy growing. 

When ready to start growing pumpkins, place the dried seeds in soil-filled peat posts. (Photos: Sue Bohigian)

Freshly sprouted pumpkin plants.

Shorter days mean there is less time to spend in the garden. Peruse gardening websites, magazines and seed catalogs instead

Protect citrus when nighttime temperatures fall below freezing. (Photo: Pixabay)

Tasks

• Stake newly planted trees in windy areas
• Clean up debris to eliminate hiding places for pests (if necessary). Or consider leaving fallen leaves and debris where they are, as many beneficial insects lay their eggs in the leaf litter. It also serves as a natural mulch
• Irrigate citrus trees at night if frost is expected. Damage to citrus varies with variety and fruit ripeness
• Continue to irrigate if weather remains dry

Pruning

• Do not top or prune trees severely in an attempt to avoid raking leaves! Extreme pruning will disfigure trees and shorten their lives

Discard diseased wood

• Leaf fall is the time to start pruning, except for apricot, oleander and olive trees, which should have been pruned in August

Fertilizing

• Add bulb fertilizer to planting holes before planting bulbs

Plant the beautiful perennial Rose of Sharon (hibiscus) in the fall. (Photo: HeungSoon from Pixabay)

Planting

• Fall planting ends this month. The soil will cool rapidly, which will slow root growth
• If you wish to transplant trees in the fall, it is best to wait until December or January when deciduous and evergreen trees are dormant
• Perennials: dianthus, euphorbia, kalanchoe, red hot poker (Kniphofia)
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: Snowdrop (Galanthus), snowflake (Leucojum), tulip (Tulipa), Watsonia
• Fruits and vegetables: bulb and green onions, strawberry
• Annuals: Love-in-a-mist (Nigella), primrose (Primula), pansy (Viola)
• Trees, shrubs, vines: sedge (Carex), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus), bay laurel (Laurus)

Enjoy now

• Annuals and perennials: Mexican blue sage (Salvia leucantha), ‘Pink Muhly' (Muhlenbergia capillaris), pincushion flower (Scabiosa)
• Fruits and vegetables: Asian pears, kale, pomegranate, persimmon, winter squash
• Trees, shrubs, vines: lantana, viburnum
• Fall color: Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis), Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)

Things to ponder

• Calendula petals (fresh or dried) can be used as a substitute for saffron to color rice or flavor soups and stews

Drought tip

• Landscape watering in many areas is now restricted to one day per week.  Check your city's policy for its winter irrigation schedule

Chaste trees (Vitex shrubs Vitex agnus castus) are extremely popular in our area and for good reason - they are consistently great performers. So, it's surprising that Vitex shrubs are so infrequently seen, a missed opportunity to be sure.

Vitex trifolia and Vitex rotundifolia are both good shrubs, but flowers are insignificant and growth habit can be a little unruly, taking some effort to control. But crosses of these species with Vitex agnus castus have yielded exciting hybrids without these problems. Vitex ‘Flipside' (agnus castus x trifolia), Fine Gardening Magazine's shrub of the year in 2019, is a 6- to 10-foot shrub with much larger flowers, extremely long bloom time, neater habit and an interesting purple tint on the underside of its leaves.

Vitex ‘Summertime Blues' (agnus castus x rotundifolia) has the interesting rounded foliage of rotundifolia but much more prominent flowers and a dense compact growth habit reaching 6- to 8-feet tall. ‘Delta Blue' and 'Montrose Purple' are among others in the 8- to 10-foot range, but all can be kept smaller with a late winter pruning.

Other new dwarf varieties including ‘Blue Diddley,' ‘Pink Pannicle,' and ‘Blue Puffball' stay under 4- to 6-feet. All do well in full sun with average well drained soil and are drought tolerant once well established. Very few pest or disease problems. Smaller dwarfs do very well in containers. Vitex shrubs can occasionally be found at local garden centers but are more readily available by mail order.

Chaste tree blooms attract beautiful pollinators. (Photo: daynaw3990 on Pixabay)