December To Do list

Landscape design

Have you thought about removing your lawn?
Autumn is the perfect time to rethink your landscape. Local California Water Agencies are offering Residential water rebates. One of them is to replace your lawn for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly landscape. They can offer you up to $1 per square feet of lawn removed (conditions apply). Replacing your lawn with California native plants that are well adapted to its different microclimates, are more resilient and could have lower water requirements, less monthly maintenance (including less applications of pesticides and chemicals), and will translate in lower bills. The best time to replace the lawn and install a native garden is the Fall! Check out our Blog to learn more about including natives in your landscape. If you would like to redesign your front or backyard, contact us.

Soil
Before planting or working your soil in winter, there is a very important soil consideration before planting or working with it in the cooler or winter months. Check the moisture in the soil before working in it. If your soil is too wet, chances are you might deteriorate the soil structure which is so important to keep a good amount of pores to let circulate water and air through it, and allow the roots to grow adequately. A good trick is to place your spade into the ground and if it comes up dirty and full of soil, it means your soil is too wet for planting.

Roses
December is an excellent time to get bare root roses varieties. Get them from nurseries you trust and always check for specimens with no signs of diseases. Check for healthy roots and stems. Observe that the graft is a strong and healthy one. Consider getting varieties that are well adapted to your region. This will result in your plants living longer and free of avoidable problems.

Annuals
Annuals are plants that grow and flower in one season and then die. They can add a pop of color when the rest of the flowering plants are is taking a break in the garden. You can make beautiful arrangements of annuals mixed with foliage plants (like native ferns or sedges) in containers. The most common cool-season annuals that you can get at the California Bay Area nurseries are: pansies, violas, snapdragons, sweet alyssums, primroses and calendulas.

Last call for spring bulbs
We mentioned spring bulbs in our last newsletter. The rule of thumb is that you have the bulbs in the ground by Christmas time. So this is the last month to continue to add them in your garden or containers. If you missed our November gardening tips and would like to read them click here.

Edible landscaping

Add artichokes now! Read our new Blog post to learn all about this magnificent addition in your edible landscape!

Fruit trees
December is a good time to order and plant bare root fruit trees. Remember to consider first the space you have and think about the final or mature size of the trees you are going to add in your garden. Plants grow better and healthier when they are provided with the right space, so they can show their full potential. In the right situation, they will not compete for nutrients, water and sunlight. If your space is limited, always check for dwarf alternatives. Also, there are multiple grafted trees where different varieties of apple, for example, are grafted together in the same rootstock. In this way, you could enjoy different types of fruit utilizing only little space. Some of the fruit trees you could be planting now are: apples, apricots, pears, peaches, plums and cherries. Almonds, walnuts and pecans are also a possibility. Other type of fruits that you could plant in December are bare root kiwi and grape vines.

Kitchen garden

Protect your crops
Continue to protect your crops from frost and wind. Horticultural fleece also called blankets, holded by garden hoops in your beds. Glass or plastic garden cloches for smaller plants like lettuces. And cold frames or greenhouses where you bring in some of your pots or containers to protect the plants from the frost. These are some of the options depending on the layout or set up of your kitchen garden (raised beds, containers or in ground) that will keep your more tender crops safe from being damaged by the frost. Brassicas (kales, cabbages, coles, etc) resist quite well the frost and some even taste better after them happening.

Continue to plant garlic

Continue to sow and harvest cool season crops
In warmer areas (zone 9b and 10) continue to add seedling of Brassicas (coles, arugula, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale, etc) for a spring or early summer harvest. Radishes might be ok as well as some winter lettuce varieties. Harvest arugula, beets, radishes, carrots, kales, brussel sprouts and all other short cycle crops started at the end of the summer.

Test and amend your soil
It is a good moment to send a soil sample to analyze to a soil lab. This will not only give you an idea of the level of nutrients in your soil and pH but also they usually send recommendations about how to amend your soil. Having a soil test done guarantees that you are only adding the nutrients that you need so the plants grow healthier in the season. Remember the key to healthy plants is to have a healthy soil. We offer services of taking and preparing samples of soil to send to the lab. Contact us for more information.

Keep gardening and Happy Holidays!