A devoted gardener would rather give or receive tools, plants, or a unique garden treasure than gold, diamonds, or pearls.
Tasks:
• Monitor ground moisture, especially in beds and under eaves and patios.
• Store unused fertilizers and pesticides in a dry place.
• Dig and divide overcrowded dahlia tubers and store in a cool, dry place. Replant in late February.
Pruning:
• Remove dead foliage and stems from dormant perennials.
• Prune junipers during cool weather to prevent sunburn.
• Prune and trellis caneberries.
Fertilizing:
• Feed cool weather plants and vegetables.
Planting:
• The time for fall planting is coming to an end.
• Order bare-root roses and perennials from gardening websites or catalogs.
• Fruits and vegetables: Lettuce, peas, edible pod peas — plant from seed or six-packs.
• Trees, shrubs, vines: fig, walnut (Juglans), crabapple (Malus).
• Annuals: larkspur (Consolida), flowering kale.
Enjoy now:
• Annuals and perennials: cyclamen, dianthus.
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: paperwhite (Narcissus).
• Trees, shrubs, vines: barberry (Berberis).
• Fruits and vegetables: cauliflower, comice pears.
Things to ponder:
• Enjoy the quiet of the winter garden.
• At the end of the month, apply dormant oil spray to deciduous fruit with copper fungicides, to control shot hole disease on twigs.
• Avoid overhead irrigation if frost is expected.
Historic frost dates:
• Zone 8: November 15 through March 15
• Zone 9: December 15 through February 15
• • •
Source: Adapted from A Gardener’s Companion for the Central San Joaquin Valley, 3rd edition, currently available from Fresno County Master Gardeners for $30. These can be purchased at our demonstration garden — Garden of the Sun, 1750 N Winery (McKinley/Winery), open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, and via email at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Gardening questions answered as well at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Prepared by Terry Lewis, Master Gardener UCCE Fresno County.