Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
October, 2012
Regional Report
Plant Asparagus Crowns
Plant asparagus crowns at least six inches deep, and mulch them heavily with manure. Winter rains will slowly wash the manure's nutrients down to the root zone.
Plant Leggy Cole Seedlings Deep
Plant cole crops such as cabbage and broccoli up to the first set of leaves to prevent them from developing into weak, leggy plants.
Repot Herb Plants for Indoors
After dividing and repotting established herbs for overwintering indoors, leave the newly-potted sections in a lightly shaded place for three weeks, and then move them indoors to a cool spot with bright light. This will allow them time to acclimate to higher indoor temperatures and drier humidity before it's too cold outdoors to make the change without shock.
Separate and Replant Established Bulbs
Dig and replant crowded clumps of flowering bulbs that didn't bloom well last spring. Many kinds of spring-blooming bulbs will grow well beneath deciduous trees, as most of the bulb growth occurs in the early spring before the trees leaf out.
Add Annuals to Bulb Beds
For a cover crop of flowers before, during, and after spring bulb bloom, sow seeds or plant seedlings of low-growing annual bloomers after you've planted the bulbs. Think of color contrasts such as purple pansies with yellow daffodils or white alyssum with red tulips. Good choices include calendulas, pansies, Iceland poppies, primroses, dwarf snapdragons, dwarf stock, and violas. Sow seed thickly, water the area, mulch it lightly, and keep it moist until seedlings have two sets of true leaves.
