10 Gardening Activities for October in Southern California

1. Plant Natives

California natives are best planted in the fall when the weather is still warm and there is a better chance of rain—the water will help your new plants get established. Not only are native plants gorgeous, many of them also bring wildlife into the garden—from birds and butterflies to bees and other pollinators. Often the best way to buy native plants is to visit a local nursery to see what they have in stock. Many nurseries have sections dedicated to native plants. If you already know what you want, you can order online. Plants Express supplies a wide selection of natives including trees (coast live oak, palo verde, California sycamore), shrubs (ceanothus, manzanita, coffeeberry), and perennials (bush anemone, coast sunflower, deer grass, California wild rose, Matilija poppy, and more). Annie's Annuals & Perennials is also a good resource.

2. Plant Ornamental Grasses & Rushes

Ornamental grasses look beautiful in the garden in the fall, and you can also plant them this time of year. A few good choices for ornamental grasses in Southern California include slender veldt grass, evergreen fountain grass, Lindheimer’s muhly grass, pink muhly grass, red bunny tails fountain grass, lomandra, large cape rush, and evergreen Eulalia grass. Search for grasses at your local nursery or online from sources such as Plants Express and Annie's Annuals & Perennials.

3. Transplant Agaves & Other Succulents

If you have agave pups (new plants sprouting from the mother agave plant), consider yourself lucky. You now have free plants you can separate from the mother plant and replant in another location of your garden. To remove agave pups, use a clean knife to cut the underground stem that connects the pup to the mother plant. Insert the knife into the soil between the plants. (It’s a good idea to wear leather gloves and protective eye-glasses when working around agaves so you don’t get poked by the pointy leaves). Loosen the soil around the pup gently with a shovel or garden spade, then remove the pup from the soil. Replant the agave pup in a pot filled with cactus mix and water it until the soil is somewhat moist. Let the soil dry out between watering. Water once soil dries out until roots develop in four to six weeks. Then you can plant the new agave in the garden or a container. Learn more about how to grow agave plants.

4. Plant Bulbs, Corms & Tubers

If you shopped for bulbs last month, then you’re ready to start planting. You can plant bulbs in Southern California now through December. To plant bulbs make sure the nose (pointy side) is up when you place them into the soil. The roots should be down. For planting depth, a good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs three times as deep as the bulb height (so a 3-inch-tall bulb should be planted 9 inches deep). To make sure your bulbs have the proper nutrients they need, add plant food (such as Bulb-tone) to the planting hole before placing the bulb inside. If you haven’t purchased your bulbs yet, head to a local nursery or order online soon. Suppliers such as Breck's, Van Engelen, and Brent and Becky's Bulbs all sell quality bulbs. There are also bulbs that perform well in warm, dry climates (Zones 8 & 9) such as some alliums, daffodils, wild tulips, ranunculus, calla lillies, and more.

5. Adjust Watering Schedules

When fall and winter rains begin (here’s hoping!), watering schedules should be adjusted. Cut back on the number of days you water per week while leaving the length of time you water unchanged. Most waterwise and native gardens don’t require supplemental water in the fall and winter. If you get consistent rainfall, consider turning off your irrigation system completely. If there’s a dry spell, you can just water by hand. Alternatively, there are affordable watering controllers such as Blossom 7 that use satellite-based weather data to adjust watering schedules. You can also adjust the schedule from your phone.

6. Let Summer Flowers Go to Seed

By October, most summer-blooming flowers have finished their bloom cycle. But this doesn’t mean you have to deadhead. If you leave spent flowers on the plant, they will go to seed—a welcome fall and winter snack for birds. Some of the best flowers to let go to seed include echinacea, sunflower, black-eyed Susan, blanket flower, coreopsis, allium, aster, and goldenrod. The birds will add a liveliness to your garden throughout the fall and winter months.

7. Harvest Pumpkins

October is when most of your pumpkins should ripen. You’ll know a pumpkin is ready to harvest when the rind hardens and the pumpkin has reached the desired color. Watch this video to learn more about how to tell when a pumpkin is ripe and how to cure and store pumpkins for use later in the season. If you need a few ideas for cooking or baking with pumpkins, check out Kevin Lee Jacob's blog that has a wide variety of pumpkin recipes.

8. Fertilize Plants One Last Time

This is a good month to apply the last round of fertilizer for the the year. Plants only take up iron when the soil is warm, so you won’t fertilize again until spring. Be sure to fertilize flowering shrubs such as camellias, azaleas, gardenias, lilacs, hydrangeas, roses, hibiscus, and rhododendrons. You can also fertilize citrus. This will ensure that fruit has the nutrients to develop properly through fall and winter. Learn more about fertilizing trees and shrubs from Proven winners. There are also specific fertilizers for flowering trees and shrubs, roses, and citrus, as well as continuous release fertilizers.

9. Plant Cool-Season Herbs

Cool-season herbs are easy to grow in Southern California’s mild fall and winter. Herbs are generally pest free and grow fast. For fall and winter cooking, plant anise, arugula, borage, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic chives, lavender, lemon grass, lovage, parsley, rosemary, and sorrel. Most local nurseries will have these available, or you can order herbs online from Burpee. Herbs are great to plant in containers or portable raised gardens. If you place the containers near your kitchen, they will be easy to access when you need them for cooking. Be sure your herbs get partial sun, but know that they can usually take some shade. If you’re looking for something new, try growing lemon verbena in a pot. You can use the leaves in salads, dressings, teas, and more.

10. Prepare for Early Darkness

The time changes next month, but early darkness has its advantages, as lighting in the garden can create an appealing ambiance. Try outdoor hanging lights or lanterns that cast beautiful shadows on walls and patios. Safety is also important, so if you don’t have lighting along walkways, now is a good time to install path lights.