Mira Cat School Garden

🌿 October & November in the Garden (Zone 10b)

Fall has arrived — and in our mild climate, that means prime planting time! While the rest of the country is winding down, Zone 10b gardeners get a second growing season. Cooler nights and shorter days help seedlings thrive, and the intense summer sun finally eases up.

✅ Clean Up & Refresh

• Pull out any remaining summer crops that have stopped producing.

• Remove old mulch, weeds, and plant debris to reduce pests and disease.

• Add compost or organic matter to refresh soil before new planting.

🐛 Pest & Disease Watch

• Cooler temps slow some pests, but whiteflies, aphids, and leaf miners can still linger.

• Inspect the undersides of leaves often.

• Prune off infested or damaged foliage and toss it in the green bin, not the compost.

🥬 Cool-Season Vegetables

Now’s the time to sow or transplant:
Beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, green onions, peas, radishes, spinach, turnips.

👉 Tip: Stagger plantings every 2–3 weeks for continuous harvests through winter.

🌿 Herbs

Cilantro, chervil, chives, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme.
Cooler weather helps prevent cilantro and parsley from bolting too soon.

🌸 Flowers

Fall is the perfect time to start or refresh flower beds with:
Alyssum, calendula, carnation, chrysanthemum, columbine, coreopsis, delphinium, dianthus, foxglove, gerbera, impatiens, lobelia, pansy, penstemon, petunia, phlox, poppies (California & Iceland), snapdragon, statice, stock, sweet pea, verbena, viola.

Plant now for blooms that will last into spring.

💧 Water & Weather Tips

• Santa Ana winds can still strike in October — keep mulch around roots to protect moisture.

• Water deeply but less often as temperatures cool.

• Check soil moisture before watering; overwatering is common this time of year.

🌾 Bonus Tasks

• Start a compost pile with fall trimmings and leaves.

• Prune lightly to shape perennials and remove dead growth.

• If you have fruit trees, feed with a low-nitrogen fertilizer to promote root health.