What to Plant This Month- November
Last chance for FALL PLANTING! Take advantage of milder temperatures and natural rainfall to get your plantlings off to a great start!
 

BARE-ROOT: Order bare-root grapes, fruit trees and berries now for delivery during the winter dormant season.
 
BULBS: Last chance to chill tulips and hyacinth (species tulips like Tulipa clusiana and T. saxatilis need no pre-chilling) before getting them in the ground. Plant daffodils, Dutch iris, crocus, babiana, freesia, muscari, scilla, watsonia, sparaxis, tritonia, ranunculus, ixia, leucojum and more. NOTE: Only tulips and hyacinths benefit from 6-8 weeks of chilling in the refrigerator. Ask if your bulbs have been pre-chilled. Supplies are dwindling! Get 'em in the ground by early December at the latest.
 

ANNUALS: Plenty of cool-season annuals are still available for planting. Look for pansies, primrose, Iceland poppies, ornamental kale, forget-me-nots, snapdragon, sweet peas, stock and more.

It's not too late to plant flowering sweet peas from seed!

For some really fun stuff, try Annie's Annuals, available by mail order and at select Sacramento nurseries (Bushnell's, Sierra Nursery & Rock, Redwood Barn Nursery , Davis Co-Op and Windmill).
 
NATIVE PLANTS: Fall is the best time for planting natives!

Look for fall native plant sales on the Events Calendar. Most nurseries, including Bushnell Gardens Nursery and Capital Nursery, carry a varying supply of natives. Just ask.

Cornflower Farms, a wholesale native plant grower, is open to the public the 2nd Saturday (click to download schedule) of most months.
 
COVER CROP: Plant a fall cover crop in unused vegetable beds to preserve and improve soil structure and provide nitrogen for later use. Peaceful Valley Farm Supply is a great source for cover crop seeds.
 
WILDFLOWER SEEDS: Fall is also a great time for planting wildflowers. Try Peaceful Valley Farm Supply's Central Valley Wildflower Mix containing: California Poppy, Deerhorn Clarkia, California Blue Bell, Sweet Alyssum, Plains Coreopsis, Sulphur Cosmos, African Daisy, Blanketflower, Showy Blue Gilia, Gazania, Showy Evening Primrose, Mountain Garland, Chinese Houses, Globe Gilia, Scarlet Flax, Arroyo Lupine, Five Spot, Black-eyed Susan, Goldfields, Tidy Tips, Yellow Lupine, Moss Verbena, and New Mexico Evening Primrose. Native California wildflower purists? Try the California Native Wildflower mix , containing: Tidy Tips, California Poppy, Godetia, Five Spot, Sky Lupine, Chinese Houses, California Blue Bell, Mountain Garland, Globe Gilia, Showy Blue Gilia, Bird’s Eyes, Goldfields, Yellow Lupine, Arroyo Lupine, Baby Blue Eyes, Beach Evening Primrose, Blue-Eyed Grass and Mountain Phlox.
 
PERENNIALS: This month is a great time to plant hardy perennials. Since fall conditions promote root growth, you'll be rewarded in spring with plants ready to burst into growth and bloom.
 
HERBS: It's never too late to plant perennial herbs. Nurseries are very well-stocked with the likes of rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, tarragon, etc.
 

VEGETABLES: Plant cool-season veggies: garlic, lettuce, bulb onions, scallions, peas, radishes, spinach and more. See the Vegetable Planting Calendar for more info. To chart the best time for planting in your area, download and print the UC VRIC's Fall Planting Schedule, count backward from your garden's average first frost date to determine when to plant each variety. (download requires free Adobe® Reader®). According to UC VRIC, Sacramento's average first frost date is November 14.

More Resources:
Yearly Vegetable Planting Calendar
UC VRIC Table 2: Vegetable Gardening at a Glance: How to Plant and Store (pdf file, requires Adobe  Reader)
 

LANDSCAPE TREES: Fall tree-planting season is upon us! If you're planting for fall color, visit nurseries now

Visit the Sacramento Tree Foundation's website for the lowdown on Sacramento area trees. Also see my picks and the City of Sacramento's Tree Planting Guide. If you're a SMUD customer, you may qualify for free shade trees! Click here to see the trees being offered by the Sacramento Shade Program and how to get them.