Gardening by the Month in the Tortolitas

January

• Plant winter veggies like cabbage, Swiss chard, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, turnips, radishes and greenonions. Plant potatoes and protect from frost. Don’t plant spring veggies until frost danger is past (mid-February).
  
  
• Apply pre-emergent for weeds.
  
  
• Fertilize lawn with a slow-release and weed kill at the same time.
  
  
• Mow and water once per week.
  
  
• Pick pecans, carrots, lettuce and citrus. Fertilize artichokes.
  
  
• Plant bare-root roses. Prune established roses, mulch and fertilize.
  
  
• Prune trees, shrubs, evergreens and fruit trees.
  
  
• Watch weather reports for frost warnings.
  
  
• Irrigate, trees including desert varieties such as mesquite.
  
  
• Fertilize deciduous fruit trees and deep water slowly.

February

• Frost is still a problem until mid-March. Keep the frost blankets handy.
  
  
• Plant containerized roses and fertilize existing roses. Watch for aphids.
  
  
• Apply a pre-emergent and fertilize lawns.
  
  
• Adjust watering schedules to once or twice per week.
  
  
• Prune desert trees and shrubs and other deciduous trees.
  
  
• Beets, carrots, chard, spinach, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips can be put in now.
  
  
• Continue to plant petunias, dianthus and pansies.

March

• Water lawn in the AM for fifteen minutes once a week.
  
  
• Plant peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, squash, green beans, sweet corn, summer melons and cucumbers. Water once per week. Cover tender seedlings with frost blanket.
  
  
• Spray for aphids and use a control for worms on leafy veggies and tomatoes.
  
  
• Fertilize citrus and deciduous fruit trees such as apricots, peaches, and plums. Thin peaches and other deciduous fruit trees.
  
  
• Harvest artichokes, carrots, green onions and broccoli.
  
  
• Plant marigolds and zinnias.
  
  
• Water trees and shrubs once a week on a five-hour drip.
  
  
• Clean and repair drip systems and filters. Replace or clean emitters.
  
  
• Prune frost damaged bougainvillea back until you reach green wood.

April

• Plant sweet corn and melons; stake and tie tomatoes.
  
  
• Mow lawn once each week. Water lawn for 15 minutes once a week.
  
  
• Deep-water trees and shrubs for 5 hours each week. Water flowers and veggies once a week. Deep water citrus and pick off old fruit.
  
  
• Thin and fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
  
  
• Harvest lettuce, cabbage, beets and Swiss chard.
  
  
• Trim palm trees and prune older fronds. Fertilize with liquid palm food.
  
  
• Plant marigolds and zinnias Water flowers as needed.
  
  
• Watch for insect pests and treat with pesticides appropriately. Follow directions and read labels carefully.
  
  
• Fertilize flowering shrubs and tropicals including gardenia, bird of paradise and hibiscus.
  
  
• If bedding plants turn yellow or stop blooming give them a quick feeding with fertilizer Stake tomatoes and fertilize. Veggies may need insect problems dealt with now.

May

• Water trees and shrubs for five hours once a week.
  
  
• Water lawn for 15 minutes in AM twice a week.
  
  
• Water bedding plants and veggies once a week.
  
  
• Plant lisianthus and okra.
  
  
• Pick peppers, tomatoes and cilantro; dig beets.
  
  
• Spray weeds and worms.
  
  
• Remove all winter annuals. Prepare flower beds. Draw up a garden plan and calculate the number of plants needed. Choose flower varieties that do well in our arid climate. Some of these are celosia, carnation, begonia, coreopsis, cosmos, cuphea, dahlia, dusty miller, gaillardia, gazanias, gerbera daisy, straw flower, marigolds, nicotina, nierembergia, pentas, portulaca, purslane, salvia, sunflower, verbena, vinca and zinnias.
  
  
• Deep water after planting by flooding beds. Do not over spray as it damages flowers and does not encourage deep root growth. Summer annuals benefit from watering three times per week for the first two weeks.
  
  
• Fertilize citrus and deciduous fruit trees
  
  
• Apply pre-emergent.
  
  
• Fertilize veggies and cover tomatoes and peppers with shade fabric.
  
  
• Control ants.

June

• Pick tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet corn. Harvest last of potatoes, beets and carrots.
  
  
• Pick peaches, figs and plums, melons and lemons. Continue to pick fruit as it matures. Protect tree trunks from sunburn with a frost blanket and keep watering.
  
  
• Water lawn for 15 minutes every morning. Mow lawn every week. Fertilize with slow release fertilizer.
  
  
• Drip water trees and shrubs once a week for five hours.
  
  
• Deep-water vegetables every four to seven days.
  
  
• Successful Sonoran Desert summer flowers are vinca, zinnias, portulaca, marigolds, salvias, nierembergia, lantana and cuphea. Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer and deep-water beds twice a week – more often if they seem heat stressed or wilted.
  
  
• Avoid pruning until fall when heat is less intense.

July

• Water lawn once per week for 15 minutes, preferably between 5 AM and 10 AM, during the heat of summer. It’s a good time to fertilize and water it in deeply.
  
  
• Harvest tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, figs, squash, chili peppers, garlic, sweet corn, cucumbers, okra and zucchini.
  
  
• Water trees and shrubs once a week on a five hour drip. Water annual flowers, as needed, by flooding the beds. Keep water off blossoms since it can cause diseases and leaf burn. To prolong blooming, pick off spent blooms.
  
  
• Ant control may be necessary as well as other food crop pests. Check with your local nursery for methods.
  
  
• Deep water citrus every ten days and fertilize with a slow release fertilizer. Deciduous fruit trees will benefit from feeding and apricot, peach and nectarines should be pruned.
  
  
• Palm trees should be checked and treated for rot during the rainy season and supplemental feeding may be done.

August

• Water trees and shrubs on five hour drip once each week.
  
  
• Water lawn for fifteen minutes in the AM twice each week.
  
  
• Harvest melons, tomatoes, chili peppers, pimentos, and peppers.
  
  
• Plant fall corn.
  
  
• Spray melons for whitefly.
  
  
• Keep veggies and flowers watered as needed, allowing for monsoon rains. This month you are battling heat, wind, weeds and insects.
  
  
• Cutting zinnias and lisianthus encourages denser foliage and more flowers. Do not over water vincas as they are susceptible to fungus in August.
  
  
• Reseed turf grasses and feed lawn with slow-release fertilizer. Mow lawn once a week.
  
  
• Thin tree branches broken from winds especially acacias, Chilean mesquite and Palo Verde. Extend emitters to outer edge of canopy to encourage strong, deep roots.
  
  
• Acidify and fertilize the soil around palms.

September

• Harvest okra and apples. Pick chili peppers and pears.
  
  
• Water lawn for 15 minutes in the AM twice a week. Water trees and shrubs on a 5-hour drip once a week.
  
  
• Fertilize roses, pecans and citrus.
  
  
• Plant fall tomatoes.
  
  
• Trim old palm fronds.
  
  
• Check pecan and ash trees for aphid infestation. Watch for whitefly and spider mites this time of year and treat accordingly.
  
  
• Set out non-deciduous trees and shrubs. Arid region trees will establish well now.
  
  
• Plant frost tender plants. Do not overfeed or over water bougainvillea.

October

• Plant veggies such as carrots, beets, onions, cauliflower, peas, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, Swiss chard, cabbage and broccoli. Plant strawberries. Pick radishes and last of summer veggies.
  
  
• Water trees and shrubs once a week for 4 hours.
  
  
• Dethatch lawn and overseed. Water daily.
  
  
• Prepare bulb beds and plant bulbs.
  
  
• Apply pre-emergent herbicide.
  
  
• Deep-water citrus every two weeks. Do not fertilize until March. New citrus can be planted now but wrap young trees with a frost blanket.
  
  
• Plant petunias, snapdragons, calendulas, alyssum, stock, violas, dianthus, poppies and other annuals. Feed new flowerbeds with a slow release, long lasting flower food.
  
  
• Trim desert ornamentals but save pruning for January when plants are dormant.

November

• Plant annuals now for late spring and early summer blooms. Select alyssum, aster, calendula, candytuft, carnation, chrysanthemum, cyclamen, dianthus, dusty miller, geranium, larkspur, lobelia, mimulus, pansy, nierembergia, petunia, poppy, primula, ranunculus, snapdragon, statice, stock and viola.
  
  
• Spray tropicals for insect pests.
  
  
• Before frost prune desert plants such as cassia, Texas sage, brittlebush and honeysuckle. Do not prune trees until January.
  
  
• Plant bulbs and tubers of amaryllis, anemone, calla, crocus, daffodil, gladiolus, hyacinth, Dutch iris and tulips. Add bone meal when planting.
  
  
• Plant strawberry sets.
  
  
• Perennials may be put out for columbines, delphiniums, gazanias, asters and Shasta daisies but should be watered carefully.
  
  
• Protect citrus from frost with a frost blanket.
  
  
• Overseed lawns and apply slow-release fertilizer with a reduced water schedule of once or twice per week. Apply weed control.
  
  
• Plant fall cold crops such as asparagus, artichokes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, chard, leaf lettuce, peas and turnips. Fertilize every two weeks.

December

• Once a week mow lawn, water lawn for 20 minutes. If lawn yellows, it’s time to fertilize with ammonium nitrate or forms of slow-release nitrogen.
  
  
• Plant vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, and peas. Harvest spinach, cauliflower, green onions, butternut squash, peas and beets. Plant on a three-week rotation to avoid having too many veggies at the same time.
  
  
• Deep-water trees and shrubs every other week for 3 hours. Plant and water bare root trees. Prune fruit trees and roses. Thin mesquite, Palo Verde, acacia and other deciduous desert trees. Prune sages, brittlebush, desert honeysuckle and other desert shrubs.
  
  
• Water bulbs, veggies and flowers as needed.
  
  
• Protect frost sensitive tropical plants with a frost blanket or foliage sprays made for protection.