October Gardening In The Low Desert

If you live in the Phoenix metro area, don't forget the fall garden fair at the Extension Service grounds, 4341 E. Broadway on October 9. There will be plants of all kinds for sale and good, free advice from members of the many garden clubs participating. The demonstration gardens are sure to give you all kinds of ideas for your own garden and there will be volunteers on hand to answer questions.

October and November are the best months to plant trees, vines, and shrubs in the low desert so they can get established before summer heat next year. Consult a good garden book such as The Sunset Western Garden Book. See also my articles from July and August 1998 for some ideas on landscape styles and plant selections. Here are some sources for seeds, shrubs, trees, and other plants you may not find locally:

Drought tolerant herbs and vegetables http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com/cgi-...

Herbs http://WWW.RICHTERS.COM/

For heirloom seeds: http://www.usaor.net/heirloom/

Edible landscaping: http://www.eat-it.com/

Rare and exotic plants: http://www.worldplants.com/tphome.htm

Cactus and succulents: http://www.cactus-mall.com/rainbow_garde...

For a diverse selection of seeds from South Africa: http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za/

Far rare tropical fruit trees: http://www.safari.net/~lychee/home.htm

Searchable seed lists: http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/welcome.h...

For tropicals, many of which will grow in the low desert: http://www.stokestropicals.com/

Rare, exotic and unique seeds from all over the world: http://www.boldweb.com/greenweb/gwseedht...

Source for just about everything you could possibly want: http://www.banana-tree.com/

This a page of links to seed catalogs: http://home.ptd.net/~organic1/SeedPlants...

Perennials, such as daylilies, and irises, including reblooming irises: http://www.inet-images.com/nichollsgarde...

See also my article on Gardening In The Low Desert, October 1998 for more links.

If you have made some compost, work it into your planting beds now. The things you plant now will benefit and if you have beds that will be in shade during the winter, the compost will work its' magic for spring planting. The same goes for your worm castings if you are vermicomposting.

Plant cool season veggies, annuals, wildflowers and strawberries now and into November. If you were clever enough to start your own seeds, plant out into the garden when they are about six weeks along but be sure to set them out in a shady place for a few hours a day for a few days to 'harden them off' before planting. Nurseries are exploding with veggies and strawberries all ready for planting for those of us too lazy to start them ourselves. Plant seeds of annuals directly into the ground now and don't forget the old fashioned kinds such as sweet peas, hollyhocks, dianthus, snapdragons, and stocks, just to mention a few.

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