Photo by Brian Goddard

As October arrives and the weather cools, you can do a second planting of all the above-mentioned vegetables, plus an assortment of cooler season crops. Winter greens, such as spinach, mustard and lettuce do incredibly well. Garlic should be planted around that time, as it takes a full eight months to mature. You can tell they are ready when the tops dry up in May.

(For a year-round gardening calendar, visit urbanfarm.org.)

September also is the time to fertilize your citrus, trees and shrubs. Rose lovers should feed, lightly prune and clean up their rose beds in preparation for their gracious gift of fall color. Prepare the rest of your flower beds with heavy mulch, or – now that you’re an expert – with sheet mulching. As cooler temperatures arrive, festoon your garden with geraniums, petunias, snapdragons and alyssum.

For an instant garden full of fall flowers and for help with your roses, Gardens in Bloom by Barbara can assist you. Specializing in all aspects of gardening, including container gardens and seasonal color, Barbara is a permaculture designer and certified nursery professional.

To prepare your winter lawn, stop feeding and reduce watering your Bermuda grass. Start the ryegrass over-seeding process in late September so your seeds sprout before the cold hits.

Whether you are cultivating a lawn or a vegetable garden, balanced organic fertilizer is a special ingredient to pay attention to. Specific products such as bat guano and worm castings are full of nutrients, if you can find them and fit them into your budget. To take it one step further, use an all-purpose balanced organic fertilizer, which doesn’t burn plants. Try the Seaweed Extract, Citrus & Avocado, or Fruit & Vegetable fertilizers in the GrowMore line of products, which are available at Berridge Nursery in Phoenix.

Since 1938, Berridge has been a Valley leader in gardening and yard supplies. You’ll find a good selection of compost, fertilizers, seeds, starter plants and fall color here. It also has a terrific line of organic fertilizers, ranging from bone meal to seaweed extract.
 
Your fall gardening checklist also should include a general tune-up of your sprinkler and drip systems. Make sure valves are running correctly and all your sprinkler heads are working properly. Also, readjust your water sprinkler schedule for the winter. If all this is as baffling as programming your TV remote, check with Life’s a Garden, whose professional team can handle your sprinkler needs. The company also offers landscape and irrigation contracting, specializing in low-impact and low-maintenance desert landscapes and urban green spaces.

When you have all of this work behind you, you can kick back in the cooler weather and enjoy the fruits of your fall labor.