Garden Maintenance Fundamentals for S.F. Bay Area
- Gün Ü.
- Dec 23, 2025
- 4 min read
A month by month guide for your home garden
January: Preparing for the Year Ahead
Prune Late-Bloom Deciduous Fruit Trees:
- Pomegranates
- Figs
- Persimmons
- Plums/Pluots
Optional Prune for Early Flowering Trees:
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Apricots
Other Plants to Prune:
- Roses
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Grapes
Prune Camellias:
- Prune after flowering is complete.
- They form buds for next year right after flowering.
End of January Tasks
Apply the third spray for peaches and nectarines.
- If you missed earlier sprays in November or December, do one now.
Starting Seeds Indoors:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
Planting:
- Bare-root roses
- Bare-root fruit trees
February: Nurturing Growth
Beginning of February
If you missed any spraying for peaches and nectarines, do it now before flowers or leaves show.
Prune roses if you missed January. Make sure you finish by the end of February.
Prune camellias after they are done flowering. They form buds for next year right after flowering.
Mid-February
First fertilization of the new year for citrus trees.
Plant summer-blooming bulbs like gladiolas.
Continue planting bare-root roses and fruit trees.
End of February
It is too late to spray for peaches and nectarines since they will be showing flowers or leaves.
March: Welcoming Spring
Plant more summer-blooming bulbs.
Check irrigation lines. Adjust the schedule if you don’t have a smart controller.
Irrigate new trees once a week. Established trees need water once a month.
"THE BIG PRUNE": Now that frost danger should be over, you can prune citrus and warm-season grasses and summer-flowering shrubs. Spring-flowering shrubs are pruned AFTER flowering.
First fertilization of the year for citrus.
April: Growth and Maintenance
Prune citrus if needed.
Plant summer veggies except those that love heat, like eggplant.
Prune early flowering fruit trees like peaches, nectarines, cherries, and apricots AFTER enjoying the blooms.
Seed cool-season grass lawns.
Cut no-mow cool-season grass lawns by giving them a "haircut."
Cut Bentgrass lawns to 2-3" max and keep the height consistent.
May: Preparing for Heat
If you missed April pruning of cherries, do it now.
May 1: You can now plant heat-loving veggies like eggplant.
Memorial Day: Fertilize deciduous fruit trees now.
Second fertilization of the year for citrus.
Spray lawns for grubs. It is now warm enough for it to work.
Seed warm-season grass lawns.
June: Mid-Year Adjustments
Check irrigation and re-adjust the schedule as needed.
Thin apricots, plums, nectarines, and peaches to at least 2" in-between.
Thin apples to 6" in-between.
Net fruit trees to avoid birds and maybe squirrels.
July: Summer Care
Third fertilization of the year for citrus.
Late July: Summer pruning for fruit trees.
Deadhead flowers like roses, azaleas, etc.
August: Late Summer Tasks
Continue summer pruning for fruit trees as needed. This is probably the best time to prune apricots (after fruit harvest).
Dust grapes with sulfur.
If you have fruiting olives and ornamental plums or liquidambars, consider spraying with "Floral Fruit Eliminator" once during blooms to prevent fruits.
End of August: Start planting cool-season vegetables like sugar snap peas.
September: Preparing for Fall
Last fertilization for citrus for the year.
Prune apricots if you have not done so in August.
Labor Day: Fertilize deciduous fruit trees again.
Cut back the old, fruited canes of raspberries and blackberries.
Cut no-mow cool-season lawns by about 1/3.
October: Final Preparations
If you missed some fertilization of trees, this is absolutely the last chance to do it.
Plant more cool-season veggies.
November: Embracing Winter
With rains, plant new trees and shrubs, especially CA natives. Plant winter annuals.
Reduce irrigation if you do not have a smart controller.
End of November: First spray of dormant spray and copper fungicide for peaches and nectarines. Make sure all leaves are off the trees (give it a good shake).
December: Reflect and Prepare
If rains are here, stop watering, especially deciduous trees.
End of December: Second spray for peaches and nectarines. If you missed the November spray, do the first one now.
Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
Additional Information and Footnotes
Stone fruit blooms are so pretty that the trees are usually pruned AFTER flowers. You also do not want to let all of the fruit ripen: Thin to 2-3" for most stone fruit in the minimum
Example of pruning plums or pluots: These fruiting trees tend to send very long shoots during the summer. Vertical branches like these (called watersprouts) will not fruit.
Smart Irrigation Controllers: I will be writing a full blog post on options and settings in the future. But for now, I recommend Rachio or Hunter HydraWise and an additional rain sensor. Check your water district website for REBATEs!
I like to buy the large black bird nets and wrap a whole tree with it in a lollipop shape and tie all the loose ends at the trunk with green Velcro tape to make sure there are no gaps. Most of the fruit inside will be safe from squirrels. Note that rats tend to eat all the fruit on the outer edges. Best to set rat traps if you can.
Additional Resources on Maintenance
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