DECIDING WHAT TO PLANT (seeds continued)

Southern California is a great place to live.  Yes our educational system is to deteriorating to the level of that of a third world country. And true the state is almost bankrupt with enough unemployed people to equal the entire population of the state of Nevada.  Of course there are also enough liberals here to melt a large glacier with one big exhale of their collective hot air. BUT we look good! We have got beaches, mountains and deserts all within a couple of hours of each other.  There aren’t many places you can wake up in the morning and surf for a couple of hours before heading to the dunes for dirt bike riding, only to end the day with an evening session of night boarding in the mountains. It can be done in Southern California if you are 19 and your parents pay your bills. Just ask my son.  However I think the best part of being a So Cal resident is the gentle climate. With the average temperature about 75 degrees at any time of the year, the conditions are perfect for year round vegetable gardening.

Of course that doesn’t mean that you can plant whatever you want, whenever you want. Some things just don’t grow as well in summer as they do in winter and vice versa.  Because it is time for spring planting let’s first talk about what NOT to plant right now.   

Beets, Turnips, Rutabagas-basically most root veggies, Cabbage, Peas-all types, Lettuces-all types, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and most Greens-mustard, collard etc. are cool weather crops and they won’t do well in the spring/summer season.  You will want to plant them in LATE summer for early winter harvest.   They can also be planted in February for spring harvest, but it is too late for that now, so if you have them put them away.  Don’t just toss them in the garden shed either. Store them away in a cool place. The refrigerator is best but a cool place in the garage will work. The garden shed is NOT the best option.  Think about how hot it gets in there in the summer. Would you want to be stuck in there for three or four months under those conditions? Your seeds don’t either so find a better place.  Go now before you forget and ruin them.  Oh and remember if you aren’t sure how old your seeds are, or they have been imprisoned in the sweat shed, throw ‘em out and get new ones.  (See my post Seeds are created equal.....)

Below I have listed a few of my favorite things to plant for Spring:

Radishes grow REALLY fast and do well all year long (great for winter) and are really fun for planting with kids because they do produce so quickly.  The only problem with kids is radishes are spicy and not always so fun to eat.

Squash/Zucchini is perfect for the gardening newbie.  These plants are adaptable and hardy but do need some room.  There are summer and winter varieties but both can be planted at the same time. The winter varieties just take a bit longer to grow for Fall harvest (think pumpkins). Squash leaves do tend to be prone to mold so make sure you check out my "HOT TIP" on how to prevent and eradicate garden mold.  Here is another hot tip....ONE to TWO squash plants are sufficient unless you are feeding the whole neighborhood.  If you are going to over plant, make friends now so your neighbors don't think you are creepy later when you try to pawn food off on them.  And it goes both ways, I think people who don't know me well and take food from me are a little creepy themselves.  Sometimes I offer veggies to strangers just to see who the creepers are.  No! not really, I'm just kidding, but test the waters. You may not want to have that kind of relationship with all of your neighbors. First you share your zucchini and the next thing you know the Joneses want to borrow money or your car.  All I'm saying is be careful! Oh and one more thing.  If you are going to share squash, please pick them when they are small to medium size.  Three foot long 20 pound zucchinis are really hard to wash and slice. Not to mention that the larger they get the more bitter they can become. 

Bush Beans are the only green beans I plant. They grow fairly quick, are easy to grow, don’t take up a lot of room and don’t need to climb up a trellis or pole contraption. They taste great.

Carrots are another easy to grow crop that does well all year long. Root veggies are just great for winter so save some seeds for planting in late summer too.  I plant my carrots in a raised bed because the soil is softer and it keeps my carrots from becoming deformed.

Tomatoes are a garden staple. And I am going to completely ruin my credibility here by saying that tomatoes hate me.  Until last year I really didn't have good luck with them.  I think that is because I really didn't like to eat them until recently.  Which proves my point, if you don't eat it, don't plant it.  You won't be inspired to take care of it.  Despite my problems tomatoes are fairly easy to grow and there are tons of varieties, in all sizes, shapes and colors.

Cucumbers can be a pain but they are so worth the effort.  They need lots of water, and are climbers so you will need a trellis to keep them off the ground. They are also prone to mold.  Keep them away from brick wall corners.  The heat from this type of placement just sucks the life out of your cucumber plants. There is nothing like a fresh from the garden cucumber in your salad or homemade pickles for the more ambitious.  With so many varieties to choose from there is something for everyone.  Japanese and English are my favorites because you don't have to peel them.  However, even cucs that are labeled as "pickling" taste great fresh. In fact my Dad likes these in his salad better than any of the others. The flavor is incredible. You will just have to peel the pickling types because their skin can be very tough.  Also remember that the larger they get the bigger the seeds inside get. 

Cantaloupe/Melons/Pumpkins take up a LOT of room. They need to spread out, far. Before you plant these guys make sure you can commit to the space they need. These aren’t the best choice for a novice either. Pumpkins need help with the mating process (see below under corn). And most of you will pick your melons before they are ripe.  


Things I don't always plant, I find to be difficult or not worth the effort:

Onions  really work well year round. But they take FOREVER to grow into an onion.  Two options with onions.  I plant seeds and use the green stalks as fresh chives or scallions (see picture at left). For actual onions I use onion bulbs from the garden store, you can get a bunch in a net bag and these take less time to grow. But considering the money you will spend in water, and especially if you are tight on space, you may not want to plant onions. 

Bell (Green) Peppers are a good choice but can be temperamental and also grow very slowly.  If they don’t like where you plant them the blossoms will fall off or the peppers will be really small.  You may have to play with location and yes a few feet can make a difference. Because they grow slow you may want to buy a couple of plants from your local nursery instead of starting these from seed. Bonus! if you want Red Bells just leave them on the vine a little longer.  The longer you leave them the sweeter they get.  

Corn needs to mate, pumpkins aren't the only ones having sex (I mentioned this in my very first post A Blog is Born.  Professionals would say they need to be hand pollinated but that sounds kind of kinky. Besides "pollinate" didn't get your attention the way “sex” did and that’s why you are reading my blog and not a professional’s. Geez I can’t seem to stay on task. ANYWAY with Corn you will need to plant a lot of it for it to pollinate properly or you will have to do it by hand. If it doesn’t pollinate, then you will have some really neat stalks to use for Halloween decorations but no corn to eat. 
Potatoes are a LOT of work! And they too need a fair amount of space. Taters aren't for the novice gardener.  There is lots to say about potatoes so I will cover them later. 


I will eventually be covering most of the plants in individual posts but for now I wanted to give you an overview of the things I am most likely to plant.  Coming next: 

• getting your seeds in the ground, how low can they go
• planting seeds versus adopting plants
• should you start your seeds in pots and transplant to the garden? I can answer that now. You can, but I don't. Its too much work and unnecessary in our climate 
• how I plant to maximize my water usage 
• and whatever else I think of that might fit this theme

Also next week I will share pictures of my own little plot of land.  

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