Month By Month Guide for
Southern California: A 'Cheat Sheet'
These generalizations are
for The Learning Garden, located in Sunset Zone 24, less than 3
miles from the Pacific Ocean in an alluvial plain that is just above
sea level. Cold air from the surrounding hills drains into our area
and we are reliably cooler than much of the surrounding areas. If you
are growing inland from us, your temperatures fluctuate more than
ours. As one gardens further from the ocean, the temperatures are
less moderate and the effects of heat and cold are more pronounced.
While we can grow some cool season crops year round (kale and chard
come to mind first), this becomes more difficult without the ocean's
pronounced influence. (Photo: Bundles of fresh food are being
sorted into individual packages for distribution with the Westside
Produce Exchange for redistribution.)
JANUARY:
Plant in the
ground: lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes, celeriac,
radishes, spinach
Harvest for lettuce @ 30
day+s; carrots 90 days; beets 75 days; parsnips 90+, potatoes 90 to
120 days, celeriac @ 100 days, radishes 40, spinach 40+
Harvest Production
begins to pick up again later in the month – especially with rain,
harvest root crops, peas, fava beans (you can use fava leaves for a
pesto), chard and kale cabbages, broccoli, etc.
Plant in containers
in a sheltered location: lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, chard,
(these last two can be started now, but they would have
been better started earlier – their production will be reduced by
the coming warmer weather), peas, fava beans, lentils, garbanzo beans
FEBRUARY:
Plant in the
ground: lettuce (and other salad greens), carrots, beets parsnips,
radishes, spinach, purple beans
Harvest: late in
the month, lettuce, radishes, spinach, thin beets and have baby beet
leaves in your salad,
Plant in
containers: early tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, summer squash
MARCH:
Plant in the
ground: purple beans, lettuce, radishes, purple beans, beets,
radishes, spinach, set out plants of basil, early tomatoes, later in
the month, sow early sweet corn
Harvest more
lettuce, beets, carrots, celeriac etc
Plant in
containers: tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons,
all squash
APRIL
Plant in the
ground: beans of all colors, lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach, set
out plants of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, you can start
planting all corn now
Harvest purple
beans, most of the winter crops
Plant in
containers: tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons &
squash, okra
MAY:
Plant in the
ground: all basil, eggplant, all melons and all squash (including
cucumbers, set out plants of same and all tomatoes, eggplants and
peppers) green and yellow beans and all the dried beans; corn too, if
you have room
Harvest first of
the zucchini and summer squashes, purple beans winter crops, garlic,
leeks and onions
Plant in
containers: As in April, but it's getting late – peppers,
eggplants and basil are still OK to start, but it's getting late, did
I say it was getting late?
JUNE:
Plant in the
ground: all the above, but it's getting late... you can still get a
crop, but it will be cut shorter by any early cool weather; the last
of the corn can go in early in the month
Harvest first of
the tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, beans, early sweet corn, the end of
winter crops (in a normal year)
Plant in
containers: pumpkin seeds, then take a nap
JULY:
Plant in the ground
only out of necessity any of the June plants, but they will
have a hard time
Harvest EVERYTHING
– this along with weeding and watering is your focus at this time
of year.
Plant in
containers: continue napping
AUGUST:
Plant in the
ground: nothing if you can avoid it
Harvest MOREOF
EVERYTHING
Plant in
containers: towards the end of the month, in a shaded location, the
first of the winter veggies can be started, cabbage, broccoli, kale,
chard, fava beans, leeks, shallots, onions...
SEPTEMBER:
Plant in the
ground: nothing, until mid-month, start sowing turnips, parsnips,
radishes, beets and carrots – keep seeds moist! Peas, lentils and
garbanzo beans can be sown...
Harvest last of
the eggplants, peppers, basil, cucumbers, winter squash and beans.
Tomatoes will hand on until October in most years.
Plant in
containers: Cabbage, broccoli, kale, chard, favas, cauliflower,
Brussels sprouts
OCTOBER:
Plant in the
ground: set out some of your cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower,
chard and so on. Continue with seeds as above... you can also direct
sow favas if you want. Potatoes can usually be found about now as
well as sets or seed bubls of onions, garlic and shallots and they
all should be planted from now until late November.
Harvest The first
of the turnips and beets will be edible, you'll have carrots soon,
might still have some basil and tomatoes,
Plant in
containers: More Cruciferae and favas, celery and celeriac
NOVEMBER:
Plant in the
ground: More of September's plants can be sown – you still have
time for all of them except onions, this will be the last month to
plant peas, lentils, garbanzos, shallots, garlic and fava beans.
Their growing season is too long to get the harvest you would want.
Although the legumes can be planted if you are willing to take a
lesser harvest or are using them as a cover (green manure) crop.
Harvest lettuce,
early cabbage, some kale and chard leaves, radishes, turnips,
carrots, beets,
Plant in
containers: I'm still sowing cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower, but
Brussels sprouts are a longer season item so they're not a part of my
efforts until next season's planting begins.
DECEMBER:
Plant in the
ground: Too little light and too many parties make it difficult to
find garden time – but if you have some things left over from
November, try to get that done.
Harvest a lot of
veggies slow way down you will probably have leftovers from November,
but not a lot of production. You'll find the chard and kale really
begin to pump out while everything else slows down.
Plant in
containers: Pretty much the same story, if you have time, do more of
all that's listed from November.
There are two big shifts
in Southern Californian gardening: At the end of September,
beginning of October it's all about the winter crops. At the end of
February, beginning of March, the focus all shifts to summer and the
heat lovers. Seeds get started slightly before then (if you have the
right conditions, up to six weeks before then!).
david
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