Gardening | Central Coast Gardening - Part 4

March 14, 2012

How Many Vegetables Do I Need to Plant?

It’s decision time for most of us on the Central Coast. We need to plan what and how many vegetable seeds to…

February 15, 2012

February Gardening on the Central Coast

There’s lots to do in Central Coast gardens in February. Weeding, planting, and light fertilizing is a good start. Consult frost dates and chill hours in your area before you beginning planting seeds and selecting fruit trees. Some flower seeds can be planted this month as well as some vegetable seeds. Finish pruning deciduous plant and Mediterranean plants after flowering.

January 30, 2012

Choosing Plants for a Seaside Location

Gardening along the coast presents special challenges. Choosing the right plants is the key to success. There are common plants that can take salt spray, intense sun, and wind. With a little planning your seaside garden can frame views and add seasonal color.

January 13, 2012

Growing Rhubarb Along the Coast

I’m looking around my garden to see what needs to be done, what worked this past year, and what didn’t. The rhubarb looks really…

December 31, 2011

A Sustainable Year in the Garden

I wrote some garden resolutions a few years ago for our local newspaper and the ones regarding sustainability are still relevent. We hear the…

December 17, 2011

Rain Chains – A Beautiful Way to Collect Water

We’ve had some lovely light rain this fall. Our large water storage tank (1600 gallons) collects rain from the rooftop of the garage and…

November 4, 2011

Planting and Care of Reblooming Irises

Bearded Irises grow and bloom really well along the coast. I’m especially fond of the varieties that rebloom and provide color from spring to…

October 10, 2011

Fall Means Changes in the Garden

For the last month or two I’ve been in maintenance mode in my garden. Lots of deadheading and watering. Inspiration for new planting has…

September 19, 2011

Growing a Giant Pumpkin? Maybe!

Pumpkins are not supposed to do well in cool weather. But mine are going crazy this year. One of them is a variety that…

August 31, 2011

Growing Pumpkins in a Cool Climate

What a strange coastal summer we’ve had. It has been exceptionally cool with overcast in the mornings and breezy sunshine in the afternoons. The…

July 23, 2011

A Pocket Gopher Inside the Chicken Run

Our chicken run has been invaded by a gopher! It has somehow found its way under 12 inches of hardware wire that we buried…

July 9, 2011

Growing Raspberries the Easy Way

We’re having such fun with our raspberries this year. They loved all the winter rains and we’re getting a good crop. I’ve even gotten…

June 25, 2011

Growing Olallieberries Along the Coast

I love surprises in the garden. One of them this year has been the appearance of ollalieberries hanging from our two vines. The olallieberry…

June 13, 2011

Tendergreen and Japanese Purple Mustard Growing

My Komatsuna tendergreen and Japanese Purple Mustard is growing. It has been kind of limping along because our weather has been so cool. I’ve thinned…

June 7, 2011

Growing and Harvesting Artichokes

We got a real “mother load” of artichokes this year. Maybe it was all the rain. Maybe it was a fact that these plants…