I haven’t begun planting seeds this year. I’ve weeded and created drainage ditches for runoff. I’ve also been playing with, training, and walking those two sweet labradoodles that we acquired in the fall. In general, I’ve enjoyed the wet December, the warm January, and the cold February. But I haven’t been gardening!
The little Anna apple tree is blooming but the other two apple trees do not even have swollen buds, as yet. The young Santa Rosa plum has pretty white blooms. Some California poppies are blooming but the roses are slow in leafing out. I’m still harvesting carrots and beets but other than that, things in the veggie beds are pretty much lifeless. The garden is a bit confused, and so am I. I’m running late in planting seeds this year. It’s time to get serious about getting them in the ground. To heck with starting them indoors. I’m going straight for the dirt!
I’ve gone through my envelopes of seeds to see what might be viable.You don’t have to throw out seeds after the first year. You can count on 10 percent loosing their vigor each year. So, even after a few years, you’ll still get about 70 percent viability.
A publication put out by UC, can be helpful in planning a planting schedule. It gives you expected frost dates and other temperature data for locations along the Central Coast. On this chart, you can find when the last frost day should be, the number of chill hours of your area to help you select fruit trees would be best in your garden, and the average temperatures to help you choose varieties of vegetables that will thrive in your climate. If you don’t find your particular community on this chart, just check out a similar location. The temperatures of beach communities is similar along the coast and inland areas are…..well, they’re hotter!
You can get the publication here, or stop by the Master Gardeners’ desk on Sierra Way in SLO for the pamphlet giving temperature data. The publication was prepared for home gardeners by the University of California Cooperative Extension (a great resource for anything gardening).
Well, back to the seed box, or maybe not. This fire is awfully cozy, and besides, it’s raining outside! What’s a gardener to do?
