Planning a winter crop? Here’s your action plan
Much of the country may be preparing for cold, sleet and snow. In Southern California, we’re dreaming of our winter edibles. It’s not too late to get those crops in the ground, but there’s no time to waste, either. Here are eight tips for veggies (and flowers) to plant right now — and some gardening chores that are best done before winter sets in:
1 This is the best time of year for people who love to grow greens. Plant now from seed or seedling: spinach, chard, collards, arugula, lettuces, etc.
2 Grow cool-season crops from the cole family from seed or seedling, including kohlrabi, broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower and cabbage.
3 Plant root vegetables from seed only: rutabagas, beets, carrots and turnips.
4 If you don’t plant winter vegetables, plant cover crops. Cover crops are “green manure” that grows through winter. Six weeks before spring planting, turn the cover crop plants into the soil so they can break down and add to the soil’s organic matter.
5 Tomatoes and summer crops are mostly over. Rather than compost them, put them in the green waste. They tend to accumulate diseases and pathogens that should not be recycled back into the garden. Commercial green waste facilities use a hot compost process that destroys the bad guys, so there’s no problem bringing their products back into the garden as mulch or compost.
6 Plant wildflower seeds. Choose a mix specifically designed for Southern California, such as California poppy, elegant Clarkia (Clarkia elegans), goldfields (Lasthenia californica), tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), and bicolor lupin (Lupuinus bicolor). Two places to find regional wildflower seeds are Theodore Payne Foundation (theodorepayne.org) in Sun Valley and Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano (californianativeplants.com).
7 To plant wildflowers, choose a spot in full sun and rake soil smooth. Water to saturate the soil. In a 1-pint plastic container, combine one part seeds with four parts construction sand. Sprinkle the mix by the handful over the seedbed. Rake the soil gently so seeds are barely covered. Water again using a very soft spray, wetting the soil only enough to settle it around seeds. Continue to water, gently, every few days (unless it rains) to keep seeds and young seedlings damp.
8 Stop watering Plumeria around Thanksgiving after they’ve mostly gone dormant. Wait until new leaves appear in March before watering again. Cover Plumeria or move them under the eaves when nighttime temperatures drop below 35 degrees.