Vegetable and fruit garden in Southern California

What to plant
Early March is the best time to start planting your summer garden. You can plant vegetables like artichokes, corn, green beans, green onion, spinach, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. Fruits such as berries and melons. Herbs such as basil, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, Swiss chard and thyme. Plant mint and rosemary separately in pots to prevent invasive growing into the other plants in your garden. Year round crops such as beets, carrots, chard, radishes and turnips can be planted too. In April, plant the summer veggies such as eggplant, lima beans, melons, okra, peppers and pumpkins. If you have the desire and space, plant a fruit tree!

Where to plant
Ideally, design your garden to be able to plant in full sun. The rule of thumb is to plant tall crops such as pole beans, corn and tomatoes to the north and short crops such as cucumbers, carrots and basil to the south so that the sun goes from side to side across them. Plants that can take partial sun are lettuce, tomatoes (mid-day sun with reflected heat), asparagus, potatoes, parsley. Check the internet for other examples. Don’t attempt to grow vegetables in areas clogged with tree roots, since they sap the water needed for healthy growth. Space plants or seeds according to each plant’s directions. Interplant to save space ie: plant pole beans next to corn and the beans will use the corn as a natural trellis.

Good soil and drainage
Vegetables need deep, fertile soil with adequate drainage. Add amendment (Kellog’s Gro-mulch is my favorite) if necessary. If your soil is really bad or you have gophers, plant in raised beds that are filled with topsoil mixed with organic amendments. Plan to add amendment at the beginning of each season as the crops will leach the nutrition from the existing soil during the growing season.

Irrigation
The most efficient watering system is a drip. Most vegetables need the equivalent of an inch of rain per week for healthy growth. Drip systems use 40-60% less water by putting the water directly where the roots are. You have less evaporation and there is no water left on the leaves like there would be for overhead watering which can encourage fungal disease. A drip designed for row crops such as a row length of ½ inch tube that feeds into ¼ inch hose with individual drip heads spaced evenly or strategically to water each plant.

Plant for successive crops
The planting vegetables that mature all at the same time, like lettuce, carrots and beets, don’t plant the whole package at once. Plant quantities no bigger than you can eat at tone time and save the rest of the seeds to plant at intervals for continued crops.


When planting in established gardens
If you grow vegetables year round in an established garden, begin now to make space for summer crops. Remember the north to south planting rule of thumb.

Protection from critters rabbits, gophers, squirrels, etc.
You have to take into consideration birds, rabbits, squirrels, gophers and other critters if you know you have them already! Netting under the garden soil for gophers, small cages such as a berry basket over each planted seed for corn and bean sprouts, will protect the young seedling sprouts from birds. Bloodmeal and netting around the garden for rabbits, etc. Sluggo or copper tape for snails.

Buying seeds vs. seedlings
The argument for planting from seeds really has to do with time, how early or late you’re planting? Money, seeds are a lot cheaper than seedlings, but do you need 50 of one plant? And effort. Buying a six pack of seedlings is a lot easier and faster than growing from seeds. Seedlings are pretty generic in their varieties, with the exception of tomatoes, which are trendy now with all of the heirlooms available and seeds give you more of a variety.

Composting
One of the easiest things to do now that you have a garden is to save the “scraps” to compost back into the garden soil. Egg shells are also a good thing to add for their nutrition. Don’t forget to check the internet for more ideas.
Check out companion planting and sustainable gardens