By Craig Eddy
I just want to can some sauce!!!!!
I began gardening organically on our property in La Honda because it seemed a natural for country living. But after years of frustration, success, mixed-results, bafflement, brilliance, fresh flavors, rot, and other weirdness, I am almost ready to give up. Not really, but maybe I can get a conversation going here with other gardeners and those who have yet to dip their trowels into the fertile earth.
Call it global warming, climate change or whatever but the summers are getting cooler here in La Honda. Every year I put in around 30 tomato plants thinking we will have much more than we can use. Every year we end up with just enough for our salads but not enough to can or freeze. Things that don't need as much heat seem to still do well (broccoli, onions, carrots, lettuce, etc). I even had a bumper crop of both hot and sweet peppers last year. So what do we do in La Honda if the summers are going to keep imitating spring? I get my seed stock from a company in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Territorial Seeds specializes in varieties that do well in cooler climates. They test everything in their own farms. They carry all the regular stuff too but for our coastal climates the 'early' varieties are the best choice. I start my seeds indoors under lights and heat so I don't have to wait until April or May to get going. You might try making cold frames for your raised beds. Plastic domes made from the clear plastic covers that come on store-bought cakes can be used to put over a seedling. This becomes a mini hot-house and helps keep the bugs off too.
So this Spring check out the 'early' varieties of tomatoes and melons and try getting an early start indoors. For those of you that 'cheat' and buy starter plants just remember that if they go into cold ground they will merely sit there and shiver. Just because the stores start stocking the starters in March doesn't mean the ground is ready for them. Keep them warm with covers just in case we have a late frost.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for a bit of heat this summer. If we all end up with lots of produce maybe we can start bartering and trading with our neighbors. Good luck you vegetable gardeners! And what other advice do you have to share about gardening successes and secrets you’ve experienced in our coastal clime?
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