As the Sierra Gardens coordinator, a lot of people have asked me about the difference between annuals and perennials, so I thought I’d give this question some attention while there still plenty of time to dream and plan for your spring and summer garden.
Continue reading “Planning for Annuals Vs. Perennials: What’s the Difference?”
To water or not to water, that is often a question we face in the winter time. It is a question that cannot be answered without asking more questions: Have the rains started in earnest? Are we having a wet winter? Will there be long dry spells?
These are all questions that we don’t really know the answers to at this point, so you just have to wait and see. But there are a few things to think about! Continue reading “Winter Watering”
Greetings Gardeners!
How did it get to be mid-November already? While the middle of the country is blanketed in snow and single digit temperatures, we are still enjoying higher daytime temperatures and it’s shirt weather. Lucky us! (Although we can all agree it’s time for the rains, seriously.) Temperate as it is, we are in the homestretch of autumn now. The night arrives promptly around 5, and gardens are all but forgotten for the moment.
Hopefully you had a chance to check out Edy’s great post about cover cropping and whether certain fall crops (onions, garlic and potatoes) are right for you. Even though it’s in the ground for a long time and is relatively low yield compared to other crops, I’m here to make an impassioned plea for growing your own garlic.
If you’ll indulge me, I’ll share a little story with you. A (sort of boring) story about garlic. I grew up about as far from agriculture as possible. Living in Houston, Texas surrounded by concrete and lawns, I never gave any thought to where my food actually came from.
…but it’s only July!! How could we possibly be thinking about fall and winter gardening when it’s 99 degrees outside? When the sunflowers are blooming, you know it’s time to plant seeds for your fall garden.
The trick about having food into the cooler months is planning for it. And unfortunately, that means thinking about it now! Although on days like this when it’s fever temp outside, dreaming up an autumn feast sounds pretty good to me. I’m ready for fall stews and kale salads with fresh apples….yum. Can we skip August?
Luckily for you, Edy will be providing you some starts that will be timed perfectly for fall harvest. Hooray!