What are ‘spring onions’?

Same as Scallions or Green Onions?

Spring onions look similar to scallions but notice they have a small bulb on the end of the stalk.  They come from the varieties of onions that are grown to produce bulbs.  They are harvested before the bulb is fully formed but after the green onion stage.  Any onion can be a ‘green’ onion or scallion, it is just harvested before it produces a bulb.  When a bulbing onion is harvested when the bulb is just beginning to form, it is a ‘spring’ onion.

How to Grow Spring Onions

Seeds of bulbing varieties of onions are sown in fall/winter in our Southern California climate.  By spring they will start to form bulbs and the ‘spring’ onions can be harvested before the bulb is fully formed.  They can also be harvested earlier when in the green onion stage or left a little longer until a full onion bulb is formed in later spring.  For more information on growing onions, see post ‘Solving the Mystery of Growing Onions’.

How to Use Spring Onions

Spring onions have a much milder flavor than mature onions.  They are used fresh and should be refrigerated until used.  They’re great lightly grilled, sliced into salads, used in a stir fry, or my personal favorite, in a spring onion soup.  Here’s my recipe, so simple, and so delicious!

Spring Onion Soup

2 lbs. spring onions, cleaned, outer skins removed, thinly sliced
2 tblsp. olive oil
1 32 oz. carton of beef broth (or homemade)
2 tsp. coarse salt
2 cups water
Toasted slices of baguette (to serve)
Swiss cheese slices (to serve)

Saute onions in oil in dutch oven or soup pot for 15 minutes until translucent but not browned.  Add beef broth, salt, and water.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Ladle into oven proof soup bowls, place toasted slice of baguette on top of soup, top with slice of swiss cheese.  Place bowls on cookie sheet under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Makes 6 servings.

The post Oh Those Yummy Spring Onions! appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Looking for some different veggies to grow?  Try these new seed varieties!

I received a very fun surprise from the Burpee seed company last November:  an Advent Calendar full of seeds!  For a passionate gardener, there’s no better gift than new varieties of seed.  It was great fun to count down the days until Christmas by opening a window to find a new variety of seed each day.  Note that the Calendar photo is Burpee’s historic Seed House built in the late 1800’s at Fordhook Farm.

Last week I planted the cool season seeds that reliably germinate when directly sown outside where they are to grow. Check out Thyme to Grow’s video on ‘How to Plant Seeds in the Ground’ for detailed instructions.

New Burpee Varieties of Cool Season Seeds: (direct sown in January in my zone 9 garden)

Burpee descriptions:

1.  Merlin Hybrid Beet – A smooth 2-3″ round, scarlet root with a high sugar content that excels in roasted, baked, or boiled.
2.   Dragon’s Tail Radish – Novel radish grown for its long, tasty seedpods rather than its root.  The 3-4′ leafy plant produces pink and white flowers followed by 3-6″ purple and green pods, delicious raw or cooked.
3.   Rido Red Hybrid Radish – Crisp, tasty 2-4″ round roots with a piquant flavor perfect for salads.  Or cut into wedges, toss with oil, and roast.
4.   Double Take Hybrid Spinach – Excels at both baby leaf and mature stages.  Flavorful variety works well in salads, steamed, or sauteed.  Withstands downy mildew.
5. Bend and Snap Pea – New sugar snap variety yields crunch, plump peas with a hint of sweetness.

Look for posts later in the season for an update on performance and taste of these new veggies!

The post New Burpee Seed Introductions for 2017 appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Garden Tour Favorites

Rose ‘Fame’

I loved sharing my top five favorite flowers with visitors to my garden on the Mary Lou Heard Garden Tour this past Saturday.  As I chatted with dozens of the visitors, many ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the same plants which luckily were blooming on cue for the tour.  So here’s some more info on the top five favorite flowers of visitors to my garden.  I hope you’ll be encouraged to give them a try in your garden!

1.  Peony Poppy

This flower grabbed everyone’s attention.  It’s a 4 foot tall annual poppy that I sow every year.  Sadly, I do not have a commercial source to reference because it is a ‘pass down’ plant.  A friend gave me seeds years ago that she had been given from a friend of hers.  I continue the tradition, giving seeds to friends, and, during the garden tour, to attendees until I run out.  I found a seed source of a poppy that looks similar at Swallow Tail Garden Seeds.

I collect the seed every year by pulling out the entire plant when it begins to yellow/dry out.  I cut off the root and place the plant with the seed pods attached in an urn which I leave on an outside counter.  They dry out over the summer and then in October I shake the seed into a tray and mix with potting soil.  I toss handfuls of the mixture all over the garden in areas which receive full or part sun.  The seedlings pop up over the winter and grow slowly until late March when they grow vigorously until they reach their full height of 4 feet in April and bloom in late April/early May in my zone 9 garden.  Note that it is a very short bloom season, only about 3 weeks, but they are stunning and fit easily between other plants.

2.  Fame!

This is my favorite rose!  It is a grandiflora type rose, bright pink in color, with huge blooms that last up to two weeks on the bush and over a week in a vase.  Unlike many roses, it retains its color as it opens to full bloom, and almost looks fake it is so perfectly formed.  It is a tall rose, 5 feet, and about 4 feet wide.  It repeat blooms all year in my zone 9 garden, stopping only when I prune it in January.  It is also less prone to fungal diseases than my other roses.  Note that I do feed it regularly over the growing season.

3.  Nicotiana ‘Aztec’

This flowering tobacco blooms non stop from mid spring until late fall.  It is absolutely covered in star shaped white blossoms atop its four foot tall stalks.  I love tall flowers like this for the impact of color and height they provide in the garden.  As an added bonus, it releases a lovely scent at dusk, just in time for dinners on the patio.  When it starts looking a little rangy, I cut down the stalks and in a few weeks the plant sends up new blooming stalks.  It self sows if not deadheaded, but it’s not invasive.  For more info see post ‘Who Else Wants Non Stop Summer Flowers’.

4.  Rose ‘Sexy Rexy’

As the photo shows, this floribunda rose just covers itself in blooms.  A single stem can contain ten rose blossoms!  The shrub grows to about 4 feet tall and about the same width.  It is very disease resistant.

5.  Airy Bachelor Buttons

Don’t we all love discovering plants that are a little different as well as beautiful?  Gomphrena decumbens ‘Airy Bachelor Buttons’ is a great ‘filler’ plant which blooms nonstop, is a beautiful color and best of all is a perennial which comes back year after year unlike other bachelor buttons.  The flowers are tiny but are produced by the thousands from spring to fall.  I cut it back in the winter and by March it is back to its 2 1/2 foot by 3 foot mound.  It’s available at Annie’s Annuals, one of my favorite online nurseries.

Finally, I just want to thank all the folks who came to visit my garden, shared their gratitude, enthusiasm, and gardening experiences.  Gardeners are the nicest people!

The post Top Five Favorite Flowers on My Garden Tour appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Grow good fruit!

I’m excited to give talks on creating a Backyard Orchard this month at Disney Parks ‘Food and Wine Festival’.  There’s nothing like the taste of fruit that you have grown yourself ripened to the peak of flavor .  Follow these tips to create your own backyard orchard, even if you don’t have a yard!  A sunny balcony, patio, or entryway will work too!

WHAT IS A BACKYARD ORCHARD?

• Fruit trees, shrubs, vines, bedding plants that produce fruit in a home environment.
• Size of yard needed? ANY size: suburban backyard, condo/townhouse patio, or apartment balcony.

WHY HAVE A BACKYARD ORCHARD?

• TASTE! Impossible to get tree ripened taste unless you grow it yourself.
• CHOICE! Have a favorite peach? Love to cook with Meyer lemons, but can’t find them in the store?
• WORTHWHILE USE OF WATER! Instead of using precious water to irrigate decorative plants, get some food for the investment.
• BETTER HEALTH! If you grow it, you (and your kids!) will eat it!

HOW TO CREATE A BACKYARD ORCHARD

• SUN: Find a spot with at least 6 hours of sun.
• SPACE: What kind of space can you devote to your orchard?
  • Apartment: 1 or 2 potted dwarf trees in a half wine barrel, strawberries in a strawberry pot.
  • Condo/Townhouse: Espaliered fruit trees along building or property walls, blueberry shrubs in pots, grapevines on patio cover.
  • Suburban size garden: same as condo/townhouse but plant trees in ground, consider planting multiple trees of same family in one hole for extended harvests.
• CHOOSE PLANTS:
  • Plant what you like to eat:  apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, so many choices!
  • Plant for your zone.
  • Plant for size of your space: dwarf, semi dwarf, standard.

• PLANT
  • In containers
    • LARGE containers for dwarf fruit trees: half wine barrel size 24” wide x 18” deep
    • Use good quality potting mix
    • Certain plants prefer certain soils. Blueberries – acidic soil, citrus – more mineral content like cactus mix.
  • In the ground
    • Dig hole twice the diameter of the nursery pot and same depth.
    • If soil is not ideal, add compost to excavated soil.
  • Both containers and in ground:
    • Add fertilizer according to package directions to soil at time of planting.
    • Remove plant from nursery pot, loosen the roots, cut off any broken roots.
    • Plant root ball at same level it was in the pot (do not plant deeper).
    • Water well after planting.

CARING FOR YOUR BACKYARD ORCHARD

• WATER
  • In pots – frequently, check moisture with finger
  • In ground
    • less frequently, but deeply
    • water coverage 2 feet beyond drip line
  • Consider automatic timers
• FEEDING
  • At beginning of growth season, check for each type of plant/tree.
  • Type of Fertilizer
    • Organic vs. synthetic
    • NPK – choose one not too high in nitrogen
    • FOLLOW PACKAGE DIRECTIONS
    • Containers need more frequent feeding than in ground
    • In ground, apply at drip line to one foot past drip line

• PESTS/DISEASES
  • Keep clean, squirt with hose early in the day
  • Visit the University of California’s Integrated Pest Management website: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu, search by plant

• HARVEST
  • When fully ripe, taste test!
  • Early in the day.
  • Gently place in basket or harvest bag.
  • Avoid ladders, keep tree pruned short.

• STORAGE/PRESERVING
  • On counter for some fruits for few days, citrus for week+
  • In refrigerator for weeks.
  • In freezer, up to a year.
  • Make jam or can. Visit UC Master Food Preserver website: mfp.ucanr.edu.

The post A Backyard Orchard for Everyone appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Seed ‘bombs’ are fun to make, share, and sow!

January rains bring prime conditions for wildflowers like California poppies to germinate, grow and thrive.  A fun project for a rainy day for kids and grownups alike is to make seed ‘bombs’:  portable, easy to sow spheres of wildflower seeds and planting mix.  Make up a batch on the next rainy day when the kids are stuck inside driving you crazy!  Share the ‘bombs’ with family and friends to spread the joy and beauty of wildflowers far and wide.

Follow these 5 simple steps to create your own seed ‘bombs’:

Step 1:  Purchase supplies

• A tub of craft clay
• 3 – 4 packages of wildflower seeds (California poppies are my favorite)
• Small bag of potting soil or compost

Step 2:  Mix clay, soil, and seeds together

• Divide clay into 3 or 4 parts.  It’s easier to mix in small batches.
• Place 1 part clay, an approximately equal amount of soil, and seeds into a large bowl, bucket, or plastic washtub.
• Mix together adding enough water to create a workable dough like substance.
• Mix well.  Yes, you will get your hands dirty!!!  And probably the work area too!

Step 3:  Form ‘bombs’

• Take a bit of the clay/seed mixture and roll into a ball.  1-inch balls work best.
• Set balls on a cookie sheet or other flat surface to dry.
• When dry, they can be stored in ziploc bags until the next rain, or to give to friends.

Step 4:  ‘Bomb’ Away!

• Toss the ‘bombs’ onto open ground preferably right before it rains.  If no rain is predicted, water the area where the bombs are for a few days until they dissolve.
• Raking the ground to loosen the soil prior to sowing can assist in areas of compacted soil.

Step 5:  Care

• Water if rains are sparse.
• Pull weeds so they don’t overrun the wildflowers.
• Once the wildflowers have bloomed, leave the seed heads on the plant so they self sow for another show next year!

Where to see California Poppies in Bloom

The California Poppy is such a treasured feature of our state, that a natural reserve exists, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.  It is located outside the city of Lancaster, about an hour and 45 minute drive from Los Angeles. Visit the Poppy Reserve webpage for directions and wildflower bloom status updates from February through mid-May.  The reserve has eight miles of trails and an interpretive center as well as picnic tables.  Peak viewing is usually in mid April.

The post How to Create a Stunning Wildflower Garden Anywhere appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Spend time now for a glorious garden all year!

The hustle and bustle of the holidays is almost over and it’s time to get back in the garden for some much needed peace and re-connection to nature!  January is supposed to be a wet one this year with El Nino rains predicted, but on those dry days, get out in the garden.  Time spent now will pay off later in the year with a healthy, pest and disease resistant, and of course, gloriously beautiful garden.  Here are my top 5 garden tips to get your garden off to a great start in 2016.

Ceanothus (blue), aloe (orange), agave (spiky) and coast live oak trees provide a colorful but water thrifty landscape.

1.  Plant Natives and Water Thrifty Plants Now

Although El Nino rains are forecast for this winter, they will not necessarily bring an end to our multi year drought.  Water thrifty landscapes can be colorful and just as beautiful as more water hungry plant palettes.  Winter is a great time to plant natives and other water thrifty plants.  Winter rains and months of moderate temperatures will help them settle in before the heat of summer (and their sometimes dormant stage) arrives.  If you are not converting your entire landscape to drought tolerant plants, be sure to group plants by their water needs.  For water thrifty plant selections, photos of drought tolerant landscapes. and links to numerous resources, visit the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s website, bewaterwise.com.

2.  Dormant Spray

Deciduous fruit trees (apples, peaches, apricots, plums, etc.) and roses will be much less disease and pest prone if sprayed with a dormant spray in January.  What is a dormant spray?  It is a spray using horticultural oil or a fungicide that is applied when plants are ‘dormant’, or in a non-active growth stage often exhibited by the loss of their leaves.  Granted, in southern California, we often do not have much of a dormant stage given our moderate temperatures.  We force dormancy of roses, for instance, by pruning them in January.  After pruning, or after deciduous fruit trees drop their leaves, spraying with a horticultural oil or a fungicide spray reduces pests and diseases.  A horticultural oil works by smothering over wintering pests such as scales.  Fungicide sprays reduce the occurrence of fungal diseases such as rust, black spot, and powdery mildew.  Both horticultural oils and fungicide sprays can be found at local nurseries.  A certified nurseryman can help you choose the right product for your specific plants or read the University of California Cooperative Extension article ‘What are Dormant Sprays’.

3.  Mulch

If you only have time to do one of these top 5 garden tips, my vote is to apply mulch.  It has multiple benefits for your garden.  What is mulch?  It is a layer of material placed on top of the soil.  Mulch can be shredded bark, compost, straw, even shredded newspaper.  In desert landscapes, gravel is sometimes used as mulch, but for most plants this heats up the soil too much.  What does mulch do?  Most importantly as we try to water less, it conserves moisture in the soil by providing an insulating layer on  the soil surface to slow evaporation.  Secondly, that insulating layer also regulates soil temperature so that soil is slower to heat up and cool down which is less stressful to plants.  Another benefit of mulch, probably my personal favorite, is that it suppresses weed growth by depriving weed seeds of light so that they don’t germinate.  And finally, as mulch decomposes it adds nutrients to the soil and encourages beneficial soil organisms.  Use coarse mulch like shredded bark or bark chips around permanent plantings like shrubs and trees as these will decompose slowly and last longer.  For areas of frequent planting like vegetable gardens or flower beds, use compost, straw, dry grass clippings, or shredded newspaper.  These decompose more quickly adding nutrients to the soil each season.

Spread mulch in a layer 3 – 4 inches thick around your trees and shrubs after you have pruned, cleaned up, and sprayed.  Keep mulch 3-6 inches away from tree trunks and main stems of shrubs to prevent disease organisms and too much moisture on these plant parts.

4.  Plant Veggies and Fruits

With water becoming an ever more precious (and expensive) resource, why not eat the plants we water?  A large garden is not necessary to grow veggies, a few large pots or wine barrels, or a couple of raised garden beds can provide more salad greens than a family can eat!  What’s easy?  This time of year try lettuces, spinach, arugula, snap peas, carrots, and onions.  If you have a little more space, try broccoli, cabbage, beets, or strawberries.  See post ‘Plant Veggies in January’ for more details.

5.  Control your Controller

Last but not least of the top 5 garden tips, learn to program your automatic sprinkler timer.  Although not exactly fun and exciting, it is crucial to having a successful and healthy garden during these times of reduced water allocation and tiered water pricing.  On one of the rainy days we are expecting in January, dig out the manual for your sprinkler timer and figure out how to program it.  If you are like me, most likely the manual is misfiled somewhere!  Thank goodness for the internet, by typing in the manufacturer name and model number, you’ll most likely be able to find an online manual.  Or, if you have a gardener, they are usually familiar with most models and can give you a tutorial on how to program it.  If you have a great gardener, maybe he/she already takes care of adjusting the timer for you throughout the year.  But in my experience, they do not do it often enough to match the water needs of each season.  Not sure how long to water?  Most water districts now have recommended watering times for each month.  Here’s a link to my water district’s recommended watering times by month:  ‘The Right Schedule’.  At the very least, when it rains, manually switch off your automatic sprinkler timer.  There’s nothing worse than seeing sprinklers running while or right after it’s raining!

Happy New Year!

The post Top 5 Garden Tips to Start the New Year appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

The ‘Easy to Grow’ Camellia

Camellia sasanqua ‘Apple Blossom’

In late fall and early winter there is not much in bloom in my garden.  One of the gorgeous exceptions is my Camellia sasanqua ‘Apple Blossom’.  Its white flowers blushed with pink and accented with a golden center are stunning against the dark green foliage.  The sasanqua camellias are less well known than their showier cousins, the japonica camellias.  While the flowers of the japonicas can be up to 5 inches wide, the sasanquas are a more modest 2-3 inches in diameter but often virtually cover the plant.  Best of all, the sasanqua camellias are much less fussy than my japonicas.  They are more sun tolerant and don’t seem to mind the higher salt content of the reclaimed water my water district provides for landscape irrigation.  So if you are sprucing up your garden for the holidays, consider planting these beauties, especially ‘Yuletide’, which has bright red flowers just perfect for the season.

Camellia sasanqua facts

Height:  1 1/2 feet high and 6 feet wide to 12 feet tall and wide
Exposure:  Most sasanquas tolerate more sun than the japonica varieties, some will even take full sun.
Soil:  Well drained, rich in organic matter
Water:  Regular water, but note that older plants (3+ years) can survive on little supplemental water, making them good candidates for our drought challenged gardens.

Planting

Choose a site that has good draining soil and sun exposure appropriate for the variety purchased.  Dig a hole twice as wide as the container and as deep as the root ball.  Amend removed soil with peat moss or azalea/camellia planting mix.  Back fill hole with a bit of amended soil so that root ball is 1/2 inch above surrounding soil level.  Never plant so that base of trunk is below the soil line.  Fill in amended soil around root ball and water in.  Camellias are also great container plants.  Plant one gallon plants in pots 12-14″ wide, five gallon plants in pots 16-18″ wide.  Use an acidic planting mix.

Care

Water young camellias regularly.  Well established plants, especially if their roots are shaded, can survive on little supplemental watering.  Fertilize after bloom with a plant food for acid loving plants.  Do not over fertilize, it can burn the plant.  Prune plants right after flowering to shape plant if desired.  Clean up fallen blossoms to prevent camellia petal blight.

The post December Bloomer: Camellia Sasanqua appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

Got a Fountain?  Create a Beautiful Thanksgiving Decoration!

On a recent trip to Sedona, Arizona we visited the Tlaquepaque arts and craft village which was decorated in stunning fashion for the fall.  I was especially impressed with the way the fountains were enhanced with fresh cut flowers, greenery, pumpkins, and gourds.  The visual impression was just stunning.  Here are some photos and tips on how to create your own beautiful arrangement in your fountain to welcome guests for Thanksgiving day!

How to create a fountain arrangement:

1.  Purchase assorted cut flowers and greenery, pumpkins, gourds, decorative branches or twigs, spanish moss.
2. Gather thin wire, wire cutters, rocks for weighting down bunches of flowers.
3. Place large items like pumpkins and gourds in the fountain first, adjusting until the arrangement is balanced and pleasing to the eye.
4. Place single cut flowers or greenery in the fountain as desired or make mini bouquets with the cut flowers secured with wire.  Place among the pumpkins and gourds, securing wire to a rock if the bouquet tends to float away.  The rock will weigh down the mini bouquet and keep it in place.
5. Continue adding greenery, Spanish moss, twigs or branches until the arrangement is full.
6. Follow the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ technique of flower arranging by having tall or boldly colored ‘thrillers’, edge draping ‘spillers’, and finally ‘fillers’ to create a visually interesting and varied arrangement.

May you and your loved ones have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The post Create a Stunning Thanksgiving Fountain appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

College Students Create Innovative and Sustainable Gardens

Team Orange County grows food all along the wall of the backyard deck.

Every two years the U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the Solar Decathlon, a competition of college teams to design and build houses powered by the sun.  The event is being held this month at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine (last days open to the public are Thursday – Saturday, 10/15-10/18).  It features 14 student built homes which showcase the latest in sustainable technology, which is also applied to the gardens/landscapes of the homes.  Best of all, the landscapes are designed to save, capture, and otherwise make the most of our most precious resource:  Water!

Growing Food

Many of the teams included food growing systems in the landscapes of their homes.  Because the homes are small and on small lot footprints, their strategies are very applicable to our small urban/suburban lots.  If you think you can’t have home grown veggies because of a small or no yard, these creative strategies will inspire you.

A Movable Edible Garden

The University at Buffalo New York designed and built rolling planters using industrial strength metals and soil containing mesh ‘sox’.  The planting tables can be moved to capture sunlight as the seasons change or, in the case of their house which includes a solarium, moved indoors to continue growing during winter months.  Team Buffalo also provides for preserving the home grown food  by including a canning station and storage in the kitchen.

Hydroponic Grown Edibles

Team Texas/Germany installed a hydroponic garden to grow its edibles.  The garden borders the entryway to the home providing inspiration to all who pass to eat a healthy meal with food picked on the way into the house.  This team also included large rain water capture systems to utilize rainfall for many weeks after storms.

Window Box/Wall Planting Systems

Clemson University planted edibles in hanging window box type planters on virtually every exterior wall of the house.  Under each window, a bright yellow window box provides easy access to herbs or veggies as well as a colorful architectural accent.  They also created lattice work privacy walls around the deck and hung additional planter boxes on the exterior providing plenty of easily accessible growing space.

Compact Vertical Hydroponic Garden

Missouri University of Science and Technology included a stand alone hydroponic Tower Garden from Juice Plus.  With a footprint of only about 3 feet in diameter, this system could fit and grow edibles in almost any home, condo or apartment patio that receives 6 hours or so of sun a day.

Drought Tolerant Landscapes

Since the Solar Decathlon is in southern California this year, where sadly our drought is world famous, the student teams saved the water for the edible plants and used drought tolerant plants for the decorative landscape.  Use of succulents, California native plants, and water thrifty grasses provide beautiful but drought tolerant landscape choices.

To Visit:

Where:  The Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA
Dates:    Thursday – Sunday, October 15 – 18, 2015
Time:     11 am to 7 pm

Directions/map to the Solar Decathlon

The post Garden Ideas from the Solar Decathlon appeared first on Thyme to Grow.

October:  The busiest month in the garden!

Plant ranunculus in October for spectacular blooms in February/March.

While my October garden is not very attractive after the long hot days of August and September, it’s my favorite time of year to be out working in the garden.  October is a month of garden renewal, of visions of the glorious blooms to come in late winter and spring, and provides the annual feeling of hope and promise that new planting times bring.  And that means it’s a VERY busy month in the garden!  Get out your spade and get ready to dig, this is a big planting month.  Here’s what to do in the garden in October:

Plant Bulbs

If you’ve never planted bulbs, you are missing out on some of the most spectacular flowers on the planet.  Daffodils, Dutch iris, freesia, ranunculus, and others provide stunning color in the garden or pots and cut flowers for your home.  Best of all, most are super easy to grow and some return year after year (Dutch iris, freesia, and certain types of daffodils).  I do not recommend planting tulips or other bulbs that require pre-chilling in the refrigerator.  It’s too much work and the bloom is unreliable in my experience.  For tips on choosing and planting bulbs see post on Fall Planted Bulbs.

Plant Cool Season Veggies

The tomatoes and peppers may still be going strong in your garden, and if so, by all means leave them.  But as space becomes available in your veggie garden, now is the time to plant cool season edibles.  Lettuces, arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, peas, carrots, beets, and onions are great choices for the fall, winter and spring veggie garden.  I plant all from seed directly in the ground/pot where they are to grow.  The exception is broccoli and cauliflower which I plant from six packs, they are a little harder to start from seed.  But give it a try if you are game!  Buying six packs is also an option, although carrots and beets are best started from seed as root vegetables do not transplant well.

Plant Native Plants

In southern California, our native plants are often dormant in the summer due to the lack of moisture.  But as the temperatures cool and the first rains arrive, they break that dormancy and burst forth with new growth and glorious blooms.  Fall and winter are the best times to plant native plants.  The cool and wet months and their active growth cycle allow them to get settled in and established before the heat of next summer.  So if you have been wanting to swap out your water thirsty landscape for a water thrifty one that includes native plants, now is the time to do it.

Divide, Clean Up, and Plant Perennials

Many flowering perennials such as daylilies, clivia, bearded iris, Shasta daisies, echinacea, rudbeckia, catmint and some sages have finished blooming and are looking a little bedraggled.  Give them a good clean up this month by removing spent bloom stalks and dead leaves.  If they have multiplied, divide the plant or dig up sections to plant elsewhere or share with friends.  Clump growing perennials like daylilies, clivia, and bearded iris don’t bloom well when crowded.  Divide and replant every few years to encourage good bloom.  If there are new perennials you’ve been lusting after, fall is a good time to plant them, even better than spring because they will have the entire winter to get settled in.

Plant Cool Season Annual Flowers

Even though we are in a drought, I still love a little color from cool season annuals.  To be sure, I don’t plant large beds of them any longer, but a few pots or small borders near the front door or along pathways really do a lot to brighten up the garden without using a lot of water.  Some of my favorite cool season annuals are stock, snapdragons, English daisy, Iceland poppy, foxglove, and larkspur.  Amend soil with compost and add fertilizer before planting.  If planting in pots, fresh potting soil will help prevent disease and adding fertilizer at planting time will encourage beautiful blooms.

The post What to Do in the Garden: October appeared first on Thyme to Grow.