I hope your 2019 is off to a great start. Our greenhouse is packed with seedlings, the new shed is getting new shelving, and the beds have continued to produce a variety of greens, broccoli, romanesco, carrots and radishes along with a smattering of weeds. Plot checks went on during 3 weeks in January and it was lovely to see so many tended gardens, some full of crops! If your plot still needs to be weeded, re-checks will start on February 19 and continue until I leave for vacation on the 27th. Here's a great article about understanding the weeds in your garden.
The first garden resource day of the year was scheduled for this coming Saturday. However, the seedlings that I sowed on 1/3 and 1/7 need another week in the greenhouse to be large enough for transplanting. I'm postponing the February Garden Resource Day to next Saturday, 2/16, from 10am-1pm. If weekends don't work with your schedule, seedlings will also be available from 2-4pm on Thursday, 2/21. Both of these will be at the main garden at Ft. Scott. There will be green and red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, kale, peas, lettuce, spinach, chard, broccoli, and cauliflower.
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| seedlings in the greenhouse on 2/4 |
This month in the garden
February is a great month to plant your garden- you don't need to remember to water! Pam Peirce calls January-March San Francisco's secret season. If you take advantage of it, you can even have crops planted and harvested before the spring planting deadline of April 16! Radishes grow in 30-45 days and most leafy greens will flourish. If you are planning to plant seedlings, I'd recommend collecting some clear plastic jugs/ juice bottles to use as mini-greenhouses. The plants will appreciate the extra warmth and protection from pests for a few weeks. Just keep an eye out for critters. Snails and slugs love the damp weather just as much as your vegetables. Sluggo is an organically approved option to control them.
February crop list: arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, chard, collard greens, fava beans, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsnip, pea, potatoes, radish, spinach, strawberry plants, turnips
Pruning perennials
Do you have rosemary, lemon verbena, sage or other perennial herbs in your garden plot? Take the time to learn how to prune them to maximize healthy new growth and keep the plants to a manageable size. Rosemary will take up half of a garden bed if left alone and guess who has to dig it out when you move away? Me :) So, take charge of your plants- it's up to you to decide how big they get! Here are links to a few articles, but many great videos are out there too. Pruning is also a good time to check underneath and around your perennials and find the pests that are probably hiding in the undisturbed corners of your garden bed.
Lemon Verbena
Rosemary
Lavender
Culinary Sage
Additional flowers on the OK to plant list
I know many of you would love to have a few more flower options for your garden beds. Here are a few I'll be adding to the approved list:
Thyme-leaved fuchsia
Ranunculus asiaticus (the bulb, not the California native R. californicus)
Tulips (already on the list, but helpful info included in the link)
Daffodils
Dahlias
Sunflowers- consider dwarf varieties if you have netting on your bed and harvest the flowers before they make seeds (they are appealing to rodents, however)
Scented Geraniums- This is another plant to keep pruned to garden bed size.
