When to Sow Carrots in California: Counting Back From the Last Frost
California carrot growers typically count back from their local last-frost date to time seeding, but that date shifts by hundreds of miles across the…
Gardening in California
Everything we have worked out for California: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Los Angeles, the last spring freeze falls around no freeze occurs in an average year and the first fall freeze falls around no freeze occurs in an average year, USDA zones 5a-11a, 4,719 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in California: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Will Carrots Fork in California Soil?
California’s state soil, the San Joaquin series, is a loam that leans sandy rather than clay-heavy, which works in a carrot’s favor.
When to Sow Beets in California
Across most of California, beet sowing is set by soil moisture and heat, not frost.
Beet Soil in California: What the Root Will Meet
California’s state soil, the San Joaquin series, runs 51 percent sand, 18 percent clay and 32 percent silt with just 0.8 percent organic matter…
When to Start Pepper Seed in California
Start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before transplant day, timed to soil at 60 F and clear of frost, following Utah State University Extension’s…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in California
Pepper flowers set plenty of buds across California gardens, but a lot of them drop before ripening into fruit.
Growing Pumpkins in California: Will They Ripen in Time?
Ask this question in Los Angeles and the answer is “you have all the time in the world.” Ask it in Sacramento or Truckee and it’s a different…
Growing Beets in California: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
California doesn’t have one climate for beets, it has several, and the difference between the coast and the Central Valley matters more than any planting…
When to Plant Potatoes in California: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
There’s no single planting date for potatoes in California, because there’s no single California climate.
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in California
In coastal and Southern California there is no fall frost to plan around at all: NOAA records show zero days at or below 32°F in thirty years at the Los…