Potato Varieties That Suit California
Potatoes that suit California are early and mid-season varieties grown as a spring crop and timed to soil temperature rather than a frost date.
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.
Growing Carrots in California: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
California’s official soil isn’t sandy at all — it’s a clay-heavy loam that resists a straight taproot more than it helps one.
Growing Parsnips in California: Will They Sweeten?
In coastal and Southern California, parsnips will grow long, healthy roots, but most winters won’t deliver the cold snap gardeners are hoping for.
What to Plant in California in September
September in California means two gardens at once: you’re still pulling tomatoes and peppers off vines planted in spring, while starting the seeds and…
What to Plant in California in October
October is prime planting season across most of California. Along the coast and in Southern California, where no freeze occurs in an average year…
What to Plant in California in November
Most of California plants right through November, but which crops go in depends on which California you’re gardening in.
What to Plant in California in May
May in California means warm-season planting almost everywhere except the highest elevations, where soil is still cold and frost risk lingers into early…
What to Plant in California in March
March is the hinge month for California gardens: coastal and southern zones are frost-free year-round, so the limit isn’t cold, it’s whether the soil has…
What to Plant in California in June
By June, California’s growing calendar splits wide open by region: warm-season crops go into the ground almost everywhere at once, from tomatoes and…
What to Plant in California in July
July in California means different gardens depending on where you stand. Along the coast and through the south, it’s full heat: beans, corn, squash and…