Gardening Season 2010

January is here, the holidays are over and here in the low desert we are in prime time for the beginning of a garden season.
See these links for a chart created locally for planting and harvest times. PDF and HTML.
If you are only self sufficient in growing, say.... parsley, then you are blessing you and your family.
With the moderate temperatures and beautiful sunny days, even simple pots are a great option this time of year.

Pulled mostly from the above chart:
Some of the garden plants perfect for starting within the next month either from seed or plant include:
  • Basil
  • Beets (try planting beets bought at the grocery (still with the green tops) for your own fresh greens. REMOVE all the leaves except for the smallest three and let the beet soak in water for a few days to wake up their roots. Plant in the ground w/ the very top of the bulb showing. Harvest greens w/in a few weeks and on.)
  • Carrots
  • Cilantro
  • Eggplant (will thrive all summer, perhaps try it as a ground cover in your rocks (leave room for melons :) !)
  • Kale
  • Lettuces
  • Mint
  • Onions (year one from seed is green onions, second year of life they bulb)
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Peas
  • Peppers (could live for years)
  • Potatoes (wash & sprout a few red potatoes on your counter and plant whole in the top of a slightly split bag of potting soil (with a drip line) for easy summer harvest)
  • Radish
  • Spinach
  • Thyme
  • Tomato (Cherry tomatoes are the easiest for a long life and lots of fruit - even for much of the summer and again returning in the fall - just let it cascade wildly creating it's own shade!)
Tip for care especially when planting in pots and/or clay: Only water if wilted in the morning before it gets hot. (find a pattern by starting to do an 'auto-pilot' walk through your plants at least a few times a week - potted plants almost every day)
Wilt is a sign of 'stress' NOT just lack of water. So watering plants that wilt from heat or too much water will suffocate them and rot their roots.

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