1.  Lettuce plant protected by juice bottle, 2.  Bottle removed, 3.  Plant harvested leaving 2 innermost leaves to continue growing, 4.  Protective bottle replaced onto plant.

     Yay for the wonderful rains that dribbled and torrented our gardens on late Sunday and Monday! Lightning blasts and thunderous claps set off neighbors’ security lights, and then the soft pitter-patter on our roof became heavier downpours.   Gentle drops turned into bucketfuls.  By daytime on Monday, the initial onslaught evolved into alternate sun and rain and drizzle that is best for slowly and consistently absorbing into the soil.  
     This pausing between bouts of rain is important to allow the water filling the air pores in the soil to drain out before the next batch of water comes down.  If this drainage can’t happen, the new water flows off of the surface of the soil and into gutters or the street, which of course is a lost resource.
     Such delight that I’m sure only we gardeners appreciate fully!

Gardening tasks right after rainstorms

1. No stomping in the garden.  With all the water filling the air pores in the soil for hours after a good rain, you don’t want to walk in the garden because your weight will literally push out the water and compress the soil particles, which will result in roots that can’t breathe or grow between the particles.  Wait at least a full day until you walk in the garden, even in the pathways.  If you absolutely must walk in the garden, then lay down a broad piece of lumber or garbage can top or something similar so your weight is spread out.  
2. Dig gently when transplanting seedlings or planting bulbs.  Move the soil as little as possible.  Remove a scoopful with a small hand trowel, place the seedling or bulb in, and gently crumble the soil back on top to avoid compressing the soil.  Sprinkle with just enough water to settle the soil around the plant or bulb.
3. When rain is promised again later this winter – or even when you apply overhead watering throughout the year – make a point of doing any digging or harvesting activity the day beforehand so you’ll not be tempted to do so until two days after the rain to allow the rain to drain naturally and retain the air pores.

Protecting plants from frosts

1. Frost is likely on dry, windless, clear, cold nights. Be concerned when temperatures in the high- to mid-30s are forecasted, especially for lower areas in your garden like the bottom of a hill or against a fence that don’t have good air circulation to sweep the cold further away.
2. Plants are less susceptible to frost damage when they have been sufficiently watered, so soil or planter mix remains barely moist. However, more water may stimulate new growth or drown the plant, since roots and foliage don't circulate moisture quickly during cold weather. 
3. Provide protection of seedlings with mini-greenhouses made from clear plastic milk or water jugs with their caps removed and their bottoms cut off. Place the jugs over the seedlings after the bed has been watered well. Press the jugs about one-half inch deep into the soil to prevent the entry of pests such as cutworms at the soil level and to lessen the chance of the jug being blown away during windy gusts. Remove the jugs when the foliage begins to crowd inside the jug, or when night temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.  
4. Frost settles directly down, so provide protection for larger plants from above as well as from the sides. 
5. Keep frost-protection coverings, especially those made of plastic sheeting, away from the foliage, or the foliage may more readily freeze. 
6. If plants are damaged by frost, don't remove any of the dead foliage or branches. Plants may look messy, but these damaged portions will protect sensitive growth further inside the plants from later frosts. Wait to start trimming the dead stuff until new  growth begins again in spring – you may find that branches which appeared dead are indeed alive and well after all. 
7. Don’t fertilize frost-damaged plants until spring growth begins, when more frost is unlikely.

For more timely gardening tips, see January.

Is your garden growing frustratingly slowly?  Have you sown seeds weeks ago and only a couple have emerged?  Even though it's been pleasantly in the 70s during daytime, night-time temperatures have been only in the high mid- to high- 40s here in my Pasadena garden, and this means that everything grows sssslllllooooooowwwwwlllllyyyy.  Apparently the cooler night-time temperatures – not the warmer daytime temperatures - are what determines how the garden proceeds.  Here are some other considerations to help you feel that you’re doing the most you can for your garden now, while being patient and appreciative when you do see something green growing.
 
Direct-Seeding
     Seeds that are large enough to handle easily – like chard and peas – and root crops – like beets and carrots – should be sowed directly where they’ll mature.   
     For the larger seeds this means avoiding the 10 days or so of delay when they’re transplanted later and need that extra time to resettle into their new homes. 
     For root crops, this enables the roots to grow straight down into the prepared soil – although we all enjoy the funny shapes some carrots develop when their fine roottips must swerve around an obstruction. 
     The only drawback is that, for those of us whose garden is some distance from our homes, we need to visit the just-sown space frequently to make sure that conditions continue to be right for germination.
 
Starting in Trays for Later Transplanting
    Most seeds can be started in trays and transplanted later, except for carrots.
     The advantage is that trays can be kept closer to or in our homes for frequent monitoring. 
     The disadvantage is that the little plants will need to be transplanted into the garden later, with probably some loss of some of the seedlings and delay as little plants reacclimate to their new homes.
 
Some Tricks for Each Veggie
Bok Choy and Tatsoi - Space about an open hand-width apart to allow foliage to develop fully before harvesting.
Broccoli – Space about 2 feet apart to allow foliage to develop fully without crowding the next plant.
Cabbage, Cauliflower – Space a good 3 feet apart to allow for full spread of foliage before the single head is harvestable.  Since these are one-time harvests, you can place them away from general traffic since you'll need to access the area only that once.
Carrots – Seeds generally take a full 3 weeks to germinate.  They’re not strong enough to push through crusted soil, so are best sown with radishes which will germinate within a couple of days and then keep the soil “moving” as they develop so the carrots don’t have to struggle to come up.  Even so, my carrots that were sown almost two months ago are just now coming up.    
Chard and Kales and Mustards – Space at least a foot apart to allow for full development of leaves before harvesting (leaving several smaller inner leaves to continue developing).
Cilantro – Sow in blocks so you can harvest by cutting batches of stems an inch or so above soil level.  They may or may not resprout more harvestable stems before they bolt and go to seed with the merest amount of warmth.
Leeks – Transplant at least 2 inches apart to allow full development before pulling up at harvest. 
Lettuce – Transplant a hand-width apart since you’ll be harvesting outer leaves and leaving the inch-size inner leaves to continue developing.   
Onions – Space green onions only an inch apart, since they won’t spread much further before harvesting.  Space dime-size bulblets about 4 inches apart, since these will develop into 3-inch globes when they're ready to harvest in late May and June.
Parsley – Sow in wide blocks where they’ll mature so you can harvest by cutting stems an inch above the soil level so more stems can develop for harvesting again in another month or two.
Peas -- Last year, I resowed my peas three times between October and January, assuming that the previous sowings had been eaten or rotted...and then they all came up in February. 
Radishes – They come up quickly, so are great to sow with carrots that need the help to emerge.
Spinach – Space varieties that mature to only about 4 inches wide a stretched-out-hand width, and a bit wider for larger-leafed varieties, since you'll keep outer leaves harvest and allow the inner ones to continue developing.
 
Sprinkle Mulch Onto Seedbed
     Sprinkle a very thin layer of fine-grained mulch over a batch of just-sown seed so it’ll keep the seeds in place and the soil barely moist and therefore lessen crusting of the soil and encourage germination and development.  This works especially well with carrots since the seeds aren't very strong in being able to push up through crusted-over soil.
 
Sprinkle Water Onto Seedbed
     Gently sprinkle water onto the seedbed or trays, moving frequently and repeatedly back and forth to thoroughly moisten the bed at least an inch deep without blasting the seeds around.
     Repeat this gentle sprinkling every other day or so, preferably in the late afternoon so the soil remains moist overnight and into the next day to encourage germination.
 
Warm Beds with Clear Plastic
     To help concentrate daytime warmth and increase germination, cover the bed with clear plastic sheeting. Anchor down the edges with soil or rocks to keep out slugs and other critters who love the succulent sprouts, and to keep the sheeting from blowing away.
 
Protect Beds from Critters
     If critters like skunks and other diggers love searching for slugs in your just-sown beds, stretch fruit-tree netting over the bed and anchor the edges so they can’t get into the area.
         If other munchers love those just-transplanted seedlings, cover them with plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off.  But remove them once the plants start peaking out of the tops! 
     If flying insects like cabbage moths are flitting about, cover the area with spunbonded polyester landscape fabric to keep them out.

More December Garden Tasks
See ​December Monthly Tips 
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