The flowering pear trees on my route to the post office started blooming three weeks ago and are now losing their last petals.  Usually – if any timing can be considered usual in the gardening world – these trees begin blooming in mid- to late-February.  So, there’re a good month ahead of themselves.  Since January and February are typically – again, that usualness – our rainiest months, perhaps we’ve be blessed with as much as we’re going to get this winter.  Either way, we may have begun our march on to warmer and dryer weather.  Consequently, our Spring garden tasks need to move into a higher gear.  Here’re some ways to proceed.
   
Harvesting
     I’m giving up the idea of transplanting the batch of cool-season bok choy and other “oriental” greens that I’d scattered and that came up months ago, in favor of harvesting them in place.   The patch looks jumbled and unruly, but of course this has no effect on the greens’ flavors.   I snip off the top several nodes’ worth of foliage, leaving the bottommost ones to develop new shoots from each of the remaining nodes. 
     Luckily, these greens continue to be sweet and tender even as they develop their flowers and put up their seed stalks – called “bolting” – so I can harvest as long as there are leaves to pick.
     The lettuces and spinaches continue growing nicely.  Hopefully the warm days but cool evenings will keep them putting out just leaves so I can continue harvesting sweetly-tasting greens for much longer.  When nighttime temperatures rise much more, they too will put up their seed stalks and turn the leaves bitter.
 
Cool-Season Seeding and Transplanting
     I’ve always found it wise to plant more of these greens, either by seeds or transplants, as my Fall-sown and -planted plants begin to bolt.   The older plants have gone through the “cold” of winter and so are bolting now.  But the newer plants will continue growing their tender leaves until the weather gets too hot and then they’ll bolt.  So, with this new group I can continue harvesting for perhaps another month or two beyond the first batch.
     But, because we don’t know what the weather will do – that part is definitely a certainty – putting in another batch of seeds and plants is a guess and hope that we’ll get enough of the new food value to have made the effort worth it.
 
Hold Off On Warm-Season Seeding and Transplanting
     Tomatoes are the ONLY – emphasis ONLY – warm-season plants that will thrive if planted now. Every other warm-season vegetable – including bean, cucumber, eggplant, melon, pumpkin and squash -- has been “forced” in warm greenhouses in the hopes of enticing eager gardeners to purchase.  Until nighttime temperatures are closer to 55 or 60 degrees, they’ll just “pout” in the soil and never really recuperate once the soil has warmed.  Better to wait a month to purchase and plant them.
 
Fruit Trees Are Blooming
     The sap has begun to move in fruit trees, pushing the buds to sprout leaves and blossoms.  Cut only branches that you really must for walking space or other reasons.
     Fig trees may have baby figs – called “bebra” crop – as well as new leaves emerging.  These are developing on last-year’s brown branch growth and will ripen in a couple of months but be a smallish crop.  The main crop will set in a couple of months on this year’s green branch growth and ripen in July and August. 
     I’d felt bad a couple of weeks ago when I trimmed a lot of long branches off of my mulberry tree, since I could already see some of the blossoms and was worried that I’d reduce my ultimate crop.  No fear, now that I see how very many ripening fruits are on the tree.  Whew!
     The same thing may occur to you as you see all the blossoms and then tiny fruits on your fruit trees.  So, don’t remove any of the blossoms – even on the clusters on apple trees – in favor of waiting until the tiny fruits are the size of a dime before you thin them.  That’s when you’ll see how many fruits you do indeed have to contend with, and how much space you need to allow each fruit to develop into full size.
 
February Garden Tasks
     For more garden tasks to consider this month, go to February Monthly Tasks.
 

With daytime temperatures in the mid-70s, nighttime temperatures in the low-50’s, sunny but low-intensity sunlight, and soil that’s thoroughly moistened but well drained from those glorious rainstorms, this is the perfect environment for planting our new gardens for spring and summer.  Seeds, seedlings, perennial vegetables, deciduous bareroot fruit trees and roses, rooting cuttings and separating divisions are all methods that are ideal to start now because the mild weather will enable them to thrive.
 
Seeds
     So many greens and other cool-season crops include broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, chives, cilantro/coriander, kale, leeks, leaf and heading lettuces, mustards, green and bulb onions, parsley, peas, radishes, and savoy spinaches.
     Flowers to sow include alyssum, bachelor's button (cornflower), calendulas, candytuft, celosia (cockscomb), coreopsis, dianthus, four-o-clocks, hollyhocks, larkspur, lunaria (honesty, money plant, silver dollar plant), pansies, California and Iceland and Shirley poppies, salvias, snapdragons, stocks, sweet peas, sweet William, and native wildflowers.
 
Seedlings
     I always purchase whatever seedlings are in the nurseries for a 6-week jump start of the same seeds I’ll sow.  Then I’m guaranteed something to eat as early as possible from planting the purchased seedlings (usually of pretty basic varieties), and then lots more from the plants I’ve seeded (of more specialized varieties).
 
Perennial Vegetables and Fruits
     The big three perennials to establish in their own beds are artichoke, asparagus, and rhubarb.  They’re all heavy feeders, so need lots of manure and compost every year at this time.
     Other perennials to get into the ground include grapes, berry vines, and strawberries.
     Pruning cane berries gets rid of dead canes that bore last summer and then died, and energizes new canes that’ll produce on second-year wood.
     Pruning grapes limits new growth to fruiting wood, and cuttings can be rooted for plants to giveaway.
 
Deciduous Bareroot Fruit Trees and Roses
     Like seeds, planting bareroot fruit trees and roses adapt more quickly and healthfully when planted now in cool weather, catching up to and surpassing already-leafed-out plants.  So, if you have the choice of the specific varieties you want, go for the bareroot ones. 
     Pruning existing fruit trees now before they blossom out keeps their spring growth within reaching harvest height and limits the amount of fruit that’ll set to what you can manage to use, stressing the tree less so it’ll remain healthy.
     Pruning roses gets rid of twiggy branches and redirects new growth outward for a healthier plant.
 
Rooting Cuttings
     Grapes and mini-roses that are grown on their own roots are good bets for rooting to create more plants for your own garden or for friends.
 
Separating Divisions
     Dividing crowded plant root systems are another excellent way to take advantage of multiplying strong plants.  These include agapanthus, amaryllis, asters, chrysanthemums, coreopsis, daylilies, dianthus, gaillardias, gazanias, rudbeckia, statice and violets.
 
More Detailed Monthly Garden Tips
     For more info on all these topics, see January and February tips.

     Our wonderful rains weeks ago germinated lots of seeds, including wildflowers and veggies but also weeds.  Pleasant daytime temperatures in the low 70 degrees get everything moving ahead, while under-50-degree nighttime temperatures keep growth rate slow to moderate.  Together with the rain-moistened soil, our new gardening year is off to a great start. 
     So take advantage of this great garden timing to get your fingernails dirty!
 
Plant Bare-Root Roses

1. Dig a hole about 18 inches across and 9 inches deep.
2. Fill with water and wait until it is completely absorbed (ok to do the day before planting).
3. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting.
4. orm a cone of loose soil in the center.
5. Snip too-long roots to fit over the cone without bending.
6. Place plant onto cone so center of cone is no higher than outer edges of hole.
7. Refill hole with native soil.
8. Form a berm at least 2 feet wide with excess soil to serve as a watering hole.
9. Fill hole with water three times to ensure that the entire rootzone is moistened and soil is “melted” around roots.
10. Add a 2-inch layer of organic mulch (including the wood shavings that came with the bare-root rose) within the berm area.

 
Plant Bare-Root Trees

If purchased in a 5-gallon container

1. Water the container thoroughly to make sure roots are moistened (ok to do the day before planting).
2. Dig a hole 2 feet across and only as deep as the container.
3. Upturn container so tree and rootball will easily come out of the container without disturbing rootball too much.
4. Gently massage the rootball to loosen the soil mix a good 2 inches on the outer edges and bottom.
5. Mix this loosened mix with the soil in the hole. This will provide a mixture of soil that the tree grew in with the native soil to encourage roots to reach out beyond the mixture into native soil.
6. Place the rootball into the hole so the top surface where the trunk emerges is even with surrounding soil.  
7. Pull in remaining native soil and gently prod fingers into the soil to anchor the tree.
8. ​Form a berm at least 2 feet wide with excess soil to serve as a watering hole.
9. Fill hole with water three times to ensure that the entire rootzone is moistened and soil is “melted” around roots.
10. Add a 2-inch layer of organic mulch within the berm area.

If purchased bare-root

1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting.
2. Dig a hole 2 feet across and only as deep as the roots.
3. Hold tree by its trunk so the section of the trunk that’s just above where the roots splay outward is at the level of the soil.
4. Pull in the native soil and gently prod fingers into the soil to anchor the tree.
5. Form a berm at least 2 feet wide with excess soil to serve as a watering hole.
6. Fill hole with water three times to ensure that the entire rootzone is moistened and soil is “melted” around roots.
7. Add a 2-inch layer of organic mulch within the berm area.

 Spray Fruit Trees

1. If your fruit trees were troubled with pests last year – whether diseases or insects or other critters – spray soon and again in early February with dormant sprays for the specific pest issues.
2. Consult with your local knowledgeable nurseryperson, and follow directions.  Time sprays within 48 hours of rain so the spray dries on the tree surfaces and crevices.

Separate Clumps of Perennials and Bulbs

1. Dig, split, and replant clumps of perennials and bulbs that have become crowded and bloomed less than usual last year.
2. Water the newly planted sections well to ensure good contact of roots to soil.

Sow Vegetable and Flower Seeds
In containers
     Sow 3 or 4 seeds per container, in either 6-packs or 4” containers, to assure you have at least one that’ll survive to transplanting with an extensive root system.
 
In garden soil where they’ll mature

1. Sow large seeds and root-crop seeds barely closer than the plants will mature to assure that you get sufficient germination but don’t have to thin seedlings too much.
2. Sow small seeds an inch or so apart to assure good germination and allow for thinning for either eating or transplanting.
3. Cover with bird tree netting to keep critters from digging the beds in search of the sluggy and grubby treats they prefer.

 
Plant Vegetable and Flower Seedlings
     Six-pack size are best, since they’re the least expensive, will catch up to larger sizes within a month or two, and will thrive better after that because they matured in place instead of having to spend time reacclimating to their new homes.

More January Tasks
           See January Monthly Tips.

​     If you plan to decorate a live holiday tree indoors and then move or plant it outdoors afterwards, choose a smaller size of tree, as it'll adapt better to conditions indoors and then again outdoors than a more mature one.
     After you bring the tree home, water it well and store it in an unheated garage or outbuilding for two or three days as a "half way spot" transition area before you move it indoors.
       Keep the rootball moist and the boughs misted. 
     Once you bring the tree indoors, give these living plants bright indirect light, keep them cool and out of drafts, and water them just enough to keep the potting mix barely moist.  Place it away from heating vents or fireplaces.  Water it either directly into its potting mix or by scattering ice cubes around the soil surface but away from the tree trunk every couple of days to slowly seep down into the entire root ball.
      Limit its time indoors to a maximum of seven days; fewer if the house is very warm.
     After removing its decorations, move the tree outside again to the garage, shed, or protected spot for at least two weeks to allow it to readjust to the cool outdoors.  The longer you enjoy the tree in the warm house, the longer it will need to reacclimate to outdoor conditions.
 
More Decorating Ideas From The Garden

• Small Norfolk Island pines can become mini-Christmas trees, with their own tiny lights and ornaments.
• Provide each room in the house with its own individually decorated tree--like cookie cutters hung with red ribbon bows for the kitchen.
• Other living plants for indoor color include African violets, azaleas, begonias, Christmas cactus, Christmas (Jerusalem) cherry, cyclamen, and kalanchoe, as well as the ever-dependable chrysanthemum and poinsettia.
• Cacti and succulents are also good choices, but they need direct sunlight and very little water.
• Pyracantha berries alternated with popcorn make attractive garlands.
• Oranges, lemons or apples sprinkled with cinnamon or cardamom and stuck with whole cloves are delightfully fragrant pomander balls.
• Rose hips add bright red and orange colors to green wreaths.
• Vines from grapes, honeysuckle, wisteria, willow, or ivy will bend into many usable shapes as the basis for more decoration.
• Eucalyptus pods, pine cones, acorns, and magnolia leaf clusters provide many shades of brown.
• Bufford's Holly, which grows better here than the traditional variety, gives us stickery-leafed green with red berries.
• Prunings from conifers and broad-leafed evergreens such as incense cedar, fir, laurel, magnolia, oleander, pine, pittosporum, podocarpus, and viburnum.
• The red berries from cotoneaster, nandina, and pyracantha always serve as a bright accent.
• Herbs, too, can trim yule logs, flavor jelly, give fragrance to clusters of twigs or wreaths and perfume the air in stovetop potpourris.
• And, of course, the mistletoe.

     Now that we’ve passed Thanksgiving, which is the average first frost date for us here in Pasadena and other foothill locales, and we have snow on the San Gabriel mountains down to about 3000 feet, we gardeners start paying much closer attention to nighttime temperature forecasts and their threat of frost. 
     Even with another cold and wet storm promised for later this week, our gardens do have one big advantage this year – the soil is already thoroughly saturated from the 1.5 inches of rain we’ve had from last week’s storm.  This means that plant and tree roots and foliage are fully hydrated and therefore able to withstand at least minimal freezing-temperature chill. 
     A nice relief after so many years of drought! 
     Of course, our Southern California drought will never really end since we live where we do, but at least our plants are going into the chill of this winter with their cells full of protective water!
     Here are some other protective techniques to employ in our gardens, should the weather warrant it on dry, windless, clear nights:

• Protect citrus and other subtropicals from cold damage by wrapping the tree trunks in newspaper.
• Cover tender plant and tree foliage like bougainvilleas, fuchsias, hibiscus and citrus with plastic sheeting.
• Bubble wrap offers even more protection than plastic sheeting because of its bubbles filled with air.
• Because cold “falls” straight down when there’s no breeze, prop up sheeting directly over the tree or plant.  
• However, prop it away from touching the foliage, or it will easily conduct the freezing temperatures directly to the foliage.
• Provide mini-greenhouses made from clear plastic milk or water jugs with their caps removed and their bottoms cut off. Place the jugs over seedlings, pressing the jugs about one-half inch deep into the soil to prevent the entry of pests such as cutworms at the soil level.  Push 18-inch-long stakes through the top hole down into the soil to lessen the chance of the jug being blown away during windy gusts.
• Use tomato cage forms to cover with spun-bonded fabric (usually used as row covers to keep out insects) to allow light and moisture in but keep frost out.
• Move dish cacti and succulents and potted trees under cover for protection from cold and rain.
• Appropriate to the season, if you still have any of the incandescent holiday lights, entwine plants so their slight heat will keep frost away.  Be sure to keep the light away from flammable materials, and fully insulate the connections from moisture.

 
For other garden tasks and opportunities this month, see Monthly Tips.

     Resplendent in fruits and leaves of the season, graced with velvet and ribbons, or simply highlighted with a solitary ornament, wreaths, garlands and bouquets are easy to make and wonderful to receive – especially when you’ve made them with materials from your garden.
     Like giving certain flowers to imply messages -- love with a white rose, remembrance with forget-me-nots -- you can decorate your wreath or hanging with items that are especially meaningful to you.  If you're giving it to a friend, include items of special significance to just the two of you will make it all the more a treasure.  It can commemorate a special day or event, or just celebrate your camaraderie.
     In ancient Rome, circular wreaths were symbols of victory and celebration.  In 16th century Germany, fir or spruce wreaths were laid flat on a table with a candle lit on the first Sunday of Advent.  Today, the wreath symbolizes continuity and tradition.
     Evergreen boughs brought indoors by Druids were honored as sacred plants that didn't die, and hence that the house would also survive the winter.  Primitive tribes in Europe hung evergreens above their doors during the winter solstice to offer woodland spirits shelter and, they hoped, bring good fortune and health.  Today's garlands continue to brighten our doors and window sills, mantels and tables.
     Your creation can be as simple as a bunch of favorite herb branches tied with a ribbon, or as complex as a large and intricate wreath embellished with many sentimental items from a person's lifetime.  It can be as fancy or as plain as you want, worked on for weeks or completed on the spur of the moment. 
     Materials can encompass anything you can get your hands on -- from grapevine trimmings off the back fence and herb sprigs from the kitchen garden, to pine cones from an excursion to the foothills, to posies you dried or chili peppers you strung last summer, to ribbons galore from the fabric store.
     A great way to find unexpected possibilities is to wander the aisles in craft stores, trying many combinations of textures and colors to see what strikes your fancy.  Matching ribbons and other bits and pieces to friends' personalities is always great fun -- choose posies for a flower lover, bicycles or running shoes for a sports person, or stuffed cacti for someone who's blustery but soft-hearted.
     Looking at "regular" items in a new way can also reveal many opportunities.  Green and red bell peppers add holiday colors to a wreath on the front door.  An oddly-curled overmature Armenian cucumber or long-necked gourd becomes the focus in a table arrangement. A tree ornament becomes special when it's the only one on a wreath hung on a child's door, signifying his or her special place. 
     Anything and everything becomes fair game when it comes to decorating.  The essence of creativity is bringing materials together in a new and exciting way -- it's all up to you and your innate cleverness and sense of humor.
 
Some Materials to Consider
 
Base

• A whole sunflower head, with the central stem portion removed, forming a "donut"
• Dried sphagnum moss (the long stringy kind, not milled)
• Eucalyptus foliage
• Evergreen clippings--pine, spruce, holly, redwood, cedar, osmanthus, juniper
• Forsythia branches (young)
• Grapevines
• Hay
• Herb foliage--bay laurel, coriander, sage, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, anise, tarragon, thyme, parsley, basil, lavender, southernwood, pennyroyal, wormwood
• Honeysuckle trimmings
• Magnolia leaves
• Olive branches (young)
• Pinecones
• Raffia
• Straw
• Styrofoam flat shapes or balls
• Willow branches (young, peeled to reveal blond-colored wood)
• Wisteria trimmings

 
Decoration

• Candy canes
• Chili peppers
• Cookies--cutouts, gingerbread men
• Dried ferns and other greens
• Dried flowers
• Dried fruits
• Dried Indian corn ears with husks partially removed to reveal colored kernels
• Dried rosebuds splashed with rose oil
• Dried safflower pods
• Eucalyptus pods
• Fabrics in rich colors, patterns, and textures
• Fall-colored leaves
• Flourescent glow strips and stickers
• Fresh flowers, some fragrant like freesias or hyacinths--replace as they droop, or place stems in florist's small cymbidium orchid vials to last several days with no attention
• Fresh fruits--apples, mandarins, tangerines, lemons
• Garlic heads
• Herb blossom heads and berries
• Magnolia seed cones
• Miniature tree lights
• Mistletoe
• Nuts--walnuts, almonds, filberts, brazils, chestnuts
• Onion bulbs
• Oranges stuck with whole cloves
• Ornaments
• Pinecones
• Popcorn on a string
• Pretzels
• Pyracantha clippings of berries and leaves
• Raffia
• Ribbon candy
• Seed pods
• Shocks of wheat or sorghum
• Silk flowers
• Small statuary
• Tinsel
• Your child's artwork

     Are you still debating whether to pull those still-bearing tomato plants? This continuing warm daytime weather is keeping lots of plants actively green and growing, still looking attractive and bearing fruit and flowers – although not as plentifully – in the garden.  The debate is always whether to pull up those still-performing plants in favor of shifting to cool-weather edibles and ornamentals.  You have a couple of options, depending on your garden space and eating and viewing preferences.
 
Keeping plants bearing through the winter
     If your garden doesn’t get frost, potentially you can have some of those tomatoes and perhaps squash and cucumbers and beans bearing fruits through till spring and beyond. 
     Although the amount you’ll get will be pretty sparse, and the flavor will be hardly better than what you’d purchase in the market, just the idea of continuing to have your own home-grown summer produce continuing through winter is comforting to any gardener but especially beginning gardeners – a real feeling of success in overcoming the seasons!
     If this is your goal, leave the plants in place, trim off any dead growth, trim down tomatoes to the new shoots, and continue feeding and watering so the plants will continue bearing flowers and fruit.
 
Moving on to winter-season plants
     If your garden has more space or you’d prefer moving on completely to growing and enjoying edible plants that truly thrive in cool weather -- like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, leeks, onions, radishes, spinach, turnips – and ornamentals – like calendula, chrysanthemum, coreopsis, hollyhocks, larkspur, poppies, snapdragons, sweet peas and wildflowers – then see my October and November monthly tips columns --  http://www.gardeninginla.net/monthly-tips.html -- for the many choices you have, and visit your local nursery for the beauties that are available. 
     If you’ll make this shift, pull the worn-out plants, amend the soil with compost and manure (and coffee grounds if you have them), and plant new seedlings and seeds. 
 
     I much prefer to grow plants in their preferred seasons when they're thriving, instead of trying to nurture along plants that won't do as well because they’re struggling to survive in an uninviting environment. 
     But, it's always fun, if you have the garden space, to "play" with some plants that you're interested in just seeing what will happen. This is how you learn about the microclimates in your own garden, and what you can do when to extend the seasons.  
     For example, when I first began gardening, I grew corn and melons and winter squash just to see how they grew and produced, but didn't bother after that since I could buy much-better-tasting ones at farmers' markets and didn't have to "waste" my own garden space growing some things that didn't really do well.  Then, I'd had the experience of knowing something about those crops, and I could concentrate on growing the ones that we enjoyed most and produced the most for the amount of effort I devoted in my garden.
 
Plant Bulbs
     This is definitely the time to plant all those winter- and spring- and summer-blooming bulbs you can get your hands on. 
     Bulbs guarantee attractive foliage and blooms in the garden, always a delight whenever they decide to appear, and many continuing to multiply through the years.  
     They’re perfect for beginning gardeners since they come with their own food supply for at least that first year, and after their first watering-in will withstand neglect and drought and still bloom their hearts out.
     Even the ones that are more expensive than you want to spend will thrive and reproduce mightily through the years -- even so much that you'll be spreading them around your own garden and sharing them with all of your gardening friends!  

​     My tomatoes are well and truly dead for this year.  Despite deep watering every second or third day, the extended over-95-degree heat was more than they could manage to keep growing and setting fruit or even staying green.  The four last-harvested plants - Celebrity, Red Zebra, Sweet Tangerine and Sungold - looked like February Christmas trees, with dead foliage studded with red or yellow fruits.  The fruits were still firm, and I’d left them on the plants until I’d needed them.  But now that I’m ready to shift to fall- and winter-growing and eating, I’ve harvested all the remaining fruits and pulled the plants.  Here’s my final tally and thoughts about varieties and what I’ll grow – or not – next year.  I hope the info will help you make your decisions, as well.
 
Overview
     I transplanted 4” containers with 9” tall plants three times – March 18, April 20, and June 9 – in 4 separate beds that had been amended with manure, compost, and Dr. Earth organic fertilizer. 
     I planted multiples of most varieties that I’ve enjoyed in the past – 2 Ace 55, 1 Berkeley Tie-Dye, 1 Big Rainbow, 1 Black From Tula, 4 Black Krim, 7 Celebrity, 4 Cherokee Purple, 1 Chocolate Cherry, 2 Green Zebra, 2 Isis Candy, 1 Momotaro Gold, 1 Mr. Stripey, 3 Paul Robeson, 2 Red Zebra, 1 Stupice, 1 Sungold, 2 Sweet Tangerine.
     March 18 plantings = Berkeley Tie-Dye, Big Rainbow, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Chocolate Cherry, Green Zebra, Isis Candy, Momotaro Gold, Mr. Stripey, Red Zebra, Sungold, Sweet Tangerine.  Some of these plants began bearing on June 27, most bore through mid-to-late-August, and some lasted until September 17. 
     April 20 plantings = Black Krim, Celebrity, Cherokee Purple, Paul Robeson, Stupice.  First fruits were from Paul Robeson on July 18, and Celebrities from July 29 through September 17.  One bed of Paul Robeson and Cherokee Purples developed nicely and set fruit but died in the too-intense heat wave.  I’ll pay more attention to that bed next time around!
     June 9 plantings = Ace 55, Celebrity.  I chose these hybrid varieties to plant this late since I thought they’d been sturdy enough to deal with the coming heat.  However, all of the plants died before growing much, except one Celebrity plant that developed enough to bear 2 small fruit before dying.  I won’t plant this late again!
     Total fruit count = 1256 fruits
 
Cherry Tomatoes = 784 fruits
Sungold – 552 1/2-inch fruits were yellow-turning-orange and a tasty balance of sweet and acid.  Definitely grow again!
Chocolate Cherry – 135 3/4-inch fruits were a rich brown color and rich but milder flavor.  Definitely grow again!
Isis Candy – 97 3/4-inch fruits were a beautiful cream-and-rose-striped color with sweet tones in a richly-flavored base.  Definitely grow again!
 
Mid- and Larger-Size Tomatoes = 472 fruits
Ace 55 – Weak growth and then died following June 9 planting.
Berkeley Tie-Dye – 4 large fruits, nice swirly coloring, bland flavor.  Maybe I’ll grow one more time.
Big Rainbow – 27 medium-sized fruits, coloring not variegated so perhaps plant was mislabeled, nice flavor. I’ll try again.
Black From Tula – 23 medium-sized fruits, purplish-brown coloring, similar to Black Krim.  Definitely grow again.
Black Krim – 46 medium-to-large fruits, purplish-brown coloring.  One of my favorites; will grow again.
Celebrity – 77 medium fruits, clear red coloring, nice balanced sweet-to-acid flavor, firm fruits that hold on the bush well.  One of my favorites; will grow again.
Cherokee Purple – 20 medium-to-large fruits, reddish-purple coloring.  One of my favorites; will grow again.
Green Zebra – 84 small-to-medium fruits, striking green-to-white striping that turns golden chartreuse when ripe, a bit tart flavor that mixes well with other varieties’ sweeter fruits, firm fruits that hold on the bush well.  Will grow again.
Momotaro Gold – 1 medium fruit with undistinguished flavor.  Won’t grow again.
Mr. Stripey – 2 fruits, muted striping, ok flavor.  Will try again since last year’s planting bore many flavorful fruits.
Paul Robeson – 16 medium-to-large fruits, purplish-brown coloring, similar to Black Krim and Black From Tula.  Definitely grow again.
Red Zebra – 108 small-to-medium pointed fruits, red with faint striping, firm fruits that hold on the bush well.  Will grow again.
Stupice – 11 small-to-medium fruits, red with nice flavor.  It’s borne more fruits in years past.  I always grow this variety in tribute to my gardening-mentor mother since both she and the tomato variety come from what-was-then Czechoslovakia.
Sweet Tangerine – 53 small-to-medium fruits, bright orange skin and flesh, nice flavor, firm fruits that hold on the bush well.  Will grow again.

​     It’s time to get started with seeds for fall and winter crops. If you’ve never started seeds or are still mystified with the germination process, here’s what works for me.
     The many wonderful edible choices to start now include beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chervil, chives, collards, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, green onions, short-day bulb onions (like Grano, Granex, and Walla Walla), parsley, parsnips, peas, white potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
 
Starting Seeds In the Ground or In A Container?
Seeds that have taproots – like carrots, parsley, parsnips – should be started where they will mature so the root can grow straight and long.   The tap root is many times longer than what you observe as the above-ground portion, so if started or purchased in containers it will get curly and perhaps even stunt the growth of the plant.  So, save these for starting in the ground where they will mature.
 
Starting Seeds In The Ground

1. Choose a location that gets afternoon shade or at least filtered light so soil doesn’t dry out before seeds germinate.
2. Loosen soil to a 3” depth, knocking apart all clumps larger than a quarter of an inch.  If clayey, incorporate finely-grained compost so the soil mix drains well.
3. Smooth soil mix.
4. Scatter seeds sparsely either in rows or in the whole area.  More space between seeds is better, so they each have its own 1/4” of soil to develop without much competition for moisture and nutrition.
5. Scatter a very small amount of fine compost over the seeds to anchor them when you water.
6. Gently sprinkle water over the whole area, making sure to just barely moisten the soil and settle the seeds but not sweep them away.
7. After a couple of minutes, repeat the light sprinkling so the water sinks deeper into the soil mix.
8. Repeat again after another couple of minutes.
9. This sequential sprinkling should have moistened the full 3” depth and anchored seeds nicely in the soil mix so they can absorb moisture and be warmed by daily sun to germinate.
10. Every other day, sprinkle the area again at the end of the day so the water can remoisten the soil surface that dried during the day.
11. Seeds will germinate according to the genetics of their type and variety.  For example, lettuce and radishes should be up in a couple of days, but parsley and carrots may take a good three weeks!

 
Starting Seeds In Small Containers To Be Transplanted Later

1. Use 2” or 3" deep container with drainage holes - recycled plastic containers or Speedling® trays or 6-packs, etc.
2. Fill the container to its top with a quality good potting mix with small granules that are finely-textured, not bigger shreds of bark.  I like Dr. Earth or Whitney Farms or LGM.
3. Press the mix lightly, or gently slam (not a contradiction in terms) the container on the table you’re working on so the mix granules settle a bit, releasing any air pockets.
4. Press the tip of your finger into the center of each container’s cell or an inch apart in a single larger container to form a depression about 1/4" deep.
5. Place 3 seeds into each depression. Fewer likely won't ultimately result in a seedling that's sufficiently-developed to transplant, and too many more will be too competitive between all of ones that initially germinate. You want to end up with one really nicely developed seedling, and trim off the others at the soil level, instead of trying to salvage every seedling by splitting the seedball with several seedlings.
6. Thinly scatter a bit of mix on top of the seeds - just enough to hold them in place when you water, but still have a bit of the depression remain so water can sink in right next to each seed.
7. Gently sprinkle with water several times to moisten the mix without dislodging the seeds.
8. Place individual containers or 6-packs into a group tray that will hold at least 1/4" water so the mix can pull up residual water as it needs it within a couple of hours after you water each time. 
9. Place the group tray in a brightly-lit area with NO direct sun.  Direct sun will dry out the mix too much before the seeds are able to germinate.
10. Sprinkle with water both in the morning and the evening for a week or so until about half of the seeds emerge.  Then water once a day or two depending on the weather just to keep the mix barely moist to foster good root development.
11. Once seedlings grow to about 1” tall and start leaning toward brighter sunlight, move the group tray to a location that gets direct sun in the morning.
12. Make sure that the bottom of the group container retains 1/4" water in it for a couple of hours after you water so the seedlings won't dry out during the day's direct sun.
13. When seedlings are 2" tall and have several “true” leaves, move the group tray near where you're going to transplant them so they acclimate to the weather pattern at their new home.  Keep an eye to the water at the bottom of the tray.
14. After a week's acclimatization, transplant seedlings where they’ll mature and water in well.
15. For 2 weeks after transplanting, water the seedlings every other day to keep them hydrated while they reestablish their root systems into the surrounding soil.

 

​     While summer crops are still producing but plants are getting tired (my first-planted tomatoes are pooping out and some have died), the heat has been accomplishing another unnoticed task – maturing seeds of non-hybrid veggies and flowers that we can harvest to save for next year’s gardens and share now with other gardeners.
     These are the “dry” seeds, unlike the “wet” seeds like tomatoes and cucumbers and squash which have their seeds embedded in flesh that must be fermented off.  For drying those kinds of seeds, go to my blog article --  http://www.gardeninginla.net/blog/saving-seeds-from-non-hybrid-vegetables
    Dryness and crispiness are required in determining when to harvest these “dry” seeds.  This means  REALLY dry!  If plant stems are even a bit still green and wiggly, they need to dry further.  Let the foliage dry naturally – don’t pull the plant and set it aside to dry, since this won’t allow the seeds to fully mature as they dry.
     This waiting process can take up to two or three full months after the fruit or blossom has looked its best, and the plant looks progressively disheveled.  The gardener must consider this area out of bounds for continued watering or further planting to allow the plants to fully mature and dry completely till they’re crispy. 
     So, my bed where I grew cool-season crops last winter – lettuce, spinach, bok choy, chard, kale, celery – is now ready for my harvest of its seeds. 

     Here’re a couple of supplies that’ll help.
 
Large paper (not plastic) bags
Tied over lettuce stalks when the first blossoms dried up months ago, the paper bags “breathe”, allowing moisture to escape.  Plastic bags don’t allow this, so moisture is retained and the seeds can’t dry thoroughly.  The paper bags also keep the seeds captive as they dry, avoiding having all the seed scatter.  If the seed had scattered, later in the season when watered or rained upon, at least some of the seeds would germinate. But, collecting them in the paper bags enables sowing in other more contained locations. However, when any of those self-sown seeds do germinate, consider this your cue to sow the ones you’ve saved, since environmental conditions are apparently perfect! 
 
Plastic bins
A dishpan or other wide container is helpful when held under the seedy branch or tilted seedpod as it’s snapped off its stem.  Chard has really long shoots with many seeds, and breadseed poppy pods have little holes just under their caps so the seed shakes out with the merest movement.   
 
Newspapers or paper toweling on a cookie sheet or other rimmed flat sheet
Once you’ve collected the seeds, spread them onto paper on a broad pan set in a dry place out of sun for a couple of weeks to ensure more evaporation and complete the drying process.  For seeds like lettuce and parsley and cilantro that may have lots of dried foliage along with the seeds, there’s no need to separate them since when sown later the extra chaff just helps provide some accompanying mulch that’ll aid germination.
 
Paper envelopes
Store collected seed in paper – not plastic – envelopes to allow “breathing” and preclude any spoilage from any remaining moisture.  However dry you think you’ve gotten the seeds, never use plastic for storage since any bit of remaining moisture will potentially spoil the whole batch of seeds.
 
Indoor Interior Closet
Store seeds in a location that has the least change of temperature and moisture, such as an interior closet in the house.  You want the seeds to go into a bit of a suspended animation by not being stimulated by any environmental changes.
 
Now you have a wealth of seeds to resow into your garden, and to share with other gardeners!
And, just think -- after seven years of resowing and saving seeds, you’ll have them acclimated to your locale!
 
Why Do This Now, Instead of Waiting Even Longer?
     Once you’ve moved all the dead foliage to the compost pile, you can incorporate nutritive amendments like compost, manure and coffee grounds into the beds and water them in so the soil microorganisms can do their thing prepping the soil for new sowings and plantings.
     This heating-up and cooling-down process takes two or three weeks.  If you sow seeds or transplant seedlings too soon, the soil will be too warm and the new seeds and seedlings will literally burn up with the soil heat. 
     While you’re waiting for the microorganisms to do their magic, purchase your new seedlings so they can use those two weeks to acclimate to their new location.  Place the seedling containers in a bin that you’ll keep a quarter-inch of water in to keep the containers’ soil consistently moist, and gradually move it more and more into the full-day sun. 
     By the end of the two weeks, when the soil has cooled down to being barely warm when you stick your hand into it, the container plants will also be acclimated so you can plant them.  
​