But what if late summer – and then early fall – happen to slip right by? And there you are with the first week of November staring you in the face. Too late to plant most of the delicious veggies I've listed above, my friend. But no worries, you can still plant garlic! Placed an inch or so beneath the soil, 6 inches from each other, in rows 12-16 inches apart, each clove will wait patiently underground until temperatures are just cool enough to trigger germination. Water your garlic enough to keep the soil moist until you see slender green leaves poking up to remind you that, yes, there is in fact something planted in that bed.
If you plant garlic now, it will be ready to harvest by early summer. Watch for the green tops to turn yellow, which is a good indicator to stop watering them. Allow them to dry out for a week or two in the ground and then lift the bulbs carefully out of the ground. Avoid nicking them as damaged garlic doesn't store well. Find a warm, dry place to hang your garlic for 2-3 weeks, then trim back the roots and top growth. Once the skin of the garlic bulbs feels papery, then it's time to store them in a cool (not too cold or it will sprout), well-ventilated spot. I'm usually able to grow and store enough of garlic to supply my allium-infatuated household for most of the year. In just 60 square feet. And I always set aside a few heads for re-planting in fall.
There are a number of online vendors who sell high quality, organically produced seed garlic. It's usually best to order it several months before planting time, so at this point you may find that their selection is pretty limited. However, even if UPS isn't delivering garlic to your doorstep (I forgot to order mine on time this year) local nurseries and feed stores usually have heads of garlic for sale to save the day. If you've never experienced the juicy, spicy cloves of fresh garlic that snap (not bend) between your fingers, then now is your chance. Go plant some!
by UC Master Gardener Cayce Hill
This article first appeared in the October 12 issue of the Morgan Hill Life.
Garden Design
A few sheets of paper and a garden book or two can help you create a year-round garden design. Begin by drawing a rough draft of an area. Next, pencil in existing perennial plants, structures, lawns, and walkways. Everything else is fair game. Color code the garden design to include sun and wind exposure, access to water, mature plant height, and color to create a workable garden design. This will also help select the best plants for each spot. Also, water use can be significantly reduced by planting varieties with similar water needs together. Put taller plants against a fence, medium-height plants in front of those, and then shorter plants closest to walkways. This makes full use of available soil without blocking anyone's view.
Garden books, online resources, and your local Master Gardeners can help you select plants that will provide flowers, food, and greenery for each season. As one season's plants wind down, the next season will be coming in, providing year-round food and color. Containers, vertical gardens, and raised beds offer extra growing space and extend the growing season.
Edibles and Ornamentals
Morgan Hill weather makes it possible to grow edible and ornamental plants year-round. Cool season greens and cruciferous vegetables prefer our winter and spring. Potato plants offer greenery in the landscape from spring to summer, and potatoes in the fall. Perennial edibles, such as asparagus, fruit trees, bramble fruits, grapes, kiwi, and rhubarb are excellent anchor points in a landscape. Ornamental plants can provide many different shades of green, along with other colors.
Planting it Forward — For Others
In honor of Lily Hardy Hammond's 1916 book, In the Garden of Delight planting it forward also means adding plants that can be gifted to others. Succulents are durable in drought-prone Morgan Hill and they nearly propagate themselves. Cosmos and marigolds go to seed easily. Those and other seeds can be collected and planted as gifts to family and neighbors. They also make welcome gifts to individuals in hospitals and retirement homes. Melon and squash seeds can be started in small pots and gifted to neighbors and local charities.
Learn when to plant edibles for year-round food for your family in Morgan Hill. For more information and classes, check our events page or call 408-282-3105 between 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
This article first appeared in the August 17 issue of the Morgan Hill Life.
Garlic, a member of the Allium — onion — family, is easy to grow and takes up very little space in the garden.
There are more than 600 varieties of garlic grown, and although China produces most of the world's garlic, California produces more than any state in the nation.
Garlic is believed to prevent cardiovascular problems, reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure, and has been used to treat asthma, diabetes, atherosclerosis and a host of other ailments.
Santa Clara Master Gardener Sue Zaslaw, an expert on the stinking rose, says homegrown garlic is more nutritious and much more flavorful than supermarket garlic. By growing your own, you can choose the varieties based on size, shape and, of course, taste.
Sue inspired me so much that I planted seven varieties last fall. I was completely surprised by how different each tasted and the assortment of cloves' sizes.
Most garlic is either hardneck, with a hard, woody center stalk, or softneck, which lacks a central stalk. Hardnecks tend to have fewer cloves — 4 to 12 — and have more flavor. They grow well in cooler climates, but don't store as long as softnecks. They also produce flowering tops, called scapes, that are delicious when cooked.
Softnecks can produce up to 30 cloves and have a milder taste. The stalks can be braided for hanging storage. If you have both, use your hardnecks first as they will not last as long as the softnecks.
The best time for planting garlic is now through the end of November. Break the bulbs into individual cloves just before planting. Remove the outer papery wrapping, but be sure to leave the covering on the individual cloves.
Plant pointed side up, 2 inches deep in well-draining, well-amended soil. Space cloves 4 to 6 inches apart in rows that are 10 to 12 inches apart. Fertilize once after planting and once again in the spring when the weather warms up.
Make sure your soil or planting medium is damp before planting. Garlic likes water, but not too much or it will rot. If we have winter rains, you won't need to provide supplemental water, but if we have a dry winter, water when the soil dries out.
Harvest in June or July when the tops begin to turn yellow or brown and are starting to fall over. Carefully lift the bulbs out of the soil using a spade or garden fork, and let them cure in an airy, shady spot for a couple of weeks before using.
Once dry, brush off the excess soil and trim off the roots and leaves. Braid softnecks together and hang them in a cool, dry location. For hardnecks, or if you don't want to braid softnecks, cut off the roots and tops, and store them loosely in wire baskets, mesh bags, or on a slotted shelf. They need good air circulation to prevent rotting. With proper storage, your garlic will keep for about a year.
You should harvest up to 10 times the amount of garlic that you planted. Save some of the biggest and best bulbs for next year's planting.
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
This article first appeared in the October 16 issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
No, wait, I didn't mean it like that. Well, yes it's true that I'm not a big fan of complaining. But I'm all about being resourceful. So your patio isn't big enough. Or maybe you just overplanted your spacious veggie beds. And just before snap pea season! Either way, there's still hope. Beyond saving space, growing veggies vertically has many advantages. In addition to using less square footage, plants grown vertically benefit from much better air circulation which can result in fewer pests and less disease.
I saw you look over at your big blank fence. Nothing going on there. You're thinking about it, aren't you? With sturdy 8- or 10-gauge wire and some eye hooks, you can get anything from grapes to blackberries to transform that otherwise strictly utilitarian space. Pick a wire size that is strong but flexible enough for your own hand strength. Feeling like putting down roots? That big strong arbor over your back deck looks pretty bare.
If wrangling with rolls of wire is not your thing, you can try hog panels. Also known as cattle panels or feedlot panels. No matter what you call them, don't let the uninspiring terms dissuade you. Attach a few of these 5' x 7' wire sections to your fence and watch the (insert skyward climbing plant here) take off! If properly secured, these panels will provide plenty of support for just about any plant. Or perhaps you're not looking for a permanent installation. In that case, a roll of garden twine will come in handy. Lightly tap in a few nails at the top and bottom of the fence, spaced six to twelve inches apart, then run regular old garden twine up and down between the two rows of nails. Beans, peas and cucumbers will grow skyward for easy harvesting.
If you garden in containers, there is no shortage of compact trellis options that will fit perfectly inside a pot. From fancy wrought iron to practical, inexpensive wooden lattice, your local nursery will have something for all your vertically-growing veggies. Or you can go minimalist with a few bamboo stakes and some twine.
From lightweight beans and peas to the heavyweight class (sorry, the Olympics are on after all) --wisteria, grapes, kiwi and climbing roses—growing plants vertically is a sure way to add height, color and even privacy to your garden.
So no more whining about your lack of space. Grow up already!
by UC Master Gardener Cayce Hill
This article first appeared in the August 16 issue of the Morgan Hill Times.
The answer is mixed. Although we made great inroads into saving water we need to continue conserving.
Our rain-year runs from July 1 to June 30, and fortunately, we got 96 percent of the annual average. The numbers were so good that this spring the State Water Resources Control Board updated its emergency regulations, allowing water retailers throughout the state to set their own restrictions based on local conditions and requirements beginning in June.
Many water districts in the Bay Area chose to ease restrictions or drop them altogether. Santa Clara Valley Water District, for example, reduced its restrictions to 20 percent from 30 percent, while Fremont, Newark and Union City dropped their reductions all together.
Some worried that the savings we saw under the mandatory restrictions would evaporate when residents began relying on their best judgment on how much and how often they water their landscapes; however, recent numbers show that we are continuing to conserve.
In June, compared to the same month last year, San Jose Water Company cut water use by 27.8 percent, East Bay Municipal Utility District by 18.1 percent, Santa Cruz by 20.9 percent, Alameda County Water District by 28.7 percent and Palo Alto by 17.9 percent.
The majority of our water -- 55 percent -- comes primarily from snow and rainfall in the Sierra Nevada. Another 40 percent is from natural groundwater and area reservoirs. The remaining 5 percent is recycled water -- purified waste water. With or without restrictions, we must continue to work on reducing water use, and capturing and reusing water for irrigation, industry and agriculture.
"Our main message to the public right now is 'Thank you' for the tremendous response to the drought and the savings that have been achieved over the last year," says Jerry De La Piedra, unit manager for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "However, one average year doesn't erase four years of historic drought. We don't know what next year will bring, so we're asking everyone to continue to use water as efficiently as possible."
Fall is a great time to rethink and replant your lawn, renew your garden, or make major water-saving changes to your landscape. By planting new eco-friendly sod or native and Mediterranean plants, you will not only significantly cut back on your water use, you will be providing necessary food and shelter to help save our endangered birds, bugs and bees.
Try replacing your lawn with a gorgeous array of plants and shrubs that produce flowers and create interest all year long.
If you just can't bear to completely lose the lawn, try planting a smaller section of one of the many varieties of Delta Blue Grass California native sods. They roll out just like regular sod but require 50 percent less water. They also need to be mowed way less often, resulting in environmental savings well beyond water.
Look for city and county rebate programs that actually pay you to replace your water-guzzling lawns and replace older, inefficient irrigation controllers and sprinkler equipment.
You truly can go greener without the expansive, traditional lawn.
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
This article first appeared in the August 21 issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
