Regional Reminders
January 17, 2008
Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
By
Yvonne Savio,
Pasadena, CA
Transplant Perennial Veggies Now
Transplant artichoke and asparagus crowns, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, chard, garlic, kale, leeks, lettuce, green and bulb onions, flat-leaf parsley, radishes, rhubarb rhizomes, and savoy spinach. Plant cole crops up to the first set of leaves to prevent their maturing into weak, leggy, less productive plants.
Mix in Manure
To new and established beds, incorporate 2 inches of manure to slowly feed new plants as rain and overhead irrigation wash the nutrients down into the root zone.
Plant Grapes and Berry Vines
Get these vine plants into the garden from now through March. Tips from last year's berry canes should be well rooted. Cut off the vine above the third node from the rooted tip. Use a slant cut at the top and a straight cut at the bottom so you'll plant it right-side-up.
Plant Strawberries
Use strawberry runners to renew your patch or start a new one. Strawberry plants that are more than three years old have passed their prime and are best replaced. Avoid locating strawberries where eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes were growing within the last three years, as they have similar disease problems. Dig in lots of manure and compost, then transplant strawberries so the roots are buried and the leaves are just above the soil.
Don't Prune Spring Bloomers
Wait to prune spring-flowering ornamentals until just after they bloom. Pruning them now will remove the wood that already has bloom buds set inside. It also can stimulate frost-tender new growth, and possibly remove wood that was not truly dead.
|
