Winter Gardens

Leni

Leni

New member
I know that many of you cannot have a vegetable garden during the winter. However I can garden year round here in sunny SoCal. So far I have planted spinach and various lettuces. Once the Santa Ana winds die down (hopefully today) I'll plant cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, radishes and carrots. Almost forgot snow peas and English peas. Actually any root crop does very nicely. I'll also be planting beets, turnips and I know that I"m forgetting some.

Thoe of you who can garden during the winter, what are you going to plant?
 
vyapti

vyapti

New member
I've planted:
  • lots of greens greens: chard, lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, maybe some others. The kale and collards have really taken off. I hope I've planted enough to keep me in salad all winter.
  • I also planted peas, but they're already not doing well. They didn't last year either.
  • Shallots & garlic did ok last year and I replanted some of the smaller bulbs, along with some new ones.
  • Blackberries - blackberries grow like weeds around here. All summer and fall, I've been digging up the errant shoots from our yard and moved them to a central location. I've got half a dozen plants that are taking off and (I hope) should produce next year.
  • I want to get a grow lamp and grow basil this winter. In doing research, I only spoke to one vendor who didn't think I was secretly growing pot in my basement. That's Eugene for ya =)
  • I also want to start playing with seed germination this spring. So far, experimenting with starts, I have about 20 thyme plants and half a dozen rosemary and lavender. I'm encouraged because I've never been successful with rosemary or lavender. I'd like to start tomatoes in the garage around the first of the year.
  • Last year we tried brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and peas and none of it did well. We had a cold snap that, I think, killed off or stunted everything.

That's about it.
 
Leni

Leni

New member
Yes I am. Guts is here also.

Vyapti, if you have a sunny window especially a greenhouse window, you can grow basil there. I have a greenhouse window in the kitchen that faces south. I grow basil in it every winter. I have to keep cutting the darn thing back because it does so well.

Also just another hint. The plants that are started indoors tend to be elongated and floppy. The reason is that outside they have the wind moving them and therefore the stems are stronger. With seedlings started inside just move your hand gently over them to simulate a breeze and they'll be much stronger for the transition to the outdoors.

I spent most of the day at the veggie garden in the Sepulveda Dam basin. I didn't get too much planting done but did get a lot of weeding done. It was a perfect day for gardening. Darn it! It's supposed to start raining again tomorrow evening. The weather is conspiring against us. It's either been too hot, raining, or the Santa Ana winds were blowing. I've got so many things that I want to plant in the next few days but they may have to wait.
 
Last edited:
QSis

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Leni said:
Also just another hint. The plants that are started indoors tend to be elongated and floppy. The reason is that outside they have the wind moving them and therefore the stems are stronger. With seedlings started inside just move your hand gently over them to simulate a breeze and they'll be much stronger for the transition to the outdoors.
Click to expand...

Oh, Leni, I've never heard that tip before - great! Makes a lot of sense.

What if I put a gentle table fan on the seedlings for a little while each day?

Lee
 
PanchoHambre

PanchoHambre

New member
all I grow in winter is dog poo, Which is why I am so excited come spring... then by midsummer I am neglectful its a vicious cycle.
 
vyapti

vyapti

New member
Leni said:
Vyapti, if you have a sunny window especially a greenhouse window, you can grow basil there. I have a greenhouse window in the kitchen that faces south. I grow basil in it every winter. I have to keep cutting the darn thing back because it does so well.
Click to expand...
We tried to grow basil next to a sliding glass door last year. It really really didn't work. I don't think Eugene gets enough sun in the winter for basil. I did bring my pineapple sage in this year and it's doing pretty well.

Leni said:
]Also just another hint. The plants that are started indoors tend to be elongated and floppy. The reason is that outside they have the wind moving them and therefore the stems are stronger. With seedlings started inside just move your hand gently over them to simulate a breeze and they'll be much stronger for the transition to the outdoors.
Click to expand...
Very interesting. I've read that you have to move them outdoors gradually too so they don't get sunburned. Right now, I just enjoy playing. So much to learn =)
 
Leni

Leni

New member
That's called hardening off. The environment indoors vs outdoors is quite different. It isn't just the sunburn, it's also the humidty and temperature range.
 
Leni

Leni

New member
Qsis, I'm sorry that I didn't answer your question earlier. A fan on it's slowest setting probably would work.
 
L

loboloco

Active member
In the garden, mixed turnip/mustard greens. Collards, lettuce, onions, snow peas, winter peas.
In the fields, wheat, winter fescue, snow peas as a feed and cover crop.
 
Leni

Leni

New member
A couple of bunny rabbits have moved into the community garden and they have discovered my garden. They have eaten everything down to the ground. We're right on the edge of a wildlife reserve. When I spoke to the Senior Gardener in charge of the garden center she said that they couldn't do anything about the bunnies. Now I'm going to have to build a fence around my garden before I replant. That is going to be expensive due to the size of the plot. Not only that but I'm going to be very late planting.

The bunnies are cute of course. One is gray and the other one is a light brown but I want them to go back to the reserve where they belong. We also have some coyotes around. I could tell by the tracks that at least one of them was chasing the rabbit.
 
Last edited:
C

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Leni -

despite their nursery rhyme fame, rabbits are reluctant to "hop over" a vertical barrier. 12" is oft cited as the minimum - a height you can easily step over. but the size of the mesh in the "barrier" is important - anything more than 1 - 1.5 inches and the babies easily squeeze through (spring time issue) - plain ole' "chicken wire" is effective.

the usual downfall of fencing off a plot is slack spots in the wire where the rabbits can squeeze _under_ the fencing. they only need 2-3 inches - and given even a small gap they'll burrow a deeper hole for better access. depending on how "flat" the plot is, getting the wire tight to the ground can require burying a portion or - for example - stapling it to a 2x4 / 2x3 laid flat on the ground.

of course, there's always "the cat approach" (g) for many many years we had an indoor/outdoor cat that made bunny forays into the garden hazardous to their health - more difficult in a remote community garden, obviously.....
 
Leni

Leni

New member
Thanks for the information. I have raised beds so I can just staple the wire mesh to the boards. The problem with that is the beds are designed so that I weed from both sides. I'll have to reconfigure the beds otherwise I'll be stepping into them to get the weeds on the far side.
 
leolady

leolady

New member
I haven't planted a winter garden, but..........

I still have great broccoli, cabbage, swiss chard, and turnips going strong!
 
Leni

Leni

New member
I went over to the local nursery, Green Thumb, and presented the bunny problem to them. They recommended a product called Rabbit Scram. I'll use that until I can get the fencing up.
 
leolady

leolady

New member
ChowderMan said:
of course, there's always "the cat approach" (g) for many many years we had an indoor/outdoor cat that made bunny forays into the garden hazardous to their health - more difficult in a remote community garden, obviously.....
Click to expand...

Or in my case an indoor/outdoor puppy great dane!

Since I got Cereberus I have not seen any signs of bunnies eating my crops!:yum:
 
Leni

Leni

New member
That sounds great. I have a lynx point Maine Coon cat that loves to hunt. The problem is that the garden center is located on 17 acres close to a wildlife reserve about five miles from my home. If it was at my home it wouldn't be a problem.
 
Mr. Green Jeans

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Leni, animal repellents work with mixed effect. What it boils down to is an animal is going to eat to survive. Best get that fencing up ASAP.
We're still working on settling in to the MGJ farm. Raspberries have been relocated to a location with all day sun. 12 blueberry bushes have been planted. The terraced beds have been reclaimed from the weeds due to two years of neglect. This will be the perfect location to employ square foot gardening.
 
Leni

Leni

New member
Thanks for the info Green Jeans. The garden center has around 500 gardens many of whom do not have fences around them. My son is going to help me with the fencing a week from Monday. In the meantime I'll keep the plants at home and concentrate on prepping the soil etc. What is the recommended hight of a fence. A Chowderman said 12 inches is the minimum but would higher be better? I'll have a lot of plants to protect. I don't mind sharing with critters but that rascally rabbit ate everything to the ground. :twak:
 
Leni

Leni

New member
Well, I underestimated the number of gardens. It's closer to 800. The latest is that the Dept of Parks and Rec are increasing the fee per plot. It's going from $25 to $120 effective January 1st. There was no formal notice which was very nice of them. We learned through the grapevine. Most of the gardeners are retired and many will not be able to afford this increase. So thanks for all of the information about controlling bunnies but now I have to think about the new fee on top of that. I have seven plots.
 
B

belaine

Bottle Washer
Super Site Supporter
Leni,
I heard about this increase on the radio and of course immediately thought of you. Honestly how irriatating is this. The city of Los Angeles is fiscally so irresponsible, of all things to increase it makes no sense.
 
leolady

leolady

New member
This is awful! They ought to pay YOU for making a vacant piece of land productive and beautiful!
 
A

abi_csi

New member
This astronomical hike in rent does not surprise me, it's not morally right, I bet they want to see all the gardeners disbandon their gardens because of high rent so they can build on the plots or something - greed as usual.

On another note, this winter I have harvested the usual winter fare despite some chilly temps. Including carrots, potato, parsnips, celeriac, jerusalem artichoke and horseradish. Not bountiful but all the same it pleases me to cook with what I've grown.
 
Leni

Leni

New member
The gardens are on federal land. It is part of the Sepulveda Dam Basin flood control system. The land is leased by the City. It cannot be sold or used for any other purpose. I'm going to keep three plots and DH is going to keep one. The weather has been such that it's been hard to garden.
 
A

abi_csi

New member
Oh I see, where I live the local authority are building on greenbelt land at any opportunity, and at the expense of people's allotments (as we call them here). They try to force people off land for building. I know of some people who have a small farm on nthe outskirts of the city who have been offered huge amounts of money to move for building. They have refused but may be subject to a compulsory purchase order. Totally unfair and it makes me mad!! I'm glad you are able to keep the plots even though the rent has been put up hugely.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top