Freshly Planted

I finished planting the first batch of veggies in the raised bed. This includes four kinds of tomatoes from starters; and carrots, radishes, lettuce, Kentucky pole beans, and Sugar Snap peas from seeds. In a few weeks, I’ll plant a second batch of carrots, radishes, beans and peas, to extend production, and add broccoli, chard, another type of lettuce, as well as pumpkin and squash.

It’s only been a week, and I already see a few sprouts. This is a relief since, inexplicably, it is raining in June. Yes, rain in June. I was afraid my seeds might rot, wash away, or be exposed and eaten by birds. This is very atypical for the San Francisco Bay Area. Usually we don’t see rain past April.

Tomatoe starters and radish sprouts (lower right corner)

This is my first experiment planting in several phases. I plan to do more intermediate planting as vegetables finish their life cycle. I’m loosely following information from Renee’s Garden, specifically the Long Summer, Mild Winter Garden design for USDA zones 8-10 (http://www.reneesgarden.com/hm-gardnr/resource/designs.htm). The design provides an ongoing planting schedule through spring, summer, and fall. The design is for 18 by 20 feet, and I have 4 by 8 feet, so a few adaptations are needed!

Seeds and Starters

The San Francisco Bay Area has many seed and starter plant sources for the vegetable garden. Nurseries abound, and many hardware stores, drug stores, and chain stores include extensive gardening departments. You can also participate in a local seed bank, and order from seed catalogs. The San Francisco Garden Show included local exhibitors, specializing in seeds that grow well in the Bay Area, such as Annie’s Annuals & Perennials (Richmond), Gold Rush Nursery (Soquel, near Santa Cruz), and Ploughshares Nursery (Alameda).

One of my favorite local places to buy seeds and starter plants is the CVS drugstore at 5100 Broadway (cross street - 51st), in North Oakland. They have had an extensive and diverse gardening department for years, and carried some of my favorites, like Annie’s Annuals & Perennials. I typically buy organic tomato starter plants from them, with good results. They are currently preparing for a remodel, so may not be available for the 2011 season.

This year I plan to try using seeds that I’ve purchased in previous years, rather than buy all new seeds. I recently read in Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew, that you can reuse seeds packaged for previous years if they are stored properly in an environment that is dry and cool. This makes sense, since scientists have successfully grown plants from ancient seeds found at archaeological sites.

Seed packets from Renee's Garden and Botanical Interest.
Ready for planting.

Give Peas a Chance

March 17 (Saint Patrick’s Day) is the traditional day for planting peas, but I typically plant them in late May in the San Francisco Bay Area. We usually enjoy peas well into September, when we are experiencing our hot, dry season.

Why are peas so great to grow? Not only are they easy to cultivate and eat, but they can be planted in very poor soil. Peas are in the legume family, which includes nitrogen-fixing plants. These plants “capture" nitrogen out of the air, and “fix” it into the ground. Peas provide their own fertilizer! The plants require rhizobia bacteria in the soil. The nitrogen cycle is one of those beautiful mysteries of the garden.

Last year I planted Super Sugar Snap Peas
from Renees Garden (reneesgarden.com).

We enjoyed peas for several months.