Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
Travel, Leisure & Fun for South Valley Adults
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December is the coldest month of the year in our area, and the winter solstice occurs on December 21. It's the shortest day of the year, the first day of winter, and from then on the days will be getting longer. Celebrations around the solstice are most often marked with greenery for the promise of a returning spring, yule logs and candles to increase the light for the day, and in general everything nature-related to remind ourselves we live on a living, changing, complicated...
October is really when sweater season starts. We can still have many warm, or even hot, days; these are balanced by the shorter days and cooler nights. You may be noticing new foliage growth, or flowers on plants that have been snoozing during the summer heat. Planting October is a busy month for planting. In the vegetable garden, plant chard, spinach, turnips, beets, snow peas, carrots, cilantro, lettuce and Asian greens from seed. Continue planting seedlings of greens, brocc...
August can be a light work month in the garden. Continue to repair water leaks and keep up with warm season weeds. August is also perfect for the following tasks: Planting This is the big month to plant seeds for cool season vegetables such as Asian greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, lettuce, pea, spinach and Swiss chard. You can also direct-seed another crop of beans. You can plant some ornamentals, but it will be a lot easier on you and them if you wait until...
Spring is in the air, but we could have reminders of winter and hints of summer all month. Planting: Spring is the second season of major planting. You can plant all varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers and vines. In the edible garden, plant heat-lovers like cucumber, tomato, melon, beans, eggplant and squash towards the end of the month. You can also plant potato, radish, chives, greens, beets, and herbs of all types. Citrus, avocado and other...
A typical March is beautiful with warm days and cool nights – perfect for gardening, which is good, as there is lots to do this month! Planting Plant all varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers and vines. In the edible garden, plant heat-lovers like cucumber, tomato, melon, beans, eggplant and squash. You can also plant potato, radish, chives, greens, beets and herbs of all types. Citrus, avocado and other frost-sensitives should be planted in the second half o...
March was the first month of the year in the original Roman calendar. That feels right to me. March is a month of flowers and growth, the first full month in which almost everything in the garden is bursting with energy. Even the weather gets in on this act. March may be hot, cold, dry, snowy, rainy or windy. The vernal equinox is March 20, when the sun is above the equator and begins its travels north, closer to us. PLANTING: Spring is the second season of major planting....
Autumn is in full gear this month. This is a great time to plant almost any tree, shrub, perennial, ground cover, wildflower seeds and the last of spring-flowering bulbs. While the days are shorter and storms may affect our ability to work outdoors, it is generally more pleasant both for us and the plants, as long as we follow some simple guidelines. Planting This is an especially good month to plant those California and Mediterranean woody shrubs that don't thrive with too mu...
Perhaps you have noticed the days are getting shorter? A sure sign that summer is winding down and fall is around the corner. I think of the garden year not from January to December, but from autumn to autumn, since so much of our garden creation and re-creation happens in the fall. The first half of September is preparation, and the second half is when the action really begins. Planting The vegetable garden transitions from warm to cool season, so there will be some of each...
While May can bring a mix of warm and cool weather, June typically means hot and dry, with occasional drops in temperature. Without adequate snowpack and rainfall this winter and spring, we are in another drought year, but we know how to keep our gardens healthy and growing with water-efficient practices and low-water-use plants. Our gardens will get through this drought cycle too. We may even be surprised, as in the last drought, how well some of our established garden plants...
January can be a busy month in our Central Valley and foothill gardens. Hopefully, we will be dodging rainstorms and working on foggy days. That's what our gardens rely on for health later in the year. On the other hand, there are some jobs that can easily be put off or skipped altogether this year. Is that heresay to say? Sometimes, taking garden care too seriously can make us forget this should be enjoyable. Gardens are never perfect. It will never be "finished." Enjoy the...
November is one of my favorite months in the California garden. I watch leaves descend, winds sway even large tree branches, and sheets of rain (hopefully!) wash off a year's dust. Birds and even some late butterflies, moths and bees work feverishly to gather enough stored energy for hibernation or migration. Since we all know our water supply depends on abundant mountain snow, we rejoice when we see snow-capped peaks after a good storm and there is still optimism that the upc...
Will summer ever end? September is a hopeful month that begins to remind us that winter will be here again someday. It has become harder to predict what kind of fall weather we will have. Historically, we should enjoy cooler temperatures both day and night, mostly due to the ever-shortening days. Planting: We can finally begin to plant trees, perennials and shrubs when nighttime temperatures drop into the low sixties and high fifties degrees Fahrenheit. Be prepared to provide...
A popular trend in home gardening is biodynamic growing. This style has been around in one form or another since ancient Roman times and maybe even longer in Asia. Although it is mostly applied to growing food, it can also be used in growing ornamentals, even native plants. One of the key features of this style of gardening is to feed the soil, not the plant. Taking care of the soil is one of the keys to successful gardening of all species, and plants grown in cared-for soil...
Winter, the season of fewer garden chores, is a good season for planning changes you will make in the spring. Pruning deciduous trees and shrubs for safety or to control size, finishing clean-up and adding mulch and compost to existing beds are the main tasks of winter. It is best for the plant if we delay removing frost-damaged foliage until spring, if we can tolerate the appearance. In dry winters such as this, we must also monitor our garden's water needs more closely....
Springtime in California gardens is a bounty of flowers. From fruit trees to roses to California chaparral plants and wildflowers, we enjoy an abundance of riches, even when rainfall has been sparse. Ah, the wonder and beauty of nature, whether beyond the fence or in our own backyards! Also celebrating with us are hundreds of beneficial insects, birds, reptiles and mammals that share our gardens and revel in springtime bounty. This year especially, we are all looking for new...
The biggest garden trend we are finding is the desire for removing the front lawn. Conserving water is the main reason for this garden renovation; reducing maintenance and increasing interest are two other often-cited reasons. The lawn is a garden fad that has hung on, but as more and more lawns are removed, we become better able to see what the possibilities are for the space between the road and the front door. We can envision an interesting use of that space which can be...