doganddragon
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 12:26 am
Location: Santa Cruz

central coast california-when to grow what? and a soil ?

its pretty warm and sunny where we are in Watsonville. but cool ocean breezes at night.

questions:
too late for lettuces?

watermelons? do they need TONS of room? can I move them if they get too big?

whens a good time for spinach, beets and onions?

SOIL question:
we turned over the soil really well8 inches down by hand and then turned in some quality aged manure.. the orginal soil seemed to have alot of clay in it. with the manure added, do you think thats suffiicient with nutrients? ro do we need additives?
Thanks!!!! :)
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CharlieBear
Green Thumb
Posts: 588
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:19 pm
Location: Pacific NW

At this time of year lettuce is generally planted as fall crop, so not too late. You will probably have better luck if you can start leaf lettuce types indoors and or in a shady spot and then transplant them.
You don't move anything in the squash family if it gets too big, once you plant it out leave it be. With the smaller varieties you can sometime grow them vertically, but then you have to put a sling under each melon to hold it, too much work in my opinion. At this point for this year, melon, if you haven't put it in wait until next year.
Clay- keep adding as much organic material as you can, compost and so forth. If the manure was not precomposted you are in for a lot of weeds and it tends to be very high in nitrogen.
Next time ask fewer questions at a time, that way they are more likely to come to someones atttention. I don't think I addressed all of them either.

greenstubbs
Senior Member
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:41 pm
Location: Far Upper Alabama

I'm in Vacaville and I gots lots going on here. Squashes, cucks, onions, beets, kohlrobis, beans, melons, maters, chard, chocker, chard. The real question here is. This is California, what can't you grow here? Granted it get really hot here and I have a artichoke, I just have a old sheet over it which seems to keep the plant about 20* cooler and it seems to be happy. Already have had 8 chocks off it so far. Just do your homework and web searches and learn/read all you can. My soil is clay also, and for 10 years have been adding to it in the off season. I don't have real good winter sun but have grown califlower, B-sprouts, broccolli. See what they have growing around there and when and do the same. Being on the coast I'm sure a artichoke would do good. As I say, It's all the grand experiment! Good luck



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