We are having a touch of winter

Howdy, folks! It seems like we are going to experience cooler days and nights for a while. This will slow the growth of our gardens a bit. The rains that are predicted seem to have a better chance of happening. Taking all the above into consideration, and personal time constraints, I am going to publish this garden article only two weeks per month. It will come out on the first and third week of each month.

We can still walk through planting a successive vegetable garden but will put in a few more plants at a time. Since growth will slow a bit, the needs of the plants are also reduced. This gives us more time in between planting to do other garden chores.

Before we get into what to plant this week, let’s think about the cold weather. We have most plants, trees, shrubs that lose their leaves in a state of dormancy. Bare root fruit trees, berries, roses, grapes, kiwis are all available and in stock now. We are blessed in Fallbrook to have numerous garden centers that carry bare roots, but we also have large citrus nurseries that carry amazing varieties. The selection of what to plant can be overwhelming. Any type of summer fruit is out there.

Choose what is good for your microclimate. Upper areas do best with low chill types. The cold valley floors actually have a greater choice, as most deciduous fruits love cold weather. Look for blackberries, boysenberries, raspberries (red, gold, white), strawberries, asparagus and artichoke plants also.

Artichokes are a great perennial that can be mixed into ornamental landscapes. They have blue-green fern-looking leaves and will produce fruit the first year. The plants get three feet wide and as tall. They can be cut back in the fall and will keep on producing year after year. Asparagus take two to three years to get enough of a root system that we can harvest them in the spring. Once in production they go on for years. Both of these are great health-giving vegetables that taste great when eaten fresher.

It is a perfect time to prune fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs. January is our cold time, when the plants are truly dormant. Pruning is a precise art and requires a little study to approach it properly. There are usually pruning clinics around this time of the year. Check with the nurseries or large garden centers to see if any are occurring. Take advantage of them if you can. When pruning roses, do not remove more than one-third of the total plants. This seems to be a formula for creating a great blooming season.

Our next garden planting should consist of two collard greens and four plants of variety of cabbages. The reds and Savoy cabbages add a lot of charm to meals and salads. They add color and texture to coleslaws. Collards are a favorite food of the South. It is the highest in minerals of most crops, especially calcium. The recipes call for its addition in soups, stews, sautéed dishes. It has a stronger flavor than kale, so use it more gingerly. The very young leaves can be chopped and added to fresh salads in small amounts. A good food.

Plant six more lettuces (your favorite varieties) to keep fresh salads coming. We planted lettuces in our gardens in December. They have doubled in size from the small nursery stock and will be ready to begin harvesting in a couple of weeks. Also, plug in four more Asian greens – whatever the nurseries have in stock that is not a repeat of what you have already planted. More carrots (18 inches) and more beets (eight inches) will keep a succession of these available. You can also plant three cilantro plants and a couple of arugula plants. They both add a wonderful splash to many meals.

All the organic fertilizers that we have called for in the garden can be used in your ornamental landscape. This is a good time of the year to begin a fertility program. Lightly dust a good organic fertilizer blend with good compost on the garden bed before planting and around trees and shrubs.

If you have not mulched yet, be sure to do so. The mulch is a great asset to plant growth and overall garden health. Enjoy the fact that we can garden year-round here and can get the rewards that come our way beyond what is produced. Very little is as healthy for you. See you in two weeks.