Tomato and Pepper Seed Saving Tips

  

Have you fallen in love yet this summer...with a backyard heirloom tomato or pepper variety that you are growing for the first time?

There are hundreds of heirloom tomato and pepper varieties available as seeds, from specialty catalogs and better nurseries. Different shapes, different colors, different flavors. And when you find the ones you like the most, it's easy to save those seeds for future planting seasons.

  

TOMATOES

    Tomato flowers are both wind and insect pollinated. Although the tomato that forms on the plant you purchased or started from seed will be as advertised (we hope), the seeds inside that tomato you grew may be carrying the genetic makeup of whatever happened to originally pollinate that tomato flower. So, those Brandywines, Bloody Butchers and other heirloom tomatoes will contain seeds, if germinated, that might more resemble the tomato plant that resided next door to your favorite heirloom. 


     Yes, even tomato plants covet their neighbor's wife...with a little help from that devil of a bee.

     And forget about replicating this year's tomato garden next year if you are growing hybrid tomatoes. A hybrid tomato is made by crossing several different parent varieties. Even if grown in isolation, second generation hybrid tomato (and pepper) seeds usually do not come back as the same variety. You'll have to buy fresh seed next year to duplicate that exact hybrid tomato experience.

Plus, hybrid varieties of tomatoes offered for the home gardener have been bred for many of the same characteristics as the varieties grown by large agricultural interests: higher yields, disease resistance and broader climate adaptibility. As one study from the University of Texas suggests, the formation of nutrients in hybrid tomatoes for the home market may also be the sacrificial lamb in order for that plant to pump out a greater number of tomatoes.

     If you want to grow the same heirloom tomato variety year after year without purchasing new seed, here's how to save your heirloom tomato seeds, for planting next year: 

     

Isolate your favorite heirloom tomato plant from other varieties to avoid possible cross pollination. Plant them by themselves about 30 feet away from other tomatoes. Not enough room? Surround the heirloom tomato plant with other tall growing vegetables, such as corn or pole beans.

     If you already have your tomato plants crowded together, there is one trick you can try this year to get a crop of heirloom tomato seeds that are true to their parent: Put a small paper bag around any new blossom before it opens; after the tomato forms, remove the bag. This will keep the other varieties of tomato plant that might happen to be flowering at the same time from pollinating your favorite heirloom.

     To save the seeds, pick the most luscious looking, ripe tomato. Cut it in half with a serrated knife at the equator and squeeze the pulp into a clean container. Place the filled container, with a lid loosely attached, in a warm location out of direct sunlight to promote fermentation, which helps dissolve the gel coating on the seed. Don't leave those seeds in the container for more than three days; they might germinate! Be sure the lid is loosely attached, allowing some air to escape. Fermentation could blow a secured lid off that sucker, creating quite a mess.


     Stir it once or twice a day for a day or two, and then pour or scoop off the scum at the top of the container. This floating material will contain tomato chunks and the bad seeds. 

    Then, add more water to the container and pour it through a screen or strainer. You may need to do this more than once or twice. It's just like panning for gold. Your treasure? Those nice, plump, healthy tomato seeds that will remain behind.

     Wipe the bottom of the strainer with a towel and pour the seeds out onto a hard surface like a paper plate or a coffee filter.  Don't lay them on a paper towel because the paper fibers will stick to the seeds.

     The seeds will need to dry for a couple of days, up to a week. Keep the seeds out of the sun in a cool, dry place. You should also move around the individual seeds a couple times a day to prevent them from sticking to each other. This will help them dry evenly too.

     Once they are completely dry, seal them in an airtight container. A glass jar  is perfect for this. Adding a dessicant can help keep the moisture level down. Make sure to label them so you'll know what you're planting next spring and then store them in a cool, dry place, such as under your bed.

      And now, you'll have your favorite heirloom tomato seeds, ready to plant for the next five to seven years, producing the most luscious, tastiest tomatoes that you'll ever savor. Nothing compares to the flavor of a homegrown tomato…especially if it's a nutritious heirloom tomato!

     Seed saving organizations, specialty seed companies and home gardeners are the ones who have kept heirloom tomato varieties alive for generations. Pass some of your saved seeds on to your children, too. 


Here's a video of how to save tomato seeds:

California Heartland - Homegrown: Preserving Heirloom Tomatoes

PEPPER SEEDS

One of the best sources for heirloom seed saving information is The International Seed Saving Institute. They offer this information on saving pepper seeds:

"Most home gardeners will get satisfactory results if different varieties are separated by 50 feet and another tall, flowering crop. There are two methods, dry and wet, to process pepper seeds. The dry method is adequate for small amounts. Cut the bottom off the fruit and carefully reach in to strip the seeds surrounding the central cone. In many cases, seeds need no further cleaning. To process the seed from large amounts of peppers, cut off the tops just under the stem, fill a blender with peppers and water and carefully blend until good seeds are separated and sink to bottom. Pepper debris and immature seeds will float to the top where they can be rinsed away. Spread clean seeds on paper towel and dry in cool location until seed is dry enough to break when folded."

Store peppers seeds just like tomato seeds.

Saving Green Tomatoes

As summer winds down, gardeners are faced with an annual dilemma: will those green tomatoes in the garden ripen?

In many areas of California, fresh garden tomatoes remain edible until late October or early November. They may not be pretty...but they are still a heckuva lot tastier than any tomato you'll find in a grocery store. By mid-Autumn, remaining tomatoes are subject to harsher, colder, wetter weather leading to more outbreaks of blight diseases, insect infestations and bird pecking.

As the weather turns, are you tempted to harvest those green tomatoes, hoping they'll ripen up indoors? Here are a few tips.

From the horticulture department at Texas A and M:

How do you tell when a green tomato, harvested early to prevent freeze damage, will ever turn red and ripen? This can simply be done with a sharp kitchen knife. Harvest a tomato typical of the majority of green tomatoes on your plants. Look at size but pay particular attention to fruit color. Slice through the center of the tomato. Closely examine the seed within the fruit. If the seeds are covered with a clear gel which cause them to move away from the knife, then that fruit will eventually turn red and ripen. If the seeds are cut by the knife then those fruit will never properly ripen. Compare the color and size of the tested fruit when harvesting tomatoes on your plants. Most similar fruit will eventually ripen and turn red.

From Colorado State University:

Cooler September temperatures help fruit to ripen because the red tomato pigments, lycopene and carotene, are not produced above 85 degrees F; nor is lycopene below 50 degrees F.

As late September approaches, gardeners often try to extend the life of their plants by covering with cloth or plastic. Covering plants works well for nearly red tomatoes, but not as well for mature green ones. 

Though foliage may sometimes be saved, research shows that chilling injury on green fruit occurs at temperatures of 50 degrees and decay losses rise markedly on fruit exposed to 40 degrees F. Red ones well on their way to ripening tolerate colder temperatures.

Before frost hits and plants go down, pick and bring fruit indoors to ripen. Clip fruit with a very short stem piece left on but one that’s not long enough to punch holes in other tomatoes. Stems ripped out of fruit will open them to decay.
 

Eliminate (immature) green fruit, as research shows it’s more likely to spoil than ripen and never develops the flavor consumers want anyway. Mature green fruit will develop good flavor. Mature green tomatoes are well sized and have turned light green to white. If cut open, seeds are encased in gel and no empty cavity space is present.

In addition to mature green, sort and store fruit by these groups as they will ripen at similar speeds. Fruit may be "turning" with a tinge of pink color showing, "pink" with 30 to 60 percent color showing, "light red" with 60 to 90 percent color present, and others "fully red" but not soft.

http://www.floridatomatoes.org/guide.html

Store mature green tomatoes at 55 to 70 degrees F. Once fruit is fully ripe, it can be stored at 45 to 50 degrees F with a relative humidity of 90 – 95%. 

Recommended refrigerator operating temperatures of 40 degrees are certainly too cool to ripen mature green tomatoes and are colder than desired for ripe ones. Ripening enzymes are destroyed by cold temperatures whether in the garden or in a refrigerator.
 

Ripen tomatoes in well-ventilated, open cardboard boxes at room temperature checking them every few days to eliminate those that may have spoiled. Mature green tomatoes will ripen in 14 days at 70 degrees F and 28 days at 55 degrees F.
 

The folks at UC Davis recommend storing a small amount of green tomatoes in a carton box on fiber trays or paper layers.

One way to add some air circulation to the bottom, especially in warm conditions: store the tomatoes in a fruit box that contains a perforated plastic liner.

Hobby farmer Linsey Knerl offers these ideas for saving green tomatoes:

Get a rope. By pulling up your plants (root and all, if possible) and hanging them right-side up in a garage or basement, you can prolong their time on the vine for a few more weeks. Just string up some clothesline or heavy rope across one wall, and clip the tops of the plant to the rope with clothespins or binder clips. Try to avoid too much sunlight, or your tomatoes will spoil or ripen unevenly. A temperature of 60-72 degrees is ideal.
 
Go the paper route. My grandma used this trick to ripen up green ones over a period of a week or two. Pick only the green tomatoes without cracks, holes, or blight, wrap them individually in newspaper, and place them in a single layer in the bottom of a wooden crate or basket.

====

And you can always cook 'em, such as with this recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes from allrecipes.com :

        4 large green tomatoes
        2 eggs
        1/2 cup milk
        1 cup all-purpose flour
        1/2 cup cornmeal
        1/2 cup bread crumbs
        2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
        1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
        1 quart vegetable oil for frying
       
    1.    Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.

    2.    Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

    3.    In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.
 

Voles: What's A Gardener To Do?

      VOLES!

They'll devour your bulbs, gnaw on your vegetables, strip the bark off your fruit trees and eat the plant roots. Who could ever believe such a cute little mouse could do such damage? If your garden has ever been invaded by a horde of voles, you are a believer.

Voles, also known as meadow mice (Microtus californicus and Microtus montanus), should not be confused with house mice. Voles do all their damage outdoors. According to the UC Davis Integrated Pest Management Program:

"Voles are mouse-like rodents somewhat similar in appearance to pocket gophers. They have a compact, heavy body, short legs, a short-furred tail, small eyes, and partially hidden ears. Their long, coarse fur is blackish brown to grayish brown. When fully grown they can measure 5 to 8 inches long, including the tail. Although voles spend considerable time above ground and you occasionally can see them scurrying about, they spend most of their time below ground in their burrow system. The clearest signs of their presence are the well-traveled, above-ground runways that connect burrow openings. A protective layer of grass or other ground cover usually hides the runways. The maze of runways leads to multiple burrow openings that are each about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. You can locate the runways by pulling back overhanging ground cover. Fresh clippings of green grass and greenish-colored droppings about 3/16 inch long in the runways and near the burrows are further evidence of voles. With age, the droppings lose the green coloring and turn brown or gray."

Besides feasting on just about every food plant in your garden, voles are busy reproducing. Several thousand voles per acre is not unusual in a heavy outbreak year. These outbreaks, fortunately, don't happen every year, usually reaching maximum numbers every three to six years. And can they pump out the babies! Female voles mature in 40 days and can have up to 10 litters per year, with each litter numbering between three and six baby voles. They live for about 12 months.

They are herbivores, and not nearly as picky eaters as your kids. Voles cause damage by feeding on a wide range of garden plants including artichokes, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, spinach, sweet potato, tomatoes, and turnips. They also can damage turf and other landscape plantings such as lilies and dichondra. 

Voles will gnaw the bark of fruit trees including almond, apple, avocado, cherry, citrus, and olive. Vole damage to tree trunks normally occurs from a few inches aboveground to a few inches below ground. Although not known as climbers, if they can reach the lower branches of a fruit tree...up they go.

That UC site on voles isn't too helpful if you are currently dodging an army of  these hungry critters: "To prevent vole damage, you need to manage the population in your area before it reaches high numbers." Oh, thanks.

So, what is a gardener to do? Think like a vole. 

One of the reasons voles dart around so fast: to avoid predators such as coyotes, foxes, cats, hawks and owls. And it's why they like to move under the cover of mulches and weeds. Modify their habitat, and you can reduce vole populations.

Mow, till, weed whack or destroy any grassy areas or mulched areas that are adjacent to a garden. The wider the strip, the less likely the voles will dart across. 15 feet should be the minimum cleared area; use a greater width if the vole numbers are high. Around trees, clear an area at least four feet in diameter. Voles won't munch on trees in an open area.

Quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth or fencing can stop voles, in combination with a cleared area. The fence should be 12 inches above the ground, and 10 inches below ground level. Attractive, no?

Put a cylinder, such as flexible drain pipe, around young trees. Make sure the cylinder is wide enough to allow the tree to grow.

Trapping. This will work best when the vole population is small. You will still need at least 12 wooden mouse traps, baited with peanut butter, oatmeal and apple slices, for a small garden. 50 is better. Set the traps along their runways. The problem with this: how are you going to keep the kids and pets away from the traps?

Baits. Anticoagulants are effective against voles, but again...make sure the kids and pets can't get at it. The California Department of Food and Game warns you to choose your vole poison carefully. Indoor mouse bait should not be used on outdoor voles. Their advice: "Rodent bait users must follow label directions carefully. Some rodent baits, for example those that contain the active ingredients chlorphacinone and diphacinone, are legal to use in outdoor areas. These products can be used to control field rodents such as gophers, voles and ground squirrels. Other rodent bait products, such as those that contain the active ingredients broadifacoum, bromodialone or difethialone, can only be used to control rodents found within structures, like rats and mice. Read product labels carefully before using any pesticide, and follow directions exactly. Check daily for dead rodents. Wearing gloves, collect the carcasses as soon as possible, place in plastic bags and dispose in garbage cans with tight lids that other animals can't open. Always wear protective gloves when handling any dead animal."

Bells, Whistles, Gases, etc. According to UC Davis: "Burrow fumigants such as gas cartridges aren’t effective for controlling voles, because their burrow system is shallow and has numerous open holes.Commercial repellents are available for protecting plants from voles, but their effectiveness is questionable and their use often isn’t practical. Electromagnetic or ultrasonic devices and flooding also are ineffective against voles."

Do nothing. Vole populations are cyclical; let nature take its course. In the meantime, cringe.

And now, the geeky part. Why do vole populations soar? It could be what they are eating early in the spring: wheat and other grasses. 

From one study: "It had been long suspected that compounds in plants affect the seasonal reproductive output of wild rodents. In 1981, 6-MBOA became the first naturally occurring compound in a plant verified as impacting seasonal reproductive cycling. Since then, a substantial body of work has accumulated on 6-MBOA as an initiator of seasonal breeding and an effector of population size for many rodents and a few birds. Compounds related to and possibly co-occurring with 6-MBOA remain unexplored in this regard.

6-MBOA is passed from adult females to offspring during gestation and lactation, with increased growth and greater gonadal size in the recipient young. Juveniles rely on the interaction of maternal photoperiod history and 6-MBOA to time the onset of growth and puberty. Adults fed a diet containing 6-MBOA produce more female progeny. When 6 MBOA is fed to pregnant females, gonadal development in the male offspring is enhanced". Nature's Viagra!

More Vole Info: Controlling Voles in Horticulture Plantings and Orchards in Missouri

Vitamin B-1: The Garden Myth That Won't Die

 Gardeners, their parents and their grandparents have heard this refrain at nurseries for decades: "Get a bottle of B-1, it will help reduce transplant shock for that new plant you are buying."

The truth, though, is the same as it has been for 70 years: it isn't the Vitamin B-1 (thiamine hydrochloride) in the bottle that reduces transplant shock.

First a definition of "transplant shock" from Purdue University: "Transplant shock is a term that refers to a number of stresses occurring in recently transplanted trees and shrubs. It involves failure of the plant to root well, consequently the plant becomes poorly established in the landscape. New transplants do not have extensive root systems, and they are frequently stressed by lack of sufficient water. Plants suffering from water stress may be more susceptible to injury from other causes such as the weather, insects, or disease. When several stresses are being experienced, the plant may no longer be able to function properly."

And right there you have the answer to effectively reduce transplant shock: water correctly.

Thiamine exists in nature, produced for plants via leaves and sunlight. Plants, as well as soil microbes, create their own Vitamin B1. Thiamine is a cofactor (molecule that binds to an enzyme to help/allow it to function) important in the construction and break down of carbohydrates for growth or energy storage/release.

In the 1930's, thiamine was shown to increase root development in plant tissue cultures - in the lab - especially in the dark. But those results couldn’t be replicated consistently in the field.


 Research at the University of California has shown that the addition of Vitamin B-1 to a plant doesn't make any difference at all.

Tests done at Sunset Magazine showed similar results: it's not the Vitamin B-1, it's the other ingredients in the bottle that might make a difference in roots and growth of new plants.


Back in the 1940's, naturally occurring plant growth regulators, known as auxins, were isolated and tested. Auxins were found to stimulate cell elongation in roots and stem tissue. Bingo!

Around that time, a commercial product, Transplantone, was developed that contained auxins and thiamine. Later research showed that it was the auxins, not the thiamine, that encouraged roots. 

But the die was cast: gardeners got into the habit of getting vitamins for their plants.

What does stimulate root growth? A rooting hormone containing auxins such as Indole Butyric Acid, Naphthylacetic acid or Paclobutryzol. 

Another source of auxins: seaweed extracts.

One surprise that popped up in my research: the much-ridiculed Superthrive contains auxins...as well as, of course, Vitamin B-1. Anyone who has tried to pore through the densely hyperbolic endorsements on a Superthrive label looking for the ingredients, well...good luck. 

However, I did find the ingredients on a 10 year-old, unused bottle of Superthrive sitting in my greenhouse. Is it the same formulation today? I don't know. But seeing how they haven't apparently changed the outside of the bottle much over the years, I have a feeling the insides are still the same.

The debate about the benefits of adding thiamine or other additives (including Superthrive) to plants still rage, with proponents citing research supporting their viewpoint.

Bottom line: The benefits of root formation contained in a bottle of Vitamin B-1 or any other additive product are the auxins, if any, that are included.  Small amounts of nitrogen can also encourage root development. Other fertilizer ingredients that might be contained do not necessarily reduce transplant shock. Putting the right plant in the right place, with healthy soil, along with the proper amount of sun, water and fertilizer, is all most gardeners need for success.

Brown Lawn? Renovation Time is Coming!

In the city of Sacramento, as in many other locales, watering a lawn every day is no longer an option. Ordinances throughout California mandate a maximum of three days a week for landscape irrigation.

And the response by some homeowners?  "If I don't water my lawn every day, it turns brown!" I hear this far too often from listeners on my garden radio shows.

There are a lot of possible culprits for this scenario: compacted or poor soil, slow drainage, the wrong turf type for the area, sloping lawns, uneven coverage by sprinklers and more. 

The biggest culprit in lawn problems? Watering a lawn every day. Daily, light irrigations causes lawn roots to remain near the surface, where they are more susceptible to damage from heat, cold, animals, disease, etc.

And those lawn roots may not be getting much water, because of thatch buildup.
 
According to the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns, thatch is the layer of living and dead stems, roots, stolons, and rhizomes between the green blades of grass and the soil surface. A thin layer of thatch (less than 1/2 inch thick) can be beneficial to the lawn because it helps to limit weed germination, reduce water evaporation, and protect from frost damage. However, thick thatch layers can prevent water, air, and nutrients from penetrating the soil, causing reduced root growth and increased potential for drought stress. Thatch also favors fungal growth and can harbor insect pests. Some turfgrass species, such as bermudagrass, bentgrass, and Kentucky bluegrass, have creeping growth habits and rapidly build thick thatch layers. But even the popular fescue varieties of lawn can build up a thick layer of thatch, even though the grass is green on the surface.

If you haven't dethatched your lawn in three years or more, September through mid-October is the time to not only dethatch, but to also aerate, fertilize and overseed your lawn.
 
If more than 40% of your lawn is in really bad shape, then consider a complete lawn renovation in September or early October here in the mild winter areas of California. In other parts of the country, spring is the best time for this makeover. A complete lawn renovation involves removing all the existing turf, improving the soil and reconfiguring the sprinkler system to better cover the entire area, as well as choosing the right turf type for your area. Directions for a complete renovation can be found here.
 
A partial lawn renovation involves uprooting thatch, aerating the soil, overseeding the lawn area and applying a thin layer mulch to maintain a healthy lawn throughout the coming year.
     
The first step is to cut your lawn as short as possible. Then, water your lawn thoroughly to soften the soil. Wait a day or two. Then bring on the necessary components: a dethatcher, aerator, starter fertilizer, compost for mulch, lawn seed, drinks and snacks. After all, if you've worked in the yard all day, who'll have the energy to run to the store for refreshments?
         

The dethatcher can be as simple as an iron rake or as complex as a power dethatcher or vertical mower, available at rental yards. Thatch - layers of dead grass - impede the movement of water and fertilizers to the root zone of a lawn and should be removed every two or three years. 

During the dethatching process, you may be in for a rude awakening.  See that pile of thatch? It's about two cubic yards. That's what we removed from about 4000 square feet of what looked to be an otherwise healthy lawn. You can't see thatch when it's just below the lawn's surface!

After dethatching, remove the dead grass and then aerate the lawn area. An aerator, a device with sharp, hollow tubes, removes soil cores that are three to four inches deep. Aeration relieves soil compaction, allowing air, water and fertilizer to pass more freely through the soil, stimulating root growth. Hand aerators are available, but rented roller or power-driven aerifiers do the job more quickly and effectively, albeit more expensively.

         



Then, spread starter fertilizer and a lawn seed that closely matches your existing grass over the area. However, for Bermudagrass lawns, overseed with an annual or perennial ryegrass; this will keep your lawn green during the winter and spring while the Bermuda grass is brown and dormant. 

After overseeding, press the seed into the ground with a water-filled roller, or rake the seed lightly to make sure it is in contact with the soil. Finish up by spreading a thin layer of compost over the entire area.


Keep the reseeded lawn area moist; the new seeds will sprout in seven to ten days. This is the ONLY time you need to water a lawn every day, keeping the seedbed evenly moist until the grass is up and growing. Then, set your sprinklers to come on for a period of time that's appropriate for the weather: two or three times a week during the hottest months; once a week during the cooler months when it doesn't rain. And turn off the system entirely during the rainy season.
         

After dethatching, aerating and overseeding, your lawn will look absolutely terrible. Do not fear.  

 By Thanksgiving, you will have the greenest lawn on the block!

The Inspiration for the Woolly Pocket?

Ever wonder where they got the idea for that plant container sensation, the Woolly Pocket?

Now, I'm just guessin', but.....

Now's the Time to Start the Winter Vegetable Garden

Do you want your family to eat healthy year-round? The healthiest, freshest foods are the fruits and vegetables you grow yourself. And in many areas of the West and South, the 365-day vegetable garden is easy to achieve. And now, summer, is the time to be planting the seeds and transplants for the vegetables your family will enjoy throughout the fall, winter and following spring.

Although we are still in mid-summer, this is the time to start your winter vegetable garden here in Northern California, as well as other mild-winter areas around the state and the nation. Most of this  planting can be done during the milder months of September and October (along with mid-August for some winter crops). For specific crop planting times for the various areas of California, refer to the UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center.

The winter garden bed should have many of the same characteristics as the summer garden: 

a sunny and level location close to the house;

a convenient water source; 

and, soil that drains easily. 

     Because of possible heavy rains in winter, raised beds can solve that drainage problem for homeowners living with clay soil. Mix in other soil amendments, such as compost and manure, to improve crop production in the foggy, wet, cold days that await.

     For foothill gardeners, a raised bed with wooden sides has an added benefit. Those structures can support a hinged, translucent top, such as glass, polyethelene or fiberglass…an instant cold frame to protect winter vegetables from low temperatures or heavy wind and rain.

     Starting vegetables in the heat of the summer, especially from seed, requires a consistently moist seedbed until the plants are up and growing. An automatic garden watering system, such as a battery operated timer that attaches to a faucet, can ease that process.

      Here are some of the winter vegetable varieties that do well in Northern California, how much room to leave between the plants in each row, and how much to plant for a family of four (with moderate appetites):

Artichokes: A bit of a challenge in the interior valleys. Easy to grow in coastal areas. Plant from roots, not seed. Green Globe; 4 feet apart; 5-10 plants.

Broccoli: Green Goliath, Green Duke, Waltham 29; 10 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Brussels sprouts: Jade Cross Hybrid; 24 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Cabbage: Earliana, Copenhagen Market, Savoy King, Burpee Hybrid; 24 inches apart;15 plants. 

Cauliflower: Snowcrown, Snowball Y, Purple Head; 24 inches apart; 15 plants.

Carrots: Nantes or Danvers half long, Short n' Sweet; 2 inches apart; 25 foot row.

Chinese cabbage: Michili, Pak Choi; 6 inches apart; 10 foot row.

Garlic: California Late, California Early, Elephant Garlic; 6 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Kale: Dwarf Blue Curled Vates, Dwarf Curled Scotch; 10 inches apart; 12 plants.

Kohlrabi: Early White Vienna, Sweet Vienna;  3 inches apart; 10 foot row.

Loose leaf lettuce: Ruby, Bibb, Salad Bowl, Green Ice;  6 inches apart; 15 foot row.

Peas: Mammoth Melting Sugar, Sugar Ann, Sugar Snap. 2 inches apart; 5 foot row.

Onions: Stockton Red, Stockton Yellow, Walla Walla, Texas White; 4 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Radish: Champion, Watermelon, Crimson Giant, Cherry Belle; 5 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Rutabaga: Victoria, Valentine, Strawberry; 3 inches apart; 15 foot row.

Spinach: Melody Hybrid, America, Bloomsdale Long Standing; 6 inches apart; 15 foot row.

Turnips: Purple Top White Globe, Shogoin (greens); 2 inches apart; 10 foot row.

Perennial Vegetables that need a lot of room:

Asparagus: Mary Washington, UC72, UC157, 500w; 12 inches apart; 20 foot row.

Rhubarb: Victoria, German Wine, Crimson Cherry; 2 feet apart ; 20 foot row.

It's Crop Rotation Time! Do You Have Room?

    August is a confusing time for many California gardeners. The tomatoes, peppers, beans, melons, etc. are just reaching their harvesting peak. And yet, August is the best time for starting the winter vegetable garden! 

     Among the vegetable seeds that can be sown during August and September here in California's Central Valley: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, endive, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, head lettuce, mustard, onion seed, white potatoes, radish, rutabaga and brussels sprouts. In September, many of those same crops can be planted in the garden from transplants from the nursery, including leaf lettuce (leaf lettuce seed goes dormant in warm soil this time of year).

     The problem is, where are you going to plant them?

     With a crop rotation plan, the problem is solved. By having a series of garden planting areas, one or more areas can lay dormant (fallow) from late spring through mid-summer. Then, in August-September, you'll have the room for the winter veggies, while still harvesting your summer bounty from the other beds. For best results, any fallow bed, including any bare beds in the winter, should have a cover crop or compost, to replenish the soil with nutrients.

Rotate Crops Clockwise

      

     Another advantage of having a series of garden beds in the same area: each crop can be irrigated according to its specific needs. For example, as onions and garlic mature in May, watering should be reduced. But that is also the time that summer crops such as tomato and pepper plants need regular watering. An automatic irrigation system, such as battery operated timers that attach to outdoor water faucets, can customize the amount of water for each bed. In the circular garden, the water faucets can be centrally located in the middle for ease of operation.

     Why rotate your backyard garden crops? Many of the plants that are in the same "family group" have diseases in common. Many of these diseases are difficult, or impossible, to control using chemicals. The best solution for disease control is crop rotation. 


     Also, choose resistant varieties of vegetables to help thwart diseases. For example, tomatoes with a "V" "F" and/or "N" after their names indicates resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt and nematodes. 


     For crops with no resistant varieties, choose those varieties that are meant to grow in the area you live. And, it helps to spread an inch or two of compost over all your garden beds before you plant each year.

CROP ROTATION FOR THE HOME GARDEN

YEAR 1

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard

YEAR 2

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn

YEAR 3

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans

YEAR 4

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots

YEAR 5

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.	Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant

YEAR 6

BED 1	BED 2	BED 3	BED 4	BED 5	BED 6
Tomato Pepper Okra Potato Eggplant	Onions Garlic Beets Carrots	Peas Beans	Squash Pumpkins Melons Cucumbers Corn	Cabbage, Lettuce Spinach, Radish Turnip, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard	Spread compost. Plant a cover crop.

ANNUAL COVER CROPS FOR CALIFORNIA

Warm Weather: Buckwheat, cowpeas, soybeans, black eye peas.

Cool Weather: bell or fava beans, winter peas, vetch, clover.