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Second Season Tips
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Fall is a second spring here in the Bay Area. It’s the best time to tuck in new perennials, just as the rain comes. Time also to clean up and discard debris that could harbor diseases. Best of all, it’s time to mulch your garden and plant winter veggies.
Mulch
Mulch is the single greatest and best-kept secret for virtually carefree gardening. It adds organic matter to your soil, strangles weeds and keeps the soil moist -- a very good thing for busy people who live where it’s dry. Here are a few tips on common types of mulch:
Leaves
Leaves, straight from the rake or shredded, work well. Lawn clippings (with NO herbicides) should be used sparingly. If the clippings are still green, don’t spread them too thick -- they’ll decompose into green slime (put what’s left over into your composter). Simply spread the clippings out to dry first.
Straw
Straw makes great mulch. It is usually possible to pick up bales free or fairly cheap ($4 to $7 is reasonable) from nurseries and pumpkin retail stands after Halloween. Feed stores also carry straw.
To apply, break the bale, grab a hunk and shake it out to somewhere between four to ten inches deep.
Cocoa Bean Hulls
Cocoa bean hulls are another great mulch material. They can develop a whitish mold but will not harm plants. Cocoa hulls may also form a hard crust, but this can be crumbled by your hands -- the plants will be fine. The easiest way to apply cocoa bean hulls is to put the dry hulls in a bucket, mix with water and spread the wet hulls two inches to three inches deep on top of the soil.
Be judicious with wood chips or bark mulch! They are decorative, but this type of mulch breaks down very slowly and doesn’t provide the soil with much nourishment.
Most planting times are approximate and somewhat flexible. We have many micro climates in the Bay Area, so experiment! Some of the plants listed below are meant to be planted as transplants. September is the time to plant your own seeds.
From October thru November, plant artichoke roots, lettuce, cabbage seeds, onions, fava beans, peas, garlic / shallots, strawberries, sweetpeas, snapdragons. Many of these also look lovely enough to plant in flower beds.
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- Hardware Hotline September, 2008
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