The Ripe Promise of July in the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
The first full moon of summer hung in our night skies last weekend - ripe with the promise of the coming full summer season. After our long, cool and damp spring, the North State is slowly heating up - but again nice and slow - the heat so far is being almost gentle with us. With the long spring and easy entry into summer, wildflowers generally associated with spring on the valley flower have given us an extended show, we have enjoyed spring vegetables a little longer as well, and the summer vegetables are are also beginning to show their ripe promise. I have not had a ripe tomato from my garden yet, but my green ones give me much to look forward to and my basil, cucumbers and squash are coming in nicely. Photo: Native Collinsia in bloom in Upper Bidwell Park, late June.
In the edible farm and garden report David Grau of Valley Oak tool and the Chico Organic Gardening Class series writes that “July is the time to work up soil for planting your early winter crops out in August. He points out that cool season crops like broccoli, cabbage, beets, spinach, and onions often go to seed instead of producing a crop in our climate often because they were planting too late the fall before. We don’t naturally think of planting cool season vegetables in July or especially August, but that is the best time. September is too late. Transplants should be planted in early to mid August here in the north valley. The plants need a lot of sunlight to size up before the days turn short and cool in October and November. If you get your plants in late, they will overwinter, but in the spring when they start to grow, they go directly to seed instead of producing nice big heads of broccoli. Broccoli raab is grown for the leaves and small florets, but you won’t get much if the plant is put in late.” Photo: Ripening plums, late June. (more…)


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