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torquillOkay, my brain is turning to mush and I need a cheat sheet. So, right here where everyone can use it, thus:
Central Contra Costa vegetable growing seasons
Central and East Contra Costa and the inland areas (like Livermore) have more heat and more cold than what most people think of as the Bay Area. It means we can't plant all summer -- things fry -- and we do lose some things to frost in the winter. So here's a specialized guide to planting veggies in our particular microclimate.
Winter/Spring: (plant in February/March)
Beets
Potatoes
Cilantro
Dill
Summer: (plant or transplant late March through late May)
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Potatoes
Tomatillo/Ground Cherries
Sweet Potatoes/Yams (start slips in January)
Summer Squash (zucchini)
Winter Squash (pumpkins et al)
Melons
Cucumbers
Beans (dry, shelling, and snap)
Corn
Okra
Basil
Fall (to overwinter): (September through November)
Carrots (plant in August)
Peas (plant in September)
Parsnips, Turnips, Rutabaga
Celery/Celeriac
Collards, Kale, Mustard Greens, etc.
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Kohlrabi, Radishes
Garlic (plant in September)
Onions (plant in early November)
Shallots
Leeks
Fennel
Spinach
Chard
Lettuce (sow seeds when temps drop below 80)
Endive, Escarole, all those fancy salad greens
Bok Choy
Salsify
Parsley
The difference between a Spring and a Fall veggie is that the former needs warm temperatures to mature, while the latter needs a long spell of cool temperatures. Carrots like warm weather to grow in, but need cold to sweeten up. Onion relatives need cool weather to extend their bulbing period. Meanwhile, beets tolerate frost, but do very little about fattening their roots until things turn warm, and cilantro can't handle frost but bolts in the heat.
Yes, potatoes are there twice. They could be there three times. In this climate, it's hard to find enough of a dormant period to harvest the darn things.
While winter here isn't very cold, the inland areas get light frosts, which is enough to wipe out all of the summer veggies. Some years the interlude between 90+ degree heat and frost warning is about two or three weeks, and spring does the same in reverse. Unfortunately, that period of 70 degree weather is what some crops like best.
Central Contra Costa vegetable growing seasons
Central and East Contra Costa and the inland areas (like Livermore) have more heat and more cold than what most people think of as the Bay Area. It means we can't plant all summer -- things fry -- and we do lose some things to frost in the winter. So here's a specialized guide to planting veggies in our particular microclimate.
Winter/Spring: (plant in February/March)
Beets
Potatoes
Cilantro
Dill
Summer: (plant or transplant late March through late May)
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Potatoes
Tomatillo/Ground Cherries
Sweet Potatoes/Yams (start slips in January)
Summer Squash (zucchini)
Winter Squash (pumpkins et al)
Melons
Cucumbers
Beans (dry, shelling, and snap)
Corn
Okra
Basil
Fall (to overwinter): (September through November)
Carrots (plant in August)
Peas (plant in September)
Parsnips, Turnips, Rutabaga
Celery/Celeriac
Collards, Kale, Mustard Greens, etc.
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Kohlrabi, Radishes
Garlic (plant in September)
Onions (plant in early November)
Shallots
Leeks
Fennel
Spinach
Chard
Lettuce (sow seeds when temps drop below 80)
Endive, Escarole, all those fancy salad greens
Bok Choy
Salsify
Parsley
The difference between a Spring and a Fall veggie is that the former needs warm temperatures to mature, while the latter needs a long spell of cool temperatures. Carrots like warm weather to grow in, but need cold to sweeten up. Onion relatives need cool weather to extend their bulbing period. Meanwhile, beets tolerate frost, but do very little about fattening their roots until things turn warm, and cilantro can't handle frost but bolts in the heat.
Yes, potatoes are there twice. They could be there three times. In this climate, it's hard to find enough of a dormant period to harvest the darn things.
While winter here isn't very cold, the inland areas get light frosts, which is enough to wipe out all of the summer veggies. Some years the interlude between 90+ degree heat and frost warning is about two or three weeks, and spring does the same in reverse. Unfortunately, that period of 70 degree weather is what some crops like best.
