The heat has been on here in Southern California with temps in the high 90's and low 100's for pretty much the entire month of July and the garden is definitely showing the stress of it.
I have been in defensive mode out there just trying to keep up with the watering and deadheading without giving a thought to putting in any new flowers or preparing the side lot for my fall/winter edible garden.
As much as I swore i wouldn't, I have decided to tuck in a veggie garden along the western side of our property. In order to best prepare the area, including amending soil, building a series of raised beds and wired arbors for both climbing and shade cloth support, I have decided to remove every living thing from the soil and start from scratch.
(I will leave the grapevines against the sunroom because they have finally started producing but will be building new support for them when they go dormant this winter.)
I am finding that while Northern gardens have those long, cold winter months to plan and dream as their gardens sleep under a blanket of snow, we Western gardeners tend to go into planning mode when the heat keeps us inside from 9:00 a.m. on, during the peak summer months of July and August.
So plan I do. I have started a seed list, nothing crazy or long because my space is limited just a few different varieties of things we love to eat and cook with including greens, carrots, radishes, beets and broccoli for fall/winter harvest.
Am I forgetting any of your cool season favorites? Please share them in the comments along with how you like to consume them. Because I want to eat healthier, I am determined to make this years veggie plot a success or die trying!
xo, Patty
If you haven't seen our backyard renovation, I've included the link to July's garden tour which includes the perennial flower beds. The rest can be found on my gardening playlist over on YouTube. While you're there, I'd love to have you subscribe.
