City Diggs - Gardening in Orangevale, CA: Fall Planting

I think it's safe to say that Fall is here in Sacatomatoes. We've had mild days in the mid 80's and I think the triple digits are done for the year. A couple of weeks ago I did a mass clean-up of the garden and removed most of the green beans and squash. I double dug the raised beds they were occupying and added a mixture of chicken and cow manure, compost, blood and bone meal. Of course after that I had to keep the scavenging dogs out of the garden. I swear it's guaranteed if it smells (stinky) they want to eat it. Earlier this week I had forgotten about the dogs appetite for blood meal and planted one of the Collard Trees outside the garden in what I thought was a perfect spot with the usual side dressing of blood meal. I came home that evening and my husband had mowed the the lawn (which was great). He commented on my usual lack of pulling weeds and then asked why I was digging holes in the yard instead of pulling weeds. "What hole?"!!!!. There where my precious Collard Tree (the one I had waited 4 weeks to be delivered from Bountiful Gardens) was a huge hole. Not a small hole, but a hole about the depth and diameter to plant a 5 gallon bush in. The Collard Tree cutting was only about the size of a pencil. I must admit, I did briefly consider dogslaughter and various types of torture techniques. Amongst the pile of dirt I found my poor little cutting actually unharmed (unlike those two heathen dogs when I got my hands on them). Moral of the story...don't forget about your garden predators even in the "off" planting season.

So, back to the Collard Trees. I had been hearing about these trees from my family for the last year and thought I'd try them out when I received a notice from one of my nurseries that they had them in. I received 3 cuttings in the mail wrapped in damp newspaper. Very unimpressive to say the least. I wasn't quite sure where I was going to plant these so I put them in water in a window. After a few days they began to sprout leaves and I realized I'd need to move pretty quickly to find a home for these. My sister asked that I give one to her, so I placed this one in a small pot. The others, I planted on eastern side of the house in a pretty shaded area. It is my understanding that these guys are not overly fond on scorching sun. I also staked them for added security. So we'll see how they come along.

The last time I posted, I was going back and forth on whether or not I'd have a fall/winter garden. I've got a lot of things going on right now and the last thing I needed to do was add something else to my plate. So, of course I started a new garden, lol. Ok, what had happened was...

I was driving along Sunrise Blvd. minding my own business, when I came across a Capitol Nursery. We had one near our old house in Elk Grove, but I didn't realize there was one close to us here in Orangevale. I decided to look in and have a looksy, just a peek. I didn't even grab a basket. I needed some fertilizer for the plum tree anyway. I slowly strolled along the rows of flowering shrubs, bushes and trees (you know everything that's usually in a nursery) and way in the back I found the veggie and herb section, which I expected to be pretty bare. But no, they've got rows of lettuces, greens, artichokes, cauliflower, broccoli and much much and they were all so happy and healthy looking. As I perused this bounty, a winter garden began to seem appealing again, so...

Ha, you thought I went crazy and bought up the place didn't you? Well I didn't. I had all of these seeds at home and would plant them instead of purchasing the plants. Amazingly enough I walked out with only my fertilizer. Proud of myself in fact.

Ok, so I did go and buy the plants. Yeah yeah I know, don't judge me. Anyyyyyway...So, yes I planted a fall garden and yes I did buy the plants instead of starting them from seed. So sue me. I justify both by saying I am making sure my family has healthy food while saving myself time by buying the plants.

The fall garden line up: