EBOOK
The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California
Geri Galian MillerSeries: Regional Vegetable Gardening(0)
About
Grow your own food in the Golden State!
There is nothing more regionally specific than vegetable gardening-what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are decisions based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California, by regional expert Geri Miller, focuses on the unique eccentricities of California's gardening calendar, which include extreme temperatures and low rainfall. The month-by-month format makes it perfect for beginners and accessible to everyone-gardeners can start gardening the month they pick it up. This Timber Press Guide features an A–Z section that profiles the 50 vegetables, fruits, and herbs that grow best in Southern California and provides basic care and maintenance for each.
Certified master gardener and horticulturist Geri Galian Miller is the founder of Home Grown Edible Landscapes. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and author of her own blog, GroEdibles. Preface
If you're reading this book, you've been blessed to live in the southern part of the Golden State. As diverse a map of topography as it is a map of humanity, Southern California provides vastly different gardening experiences for all 16.5 million of us (that's 43% of the population of the entire state). From the beautiful inland valleys, with their blistering summer heat and potential winter frosts, to the glorious coastal plains, where temperatures rarely reach the extremes of the thermometer, we relish gardening here in USDA zones 9 to 11, and all the a's and b's in between. This book will cover our territory and its various growing regions, starting with the Pacific Coast north of Santa Barbara, at San Luis Obispo, east to just south of Bakersfield, then along the San Gabriel Mountains to San Bernardino and south into San Diego.
Yes, SoCal has it all. Sun and surf, heat and freezes, wind, snow and-well, just a little rain thrown in here and there. Most wonderful of all, though, is that most of us can grow something edible in our gardens 365 glorious days a year! This isn't to say that this near gardening nirvana isn't without its challenges, however. We gardeners still need to develop skills beyond composting. We need to learn how to take our cues from the increasingly unpredictable seasonal shifts that occur here, and be ready to anticipate and deal with the impact of drought and periodic heavy rain on the way we grow food. And what food it is! Our cultural diversity allows us each to share the uniquely personal experience of growing what was familiar to us and our parents and grandparents with our neighbors or fellow community gardeners, and vice versa. It is no surprise then that edible gardens bring people together around food.
Whether you are brand new to gardening or just in need of a refresher, the format of this book makes it easy for you to learn about our unique SoCal growing region, and how climate zones, topography, and changing weather patterns affect our gardening experiences. Included are a primer on the basic tenets of organic gardening, with tips and tricks about planning and planting; a month-to-month guide that delivers practical advice about what you can expect-and do-each month; and, the heart of the matter, Edibles A to Z. A seasoned gardener's mantra is "know what you grow." The Edibles A to Z section gives you everything you'll need to know to successfully grow your tried-and-true favorites and a few new ones that will surprise you! Agretti, dragonfruit, or fenugreek, anyone?
Food security, economic pressures, self-sufficiency, healthier eating, tastier eating, reducing your carbon footprint, family togetherness, community spirit, exercise, stress relief, a landscape that is both beautiful and productive-whatever your reason for choosing to begin your edible gardening adventure, you've joined an incredible group of like-minded folks! Natural nurturers, we ed
There is nothing more regionally specific than vegetable gardening-what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are decisions based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California, by regional expert Geri Miller, focuses on the unique eccentricities of California's gardening calendar, which include extreme temperatures and low rainfall. The month-by-month format makes it perfect for beginners and accessible to everyone-gardeners can start gardening the month they pick it up. This Timber Press Guide features an A–Z section that profiles the 50 vegetables, fruits, and herbs that grow best in Southern California and provides basic care and maintenance for each.
Certified master gardener and horticulturist Geri Galian Miller is the founder of Home Grown Edible Landscapes. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and author of her own blog, GroEdibles. Preface
If you're reading this book, you've been blessed to live in the southern part of the Golden State. As diverse a map of topography as it is a map of humanity, Southern California provides vastly different gardening experiences for all 16.5 million of us (that's 43% of the population of the entire state). From the beautiful inland valleys, with their blistering summer heat and potential winter frosts, to the glorious coastal plains, where temperatures rarely reach the extremes of the thermometer, we relish gardening here in USDA zones 9 to 11, and all the a's and b's in between. This book will cover our territory and its various growing regions, starting with the Pacific Coast north of Santa Barbara, at San Luis Obispo, east to just south of Bakersfield, then along the San Gabriel Mountains to San Bernardino and south into San Diego.
Yes, SoCal has it all. Sun and surf, heat and freezes, wind, snow and-well, just a little rain thrown in here and there. Most wonderful of all, though, is that most of us can grow something edible in our gardens 365 glorious days a year! This isn't to say that this near gardening nirvana isn't without its challenges, however. We gardeners still need to develop skills beyond composting. We need to learn how to take our cues from the increasingly unpredictable seasonal shifts that occur here, and be ready to anticipate and deal with the impact of drought and periodic heavy rain on the way we grow food. And what food it is! Our cultural diversity allows us each to share the uniquely personal experience of growing what was familiar to us and our parents and grandparents with our neighbors or fellow community gardeners, and vice versa. It is no surprise then that edible gardens bring people together around food.
Whether you are brand new to gardening or just in need of a refresher, the format of this book makes it easy for you to learn about our unique SoCal growing region, and how climate zones, topography, and changing weather patterns affect our gardening experiences. Included are a primer on the basic tenets of organic gardening, with tips and tricks about planning and planting; a month-to-month guide that delivers practical advice about what you can expect-and do-each month; and, the heart of the matter, Edibles A to Z. A seasoned gardener's mantra is "know what you grow." The Edibles A to Z section gives you everything you'll need to know to successfully grow your tried-and-true favorites and a few new ones that will surprise you! Agretti, dragonfruit, or fenugreek, anyone?
Food security, economic pressures, self-sufficiency, healthier eating, tastier eating, reducing your carbon footprint, family togetherness, community spirit, exercise, stress relief, a landscape that is both beautiful and productive-whatever your reason for choosing to begin your edible gardening adventure, you've joined an incredible group of like-minded folks! Natural nurturers, we ed