I wasn't expecting the fava beans would actually sprout, given that they looked like this and were harvested in 2013. Nonetheless, it appears favas are quite resilient. It's been cold for southern California (overnight of 38F) but I think they will do fine.
Gardening as metaphor ~ from my coastal Southern California community garden ~ a gardening blog
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
California poppy seedlings emerging
Here's one of my California poppy seedlings, here this year strictly on a volunteer basis. Even better, I don't water them at all, and so they are the drought tolerant part of my winter garden.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Still hanging in there
This is a Black Krim and could literally be my last tomato. It continues to hang in there despite the cooler weather and the rain. Here it is from another angle.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Fava beans for the winter garden
I also planted a few fava beans (sorry, no photo of the planting but there isn't much to see). The fava beans were collected 2013; last night I soaked them. I plan to plant more in the next few months. I generally plant fava beans where I have had the summer tomato plants as part of my crop rotation system. I have planted them earlier in previous years.
Black chile peppers harvested before the storm
It appears there are a lot of storm drama going as southern California prepares for the biggest rain storm since 2009. For my part, I figured it was about time to gather up the rest of the black chile peppers, the chile negro peppers. They are now in the oven, slowly drying at 140 F, protocol from The Ultimate Guide to Drying Chile Peppers.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
So when do I harvest these guys?
I seriously do not know if I have yams or sweet potatoes but if anyone can tell from this bloom, feel free to holler. This would be the last harvest left in my garden. I don't know when to harvest them. I have had this dilemma two years ago.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
So I ate it (the tomato, that is)
Black Krim. This is not the last one. There is still another one hanging in there. But seriously, it is getting cooler. We are getting rain. Definitely it is time to think about next season. I will probably start the tomatoes February or March, indoors, of course, in a few months.