Winter greenhouse gardening in the SF Bay Area
noahj
13 years ago
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13 years agoRelated Discussions
Planting Mysore in SF bay area
Comments (2)Hi I would put it in the ground asap. Put it in a spot with good sun and drainage and add as much organic matter as you can then mulch it to hold in the moisture. Keep it moist not wet and you will be fine. Once it starts putting out new leaves fertilize it regularly as long as the temp stays above 70. A nice pile of leaves around the base will be all you need for your freeze days. Your challenge will be water once it gets going... this forum is almost dead go to bananas.org if you need more support......See MoreVitex in SF Bay Area - East Bay
Comments (3)Vitex grows well enough here in the SF Bay Area, but has never been all that popular of a shrub on the bay side of the hills. It tends to be a lot more popular where one gets hot summers and cold winters. In fact, I would say it is probably more popularly seen in places like Palm Springs or Arizona than here. There are a few wholesale nurseries that do grow Vitex, but not the cultivars you mention. Mail order will probably be the best source. Just as an aside, not all natives are deer proof, and alot of the Ceanothus in particular are deer food. You might also consider some of the South African succulents; both drought tolerant and often deer proof. Cotyledon orbiculata in particular, and also many of the Aloes, although they will sometimes eat the flowers off Aloes. You might get good information on most deer resistant and drought tolerant natives to select from at the natives nursery at Tilden Park. This is close enough to you that the deer resistance of particular plants would be meaningful......See MoreSF bay area winter vegetables: suggestions please
Comments (5)My buddy lives in Belmont (great microclimate). Me, I'm in Los Altos. Well, onions for sure. Buy sets from the big boxes and you will be in onions in the Spring. Great for dinner every night. Let's see, I paid ~ 6 bucks for 180 onion bulbs. 3 cents an onion? Can't beat that. Potatoes go in in February (cause that's when nurseries get them in...Wegman's in Redwood City). Ornamental Kale is good for color and form (better than good actually). Peas, yes. If you like Fava Beans, yes (highly recommended and a good soil refresher too...roots add nitrogen). As always, if you want to give the soil in your bins a rest and refresh, plant some cover crops now. Rye, vetch, or clover are good ones. Seeds in small quantities can be bought at Common Ground in Palo Alto. They have varieties of Fava seeds there too. I gotta go there soon actually....See MoreOne problem with tropical fruit growing in the SF bay area+nor cal.
Comments (1)And the likely reason the plants are sold in small sizes at the local nurseries is because they all have to go in a greenhouse during the winter, and can't be left outside. sort of a catch-22. Tropical trees growing in small containers are a lot more vulnerable to cold because there is no insulation to keep the roots from getting as cold as the outside air. It's not as practical for the nursery to store so many big sized plants in their limited inside space. You are indeed right, that is probably the reason gardeners in sub-cold climates have generally not had success with tropical fruits; young plants are more vulnerable and not able to tolerate the winters....See MoreDick_Sonia
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