The grand finale! After six agonizing weeks of coaxing and coddling our baby sprouts into sturdy seedlings, can it be the right time to put them in the ground? Getting to know your own garden site and microclimate can feel like a daunting task, but you will have to become your own weatherman and landscape designer.
LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS
I learned the practice of site assessment while a student in the Master Gardener Program at Cornell University. One of the professors, Charlie Mazza, offered us this advice: “Tell your new gardeners to look up in the sky!”
His book, “Site Assessment for Better Gardens and Landscapes,” available on the Cornell University website, takes you through all the steps of getting to know your yard and growing conditions.
Mazza advises all home gardeners to begin by standing in the yard just after sunrise to locate where the sunlight falls on the ground. Is it dappled sun, full sun, partial shade or full shade? Repeat this process two more times during the day, at noon and at 5 p.m. Is there a spot that has full sun without overhanging trees or buildings that produce shade? This is the perfect spot for most vegetables, and this is where you want to begin your raised bed or container garden.
GET TO KNOW YOUR MICROCLIMATE
Observing your microclimate involves recording site temperature and humidity levels. North County has extremely unpredictable weather. We can only observe that there might be bright sun in the morning in Vista with a temperature of 76 degrees, and if we drive to Carlsbad, we see the marine layer hanging over the coastline with a temperature of 69 degrees!
The point of all this observation is that, most likely, areas within 2-3 miles of the ocean will not receive enough bright sunlight for the required number of hours to produce the perfect beefsteak tomato. Instead, I opt for the miniature tomatoes (million bells, grape, yellow pear) or Italian Roma varieties.
Other vegetables, such as peppers, greens, herbs and all types of squash, will grow in most areas of North County. With daytime temperatures of 69-70 degrees, it is time to plant. Whether you have grown your vegetable and herb seedlings yourself, or purchased them at a garden center, here are your instructions:
FACTORS IN TRANSPLANTING
• CHOOSE YOUR PLANTING DAY WISELY – The day should not be a clear, sunny, breezy “beach day,” but instead rather gloomy! A damp, drizzly and warm day is what you are hoping for.
• PEPPERS AND HERBS – Plants with upright stems and two sets of healthy leaves, such as peppers or basil, need a deep hole with compost added to the bottom of the hole. The hole itself should be at least a few inches deeper than the pot in which it is planted. Tap the plant gently out of its pot, and place in the hole, making sure to water each plant individually. Don’t hold off to water the entire row, since they dry out quickly. If you are using a peat pot or peat pods, loosen the peat walls, or remove entirely. In the case of the peat pods, you can loosen or remove the netting, with care taken not to disturb the roots.
• SQUASH FAMILY – Our Senior Community Garden members have had great success in starting many varieties of the squash family from seed. After three weeks of growth from seed, the hardy summer squash, winter squash, mini pumpkins and cucumbers are ready to go in the ground. If you have a raised bed that is at least 4 by 12 feet, with a grassy area in which the plants can roam, these fast-growing beauties will fill the bed and escape into your yard. Create four hills at the edge of the beds, dig a good-sized hole in the hill that is a few inches deeper than the squash in the pot. Add compost, place the pot in the hole and cover the base of the plant with more soil. You are creating something that looks like a moat, so the squash can spread its leaves without touching the ground. Be certain to water immediately, and feed with diluted fish emulsion during the first week.
• TOMATOES – Unlike all other vegetables when transplanted into the ground, the tomatoes need a shallow trench dug for planting day. Prune lower leaves of the young seedling and plant the stem so only top leaves are above ground. This allows the roots to grow underground and the upper stem to grow taller and sturdier. Water as with other vegetables and fertilize with fish emulsion in first week. Be sure to give it a 3- to 4-foot cage to stabilize the stem.
Happy gardening!
Jano Nightingale a horticulturist and Master Gardener who teaches vegetable gardening at various sites in North County. Contact her for upcoming classes at [email protected].
