As summer draws to an end and the nights become cooler, residents of Santa Clarita can begin to plan and plant a winter vegetable garden. Thoughts of home-grown lettuce and peas offer encouragement to get out and prepare the vegetable garden.
If your yard does not have an area designated for a vegetable garden, consider creating one from a section of lawn or an unused side yard. All that is needed is soil and a sunny area. Even large containers set on a sunny patio will serve to grow many vegetables.
October is an ideal time to set out vegetable seedlings. Seeds can also be sown directly in the garden. Most local garden centers will be well stocked with a great variety of vegetable starts as soon as summer heat has passed.
Homemade compost, or bagged amendments should be added to the soil at the rate of six cubic feet per one hundred square feet of garden area. An organic fertilizer may also be applied at this time. The soil may be turned, amendments added, and plants planted all in the same day.
Cool season vegetables are relatively easy to grow. Lettuce, celery, cilantro, broccoli, cabbage, and peas are a few varieties that most home gardeners have success with. Root crops such as radishes, onions, garlic, and carrots also flourish with very little care. Most vegetables do fine with a deep watering several times a week. Fertilizer and insect control are probably the only additional expenditures needed after purchasing the plants.
So enjoy the fall weather, treat yourself with a trip to the local garden center, plant your vegetable garden, and reward yourself with fresh produce all winter long.
For additional information, consult the garden pros at Green Thumb Garden Center, 23734 Newhall Ave., Old Town Newhall.