We will continue to present Charles Ledgerwood’s recommended plantings for our area. Please check on the October post and comments for a little background on this wonderful man and his contributions to local gardeners.
I will leave up previous months posts for reference, you might want to copy them for yourselves. After we get a few up I will learn how to create an archive.
Here we go for November:
Vegetables (caps denote best plantings for the month)
BEETS, BROCCOLI, BRUSELL SPROUTS, CABBAGE, CARROTS, CELERY, CAULIFLOWER, ENDIVE, KALE, KOHLRABI, LEEK, LETTUCE, ONIONS, MUSTARD, PARSLEY, PEAS, PARSNIP, RADISH, RUTABAGA, SPINACH, SWISS CHARD, COLLARDS, TURNIPS AND FAVAS.
Recommended flower plantings are the same as for October.
One note, I wasted a couple of weeks in October planting marginal seeds, Charles was always adamant about using good seeds, in fact he has a list in his “Reliable Seeds” for seed storage times. I tried to use some older seeds of lettuce and beets, which when coupled with the Santa Ana conditions produced absolutely nothing. See his suggestions below.
Please share your experiences and thoughts with your neighbors, with comments here.
Flash Update
Seed storage; per Mr. Ledgerwood. You can save seeds accordingly (in ideal storage conditions):
- 1 year–Onion, Parsley, Parsnip and Salsify
- 2 years–Corn, Leek, Okra and Peppers
- 3 years–Asparagus, Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Celery, Peas, Chinese Cabbage, Kohl Rabi, Spinach, Limas and Chicory
- 4 years–Beet, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Chard, Egg Plant, Fennel, Kale, Mustard, Pumpkin, Rutabaga,, Squash,Turnip, Tomato and Watermelon
- 5 years–Collards, Cress, Cucumber, Endive, Cantaloupe, Radish and Lettuce.
Keep in mind as the temperature ranges seem to be shifting to the warm side later in the year, many crops, such as lettuce may not germinate in 70 degree F and warmer temperatures and the planting may have to be delayed beyond Mr. Ledgerwood’s suggestions , which were based on historical data that may not match current weather patterns.
Fire Mountain Garden Exchange 