Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Garden Guru Emilio "Elmo" Telles at the Armstrong's Garden Centers in Glendale August 4, 2012
Now’s the time to get those winter veggies ready to start! I have people coming in wanting to buy pepper and tomato seeds and I immediately show them what they should be planting now.
Here in SoCal we have mild enough”winters” to start our cool season seeds this early.
Green and root vegetables will do fine in our winters.
Here are some seeds to start now. Remember the hot days might be a risk for starter plants (cool season) you’ll find growing at your nursery. That is kinda risky with the heat still kicking this month.
So don’t let those rainy and cold mornings fool you.
Here is what I am recommending for you seed planters out there.
Salad greens(lettuce, mesclun, arugula endive)
Asian greens(pak choi,napa cabbage, shiso)
Root crops radishes, beets, turnips, rutabagas, carrots)
Also try sweet peas (non-edible — sweet pea seeds and flowers are poisonous), snow peas, lima beans, broccoli, cauliflower.
Staring from seeds also allows you to have a more variety to choose from than wholesale grown starter plants.
Seeds can be stored in a cool dry place for two years with still a good germination rate.
Here’s the real trick—-
Mark your calender so you know when your crop will be happening and “stagger” the plantings so you have the plants producing over a longer period of time.
Now here’s the most asked question(s)
How deep do the seeds have to be planted?
When do they sprout?
How far a part to plant them when transplanting them?
If you get them from a reputable nursery and quality seed company you will see the answers to your questions right on the back of the seed packages. How cool is that?
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Emilio “Elmo” Telles is a garden expert at Armstrongs Garden Centers 5816 San Fernando Road, Glendale 91202.
