Southern California has the good fortune of having a climate mild enough to grow edibles year round. In springtime the cool season vegetables will finish cropping while the spring and summer crops are still being planted. Here are some tips for organizing your vegetable garden spring cleaning.
- If you did not grow winter crops and your vegetable garden has rested over the winter, this is a good time to dig in lots of compost and remove all weeds. Then you are ready to seed or set in small plants.
- Check, test and repair any irrigation breaks or leaks. If you aren’t using drip irrigation, this is a perfect time to install an efficient watering system like drip, soaker hoses or low volume sprinklers.
- If you did grow winter edibles and some of your garden is still being used, plant small areas to germinate summer vegetables for transplanting when there is more room available in the garden. Most vegetables transplant well when young. Root crops are an exception: don't plant beets, carrots, radishes and other root crops anywhere other than where they will grow and mature.
- Keep pulling out those weeds while they are small.
- As you clean and plan your spring garden, this is the perfect time to make changes. If you haven’t yet built a raised vegetable garden this may be a good time to add one to your landscape. You will better control pests, save your back from too much bending and you can fill it with the perfect soil instead of fighting with the lean soils in Southern California.
- Spring cleaning is time to remove all the dead leaves and rubbish that builds up in the garden after the winter and late Santa Ana winds.
- Keep a close watch for any sign of insect pests. They’ll be much easier to remove if you get them before they get established.
- It’s also a good time to try something different like some unusual colored vegetables, some less common edibles or to see how you can work the more ornamental fruits and vegetables into your regular garden for the double duty of beauty and practicality.
Vegetable gardening will go better with some planning, designing and some good spring cleaning here in Southern California.
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