When
is the busiest time of the year for you in the
garden? If you answered March, April or May — you're
a typical gardener.
You may even be an avid gardener. Certainly, most of
our gardens reach their floral peak during these
spring months. Gardens and springtime just seem to
go together.
But if you answered that
October and November are your busiest gardening
times, more likely than not, you're an excellent and
experienced gardener. Certainly, you're a smart
gardener.
Contrary to popular belief, fall — and not spring —
is the best time to plant in all parts of Orange
County. Fall planting is appropriate here, where we
enjoy a mild Mediterranean climate of dry, sunny
summers and wet but mild winters.
Yes, spring is a tempting time to plant. In spring,
gardens are glowing with flowers and nurseries are
overflowing with healthy and colorful temptations.
Fortunately, in Orange County gardeners can get away
with planting almost any time of the year, but there
is a best time, and this is it.
There are many reasons why the months of October and
November are the best for landscape planting, as
well as garden re-do's.
A plant set into the ground over the next eight
weeks has the hot days of summer behind it, the
likelihood of moist winter rains ahead and
still-warm soil to encourage immediate and deep root
growth.
In fact, fall soil temperatures in Orange County are
as much as five degrees warmer than the same soil in
spring. Warm soil is a key to quick root growth,
while cool soil discourages rooting.
During the fall months in Orange County, the top
growth of most plants will begin to slow down, but
the root systems are continuing to grow.
In fact, in Southern California the root systems of
many plants actually contract during summer. Rather
than expanding into additional soil, summer roots
systems may become smaller and less active.
This is especially true with many plants of
Mediterranean origins, including most of our native
plants.
In fall though, the root systems of these same
plants are expanding quickly — in some cases, very
quickly. Root development is enhanced by the plant's
opportunity to start establishing itself without the
added pressure of supporting a flush of spring leaf
growth.
There is no other time of the year that offers a
better planting opportunity than fall. Most shrubs,
vines, groundcovers, trees, California natives,
bulbs, perennials and lawns planted now will root
thoroughly during the fall and winter months with
very little attention.
Water use is conserved with fall planting, as well.
As the days grow shorter and the nights longer,
newly installed plants will transpire much less
water through their leaves than at other times of
the year, therefore requiring less watering.
New feeder roots grow quickly into the warm soil,
and the deep soaking winter rains will encourage
these roots to penetrate the soil quickly and
deeply.
There are few exceptions to our fall planting rule,
the most obvious one being true tropical plants. The
warm climate, heat-loving tropical plants from
equatorial regions of the world are usually better
planted in late spring or summer when the days are
long and the temperatures are high.
Wait until next year to plant citrus, plumeria,
bananas, palms and other tropicals. But for just
about everything else, this is planting time.
The gardening year begins now in Southern
California, not in six more months like most of the
rest of the continent. Orange County gardens would
be better off with much more fall planting.
The day may never come when all local gardeners
abide by the fall-is-for-planting principle, but the
best, most experienced gardeners already know this.
They're probably in their gardens planting right now
— too busy to be reading this.
RON VANDERHOFF
ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and
the expert nursery staff at Roger's Gardens will
come up with an answer. Please include your name,
phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words
or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@ rogersgardens.com,
or send to Plant Talk at Roger's Gardens, 2301 San
Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.
With all the news about spinach in the supermarket,
I think I'm ready to start growing my own. What's
the season for growing garden spinach?
RUTH
Costa Mesa
I don't blame you. You're like thousands of other
people around the country who are turning to
home-grown spinach and other produce as a healthy
alternative.
Fortunately for you, spinach season is just
beginning here, and now is the perfect time to get
started. Spinach can be planted from either seed or
small transplants bought from a nursery. Just
provide a sunny location and your first harvest can
be in as little as three or four weeks.
Since spinach is such a quick and easy crop, it is
best to plant in two-week intervals to ensure fresh
greens continuously.
