San Diego is a great place for organic gardening. You have 2 great growing seasons for different types of produce.
Mild winters and sunny summers make it possible for San Diego residents to garden year round. Organic gardening is particularly beneficial to this ocean side community that is located between the beautiful ocean and the mountain peaks. Soil condition in San Diego can be an issue. Those in the higher elevations may find many rocks, and it will be necessary for most people to water their gardens often to keep soil from drying out.
Utilizing Rain Water to your Benefit
One of the most beneficial things gardeners can do is to accumulate rainwater in rain barrels and use it to their advantage. Rainfall in San Diego is often spotty. The majority of rainfall happens in January, February and March, while summers are likely to be to be quite dry, especially the months of June, July and August. It is helpful to place rain barrels under your gutter downspouts to collect the water to wet your garden during the dry season.
Many businesses give away or sell their used plastic barrels that can be turned into exceptional rain barrels. Reusing these barrels is a good way to reclaim resources. If you are adamantly against plastic, some garden stores sell wooden whiskey barrels that can be used. They will be more expensive, but they serve as good rain barrels. While at your local hardware store, you can buy spigots to be installed in each barrel.
Spigots are simple to install. Start by drilling a hole that matches the diameter of the spigot, unscrew the nut from the spigot and place the faucet side on the outside of the barrel. Inside the barrel, twist the nut back on and a washer to the spigot end and ensure it is a tight fit to prevent any water from escaping. If necessary, add some waterproof sealant to make a leak-free fit. Once you have a spigot attached, you can attach a garden hose to your barrels for watering your gardens. Simply open the spigot and gravity pushes the water out of the hose.
Utilizing Organic Compost for Growing Plants
The next step in your organic garden will be creating fertile soil for your plants. You’ll need to break up the soil, either with a shovel or with a rototiller. Not only is the use of a shovel more eco-friendly because there is no need to run a gas-powered machine, but you will also be keeping fit. Add compost to the soil as you turn it to produce rich loam for your vegetation.
Compost bins are easy to build, or you can buy them from local garden supply stores. Grass clippings, raked leaves and biodegradable garbage like fruit and vegetable trimmings make excellent compost. When first starting out, you will probably need to buy organic compost, but as you acquire your own compost, you will conserve money by having compost on hand. With your compost bin, make sure you turn the composting matter every few days so that the bacteria are regularly exposed to the sun and fresh air.
Plant Crops Appropriate to the Seasons
Perhaps the most important facet of gardening in San Diego is choosing suitable crops. Plants like broccoli, peas, onions, spinach, lettuce, garlic and other greens like cooler weather. Save these crops for the wet, winter months. Tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini and other squashes need warm sunny weather, so they make good summer crops as long as you keep them well watered.
Make sure your crops have plenty of sunlight. Plants need sunlight to do well, so scrutinize your yard to make sure your garden plot receives a good deal of sun exposure, keeping in mind the various seasons. You’ll also want to place it near enough the water barrels for hoses to be able to reach.
Begin with the fundamentals and progress to a larger garden. As you become used to the daily routines of watering and weeding , you will get confidence to have a larger garden in the years to come.
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Tags: garden hose, good rain, growing seasons, hardware store, mild winters, mountain peaks, ocean side, organic gardening, plastic barrels, rain barrels, rain water, rainfall in san diego, rainwater, san diego residents, soil condition, spigot, spigots, sunny summers, tight fit, whiskey barrels
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Tags: garden hose, good rain, growing seasons, hardware store, mild winters, mountain peaks, ocean side, organic gardening, plastic barrels, rain barrels, rain water, rainfall in san diego, rainwater, san diego residents, soil condition, spigot, spigots, sunny summers, tight fit, whiskey barrels