When Can I Start a Fall Vegetable Garden?
August 4, 2012
Q.: From a Country Garden listener.
1. When is the best time to plant garlic in Bakersfield?
2. Can I start my fall garden veggies from seed now or should I wait a few more weeks for a little coller weather?
A.: According to the Kern County Home Farm Advisor's office Garlic (Allium sativum sativum) is a cool season crop that is planted from October through December. Taking 180 to 200 days to harvest from seed. I have seen gardeners who plant garlic outside of the recommended times. One of the drawbacks with planting outside of this time period is the additional stress that can occur due to excessive warm weather watering. Garlic can easily stress with wet soil conditions. Another issue is that the flavor becomes very concentrated and strong flavored, sometimes bitter. The varieties most often planted is the California Early and California Late Garlic. These make up around 90% of the commercially grown bulbs. Clove separation is an easy method for planting garlic. Just separate the cloves and be sure not the damage the base of each clove. Plant the garlic cloves about 6 - 8 inches apart and twice the depth as the clove. Always consider purchasing garlic bulbs from a certified grower. Grocery store garlic is safe to eat but it may not be great to plant. Infected garlic could carry a fungus that can infect the rest of the garden.
Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is a variety that produces large bulbs and is mild in flavor and great for roasting. I would recommend that you wait for October to plant this crop.
There are other fall crops that can be planted for an early harvest. Below is a Vegetable Planting Guide for the valley area of Kern County. This chart should be applicable for anyone in the southern San Joaquin Valley. This guide is courtesy of the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors office in Bakersfield. There are a number of veggies that can be planted beginning in August, such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and lettuce to name a few. Even more can be planted in September. Have fun and happy gardening!
Q.: From a Country Garden listener.
1. When is the best time to plant garlic in Bakersfield?
2. Can I start my fall garden veggies from seed now or should I wait a few more weeks for a little coller weather?
A.: According to the Kern County Home Farm Advisor's office Garlic (Allium sativum sativum) is a cool season crop that is planted from October through December. Taking 180 to 200 days to harvest from seed. I have seen gardeners who plant garlic outside of the recommended times. One of the drawbacks with planting outside of this time period is the additional stress that can occur due to excessive warm weather watering. Garlic can easily stress with wet soil conditions. Another issue is that the flavor becomes very concentrated and strong flavored, sometimes bitter. The varieties most often planted is the California Early and California Late Garlic. These make up around 90% of the commercially grown bulbs. Clove separation is an easy method for planting garlic. Just separate the cloves and be sure not the damage the base of each clove. Plant the garlic cloves about 6 - 8 inches apart and twice the depth as the clove. Always consider purchasing garlic bulbs from a certified grower. Grocery store garlic is safe to eat but it may not be great to plant. Infected garlic could carry a fungus that can infect the rest of the garden.
Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is a variety that produces large bulbs and is mild in flavor and great for roasting. I would recommend that you wait for October to plant this crop.
There are other fall crops that can be planted for an early harvest. Below is a Vegetable Planting Guide for the valley area of Kern County. This chart should be applicable for anyone in the southern San Joaquin Valley. This guide is courtesy of the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors office in Bakersfield. There are a number of veggies that can be planted beginning in August, such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and lettuce to name a few. Even more can be planted in September. Have fun and happy gardening!
