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FRESH YARD PRODUCE
From Your Yard to Your KitchenWouldn't you like to have a bouquet of herbs growing near your back door? Or tomatoes to add to your dinner salad? Or tiny carrots your toddler can "discover”, wash and eat right out of the garden? These and other delights can be had by planting a kitchen garden. With a bit of planning, you can harvest all year round in mild California weather. Choose an area near your kitchen. You want to be able to go out and cut herbs while you are cooking. It need not be large. Two raised beds 3 ft. by 8-10 ft. will supply a family of four with lots of fresh goodies. Keep the beds narrow enough so that you can reach across them to plant and harvest. Raising the beds allows you to create a really good soil mixture. If you use soil from your yard be sure to add amendments and some top soil. If your soil is clay-like, try adding rice hulls, nut shells, compost or coffee grounds (free at some Starbucks) to keep it from compacting. Surround your raised beds with gravel or decomposed granite so that even in rainy weather you can harvest without getting muddy feet. Year RoundPlant herbs. Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, and chives are a good start and will thrive year round. In the spring add parsley and basil. Mint in a terra cotta pot in the bed will keep it from spreading too much. SpringPlant leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots and chard. Set out several tomato plants. Be sure to include one plant of Sweet 100's for the kids. You may still have room for cucumbers or a zucchini plant or 2 yellow squash plants. A couple of zucchini plants can feed an entire family for a season. If you plant both kinds of squash, put them at opposite ends of the bed so they don't cross pollinate. Be sure to tuck in a few marigolds to keep the bugs and critters at bay. FallPlant carrots again. And beets or chard if the spring plants have gone to seed. WinterTry planting one or two broccoli transplants, about 18 inches apart. They are easy to grow and can produce large crops. Cauliflower can also be planted the same way but they are slower to produce a head.
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