Riverside, We Are Entering the Cool Season!

I doubled checked the weather app about five times today…. Not only do we have rain in the forecast for THREE days, but our daytime temps are finally coming down below 75! November is an amazing time for growing food here in Riverside.

What can you plant right now?

Right now you can squeeze in 90 day cabbages, brussel sprouts, and celery. I also interplanted my onions and garlic into my beds. They will be ready by midsummer so plant them where they won’t be in the way for your garden bed transitions.

Shorter crops you can grow in succession through March are:

early broccoli, cauliflower, broccolini, romanesco cauliflower, carrots, beets, chard, kale, mustard greens, lettuce, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, spinach, snap peas, shelling peas

I plant my brassicas like cabbage and broccoli in transplants from the nursery. Other plants like carrots and beets, mustard greens, and spinach, do better by seed.

Vegetables aren’t the only plant you could be growing right now. Fall is the best time to start your annual herb and tea garden. Right now I am growing cilantro and parsley in the vegetable garden because they like cooler temperatures. I also like to use large pots for my teas. Here is what is growing currently: German chamomile, lemon balm, spearmint, yarrow, and calendula. Chamomile will be ready to harvest by February and you can continuously harvest the flowers through April. Spearmint and lemon balm can be picked all season and used fresh or dried. I use yarrow leaves and flowers and calendula flowers to make healing oils, balms, and tinctures.

If you are looking to add more color to your garden, sprinkle in poppy seeds, and the winter rains will bring them up in the Spring. You can find a variety of beautiful poppies from various seed companies. It’s still not too late to plant bulbs either. I plant bulbs in old terracotta pots to add color to my garden. You could also plant them in wooden crates or fill entire raised beds with bulbs if you have the room.

I hope this gives you some garden inspo! Get out there and get some sunshine!