There’s a lot you can grow in your San Diego garden this month. Try adding international vegetables, adjust your watering as temperatures rise, and plant edible flowers in beds and containers.
Grow International Vegetables
If you enjoy cooking international cuisine, you can grow many of the ingredients used in those dishes in your own garden. Here are three seed companies that specialize in varieties from around the world:
- Seeds from Italy – Founded in 2001 by Bill McKay when he could not find the Italian vegetable varieties he wanted to grow. The company is now owned by Dan Nagengast, a Kansas market gardener, and continues to offer a broad range of Italian vegetable, herb and vintage seeds.
- Kitazawa Seed Company – Originally started by Gijiu Kitazawa in San Jose to supply Japanese gardeners with traditional ingredients. The brand now operates through True Leaf Market and offers a wide range of seeds used in Asian cooking.
- John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds – A Connecticut-based company offering seeds for many international dishes, including filet beans, petit pois peas and Mexican potato jicama.
Adjust Watering and Mulch
As temperatures warm and days lengthen, plants will need more consistent irrigation. Check new seedlings and transplants frequently. They require shallow, regular watering during the first few weeks while roots establish. Established plants should be watered less often but more deeply to encourage deeper root growth.
Trees also benefit from less frequent but deep watering. Irrigate mature trees in a circle beginning about one-third of the distance from the trunk to the drip line. Continue watering out beyond the drip line by several feet. Ideally, water should penetrate at least two feet into the soil.
If you have not mulched recently, this is a good time to do so. Mulch helps keep roots cool and conserves soil moisture. Organic mulch improves soil structure and adds nutrients as it decomposes. Apply at least three inches to discourage weeds, but keep mulch away from tree and shrub trunks to prevent rot.
Mulching has significantly reduced weeds in my yard, lowered irrigation needs and improved my soil.
Grow Edible Flowers
Add edible flowers to salads and garnishes for color and flavor. Squash blossoms can be eaten raw, sautéed or stuffed and fried. Remove the stamens and pistils before using. Nasturtiums add a peppery flavor to salads, butters, cheeses, oils and vinegars. Chamomile petals can be used in hot or iced tea and add a mild pineapple note. Borage flowers taste like cucumber and work well in salads or cocktails. They can also be candied.
In cooler weather, grow Johnny-jump-ups, pansies and violets for salads or dessert decoration. Not all flowers are edible, and some can cause reactions in people with asthma or allergies. Start with known safe varieties and introduce them gradually.
San Diego Gardens Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.