A little late with this tip post. So the important points are these:
Prune deciduous trees, cut asparagus back to ground, and get beds ready for potato planting New Year's Day. If your citrus needs some dead branch removal, get that done now. The fruit trees will be bursting into flower in January and February.
Keep in mind, as you read through the tips, this is 2020 - all "norms" are off, so hopefully your garden will "show" you what it needs.
Pictured is my celery in two different beds. Most of this celery has been growing for about 10 months!! Since I use a lot of celery I am delighted that, at least for this edible, some things worked out great.
My tip for having these plants last so long is to cut from the center. I did that initially when I wanted the most tender stalks and leaves, but discovered it stopped the plant from trying to go to flower - even in the heat of the summer. The older stalks served to feed the plant. So what I seem to have now is perennial celery. Great!!
I say that about my celery, because many of my seeded plants since the beginning of fall have struggled with the lingering heat, then cold then up/down. My sugar peas took FOREVER to sprout even with repeated sowing.
Initially my radish seeds sprouted so quickly it was almost overnight, then, stopped sprouting quickly and slowed to growing really, really slow. My first harvest of them was looking so good, then practically nothing as the weather went up/down on a roller coaster.
So far the citrus ripening seems to be actually ahead of schedule!!!
Turmeric likes a partially shaded area with morning sun. This one has been growing in this spot for several years.
We have a lot of critter visitors mostly birds. One of the ones we particularly enjoy are the Peach Faced Love Birds who we call the Cheepy Guys for their joyful sounding chatter.
We do not normally see them near the ground, they like the sunflower and other high-up seed options - we were lucky enough to catch this one on our bird block (we also throw loose seed).
Finally, before we get to the planting tips, I wanted to share a recipe I have been making for several years around the holidays.
No, not from the garden, but with lots of good things for you (dark chocolate, walnuts, dried berries and cheerios). Called "good for you candy" the original recipe was created by Jean Carper and appeared in a Parade Sunday Magazine.
2 1/2 cups Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips
1 1/2 cups cheerios or other whole-grain cereal
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (original called for dried cherries)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, you can add more if you like.
Drop by spoon fulls on parchment or aluminum foil and put in frig for an hour or so to harden up.
I also will drop spoon fulls in small paper candy cups to make smaller portions.
I hope you try these. :-)
December PLANTING:
Anise
Asparagus
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Cabbage
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chamomile
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit, Bare Root
Fruit Trees
Greens
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lettuce
Marjoram
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Oregano, Greek
Ornamental Cabbage/Kale (Brassica Oleracea)
Parsley
Peppers (seed)
Primrose (Primula Vulgaris)
Radishes
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Strawberry
Thyme
Turnips
Watermelon (by seed December 15 and after)
EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:
Carnation (Dianthus)
Chamomile
English Daisy
Jasmine Sambac (Arabian)
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Primrose
Scented Geraniums
Snapdragons
Stocks (Matthiola)
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Sweet Alyssum
GARDEN TIPS for December
Holiday time can be stressful. Your edible garden can be an oasis from stress. With citrus fruit ripening like yellow and orange ornaments, pansies blooming, and dill waving in the breeze, winter is only a state of mind here in the Desert Southwest.
November through January can be a ‘rainy’ season for the desert. 2020 had been VERY different. IF the rains comes, you can usually hold off on regular watering if you have received a half inch or more of rain within 2 days of normal watering days (except for trees unless you receive 1 inch or more). Make good use of your water meter to determine soil moisture.
If rains are heavy this month, in addition to foregoing some water days, you may need to put down Ironite or Green Sand to compensate for mineral bonding (which makes iron unavailable to the plants) due to both the excess water and the cold soil. Ironite is not a fertilizer so it will not burn plants -- apply to the drip line (edge) of tree canopy.
Watering Guide:
As the temperatures rise or decrease, a guide (this is only a guide! make use of your moisture meter to check moisture content of soil) For mature gardens would be:
70s water every 5-6 days for all but trees
80s water every 4-5 days for all but trees
90s water every 3-4 days for all but trees
100s water every 2-3 days for all but trees
Garden Design tip - if you are considering laying out a new garden, use Ironite to 'draw' the garden layout on the soil, easy and safe.
FROST damage: Do not prune until danger of frost is over - the damaged plant protects the lower growth.
PRUNING:
Prune citrus and deciduous fruit trees in December, or no later than early January before flowering starts.
Occasionally our crazy peach trees drive Deane nuts because they still have leaves on them when they start to flower in late December or early January.
The idea with pruning deciduous trees is to get it done before the 'sap starts running' in the warming spring weather. Because we do not usually have extended cold spells some of the stone fruit trees may not actually go into full dormancy.
The commercial growers like Schnepf Farms have simply adopted the practice of prunning their peach etc. trees after December 15th. This ensures that flower buds will not be pruned off later on.
There is always the challenge of a cold spell coming in January or February while the stone fruit trees are coming into bloom, which in other areas of the country might mean the severe limiting of fruit production. Here we have not generally found that a short cold period has killed off the flower bloom/fruit production.
If you feel you are in a colder area, you can cover the blooming peaches, apricots, plums and apples with cloth covers if you can reach high enough to make it worth the effort.
FRUIT TREE PESTS
Peach tree borers are a problem here in the valley as the special hybrid stone fruit trees are more vulnerable to borers because the pests are not killed off as readily as in very cold areas of the country.
Winter 'dormancy' of the trees is the time to consider treating the trees to an oil spray to discourage the darn pests
Generally called "dormant oil" or "horticulture oil" this is a heavy oil based control which is designed to smother the pests, and therefore can't be applied to the active growing parts of any plants. It is sprayed on the trunks of stone fruit (not evergreen like citrus) from the soil-base line up. Make sure you read the instructions carefully.
If peach and other stone fruit trees are new to you and your garden, look for swelling on the buds/edges of each branch which indicates the tree is going into active growth and DO NOT use the spray on those areas.
In future notes I will discuss thinning fruit and a nice spring bouquet option of "forced" branches.
Have a safe and peaceful Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's
Be kind, be patient and thoughtful.
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
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