Keep an eye on the weather report - protect frost-tender plants when the temperature falls below 32 degrees. Divide perennials like daylilies and chrysanthemums. Prune crepe myrtles, cane berries, and roses, and clean-up trimmings.
Edible gardens are certainly not immune to pests and diseases. Pests can take out tender young plant shoots in one night, eat holes in mature leaves and fruit, and leave slimy tracks all over.
Garlic and shallots grow beautifully over the winter in Santa Clara County. Plant garlic and long-season shallots in the fall for harvesting in June–July. Be sure to choose a spot where you can withhold water for the last several weeks since the bulbs need to dry out as they mature. Fast growing Dutch…
Direct seed or transplant: April–June
For best results, wait to direct seed until daytime temperatures are regularly over 70°F and soil temperature is over 60°F. Direct-seeded beans will rot if the soil is too cold.
Harvest window: 50–100 days depending on variety.
Peas are a cool season vegetable in Santa Clara County. There are three types of fresh peas:
Shelling peas, where the tough pod is removed before eating.
Snow peas, which have edible pods and are harvested flat, while the peas inside are small and immature.
Sugar snap peas, which have edible pods and are…
Prune grapes and roses. Cleanup: remove mummy fruit and blighted limbs on stone fruit to reduce brown rot. Remove and destroy fallen leaves to reduce peach leaf curl. Mulch cane berries, cut out all old canes and reset new canes in twine.
Check out our information sheets on how to plant, grow, maintain and harvest common vegetables, fruits, herbs and nuts grown in Marin. We also list our favorite varieties that are best suited for local microclimates.
There are many herbs that grow well or even grow best in the cool season in Santa Clara County. Fall is also a great time to plant perennial herbs because it lets them get well established over our rainy season. Listed below are the herb seedlings that we will be offering.
Transplant: May–June
For best results, wait until daytime temperatures are regularly over 75°F
Start in pots for transplants: February–April; ready to transplant in 8 weeks
Harvest window: August–October, two to three months after transplanting, depending on variety.
Direct seed: March–April and August–September; possibly February, May, and October
Transplant: February–May and September–October; possibly June
Begin harvesting when the roots are at least 1 inch wide, harvesting alternate plants to allow remaining plants to grow up to 3 inches wide.
