Melaleuca trees originally came to California early in the 1900′s from Australia. They were brought here for Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It didn’t take long for them to make their way south. We have groves and groves of the trees and they are popular in residential gardens because they have a beautiful bark that constantly peels off and have long narrow leaves that are a green/gray color. The problem is they also have very invasive roots that seek water.

A few years back I was digging near the house to replant some bushes and found the huge roots were just beginning to grow up to the foundation of the house. The large tree had to go go or it would crack the foundation. It was a major production to have the tree removed and they had to come back twice to cut the roots.

After two years we planted some queen palms to replace the melaleuca and we made the decision not to replace that part of the lawn. At first we thought about a little patio in front, but we couldn’t find anyone who wanted to take on such a small project. They all brought grand plans for replacing the front porch, adding retaining walls and charging a fortune. That’s when I decided to put a vegetable garden in the front yard.

A Raised Bed Garden
Deciding on a raised bed garden was a no brainer. We have rabbits that sit on the tiny remaining lawn and take sun baths, we have dogs in the neighborhood that meaner up to the front door, we have hungry raccoons and, like most of San Diego, we have tree rats that steal tomatoes just as they start to ripen. But the real advantage is the small space needed. Because the roots grow deep, they don’t spread out as much, so you can place the plants closer together. The other big plus is because the plants are closer together, you use much less water – a concern here in the southwestern U.S.

Since my raised bed garden is in the front yard, I am trying to make it as attractive as possible. Low water plants and herbs will go in front of the planter and I found a tall, turquoise glazed pot to use as an accent that will hold Swiss chard.

Costco has the raised bed kita which are 4x4x2 feet tall. They are made in the U.S. and have a 10 year limited warranty so it was worth the $99 investment.

My seedlings are still in the little peat pots I got at the 99 Cent Store but they are growing fast. They’ll have to be transplanted in the next couple of days, so time is of the essence to get this garden started.

The Soil
After talking to the nursery man, watching dozens of square foot gardening videos and reading the most current information on intensive gardening, I have my soil blend of planting mix, worm casings, vermiculite and chicken poop. As the plants start growing I will continually add compost from the bin in the backyard.

Digging and turning the soil 2 feet down for my little 4×4 plot took me 2 days!  I now have the soil turned over, there are lots of worms plus I have a huge pile of rocks to use for other projects.

Next: Part 2 – Choosing Compatible Plants

Poinsettias
San Diego is the poinsettia capital of the world. The Ecke Family has been growing these wonderful plants here for four generations and each year we look forward to the new varieties they release.

The poinsettia is native to Mexico and was first introduced into the United States in the early 1800s by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S . ambassador to Mexico.

It wasn’t until the 1920′s, when entrepreneur Paul Ecke realized the plant, which bloomed during the Christmas season, would make the perfect holiday flower.

You can read all about the history of the family at The Ecke Ranch Story.

Don’t Throw It Away After Christmas
Poinsettias make great indoor plants all year long and can be coaxed to bloom again each year. Here’s how:

Put the plant in total darkness for at least twelve hours (fourteen is better) each night for approximately ten weeks in Late September or early October. Place it in a box, a cupboard, or a closet – but it has to be completely dark.

When you are ready to bring the plant out, place it in a bright, sunny location. After it flowers, gradually decrease the water until the bracts all drop, then allow the plant to dry out completely – remember, this is a desert plant.

Store your poinsettia in a place with cooler temperatures – a garage or basement is good.

When the weather is warm enough to stay above 50 degrees at night – no later than May, bring the plant out.

Remove the old soil from the pot and replace it with fresh soil, and start watering it again. Fertilize regularly, like any other house plant.

In late August, it will be time to cut the plant back and once again, get it ready for the holidays.

Poinsettia Care
Poinsettias like lots of bright, indirect sunlight and prefer humid conditions (so you may want to mist your plant if your home is very dry due to heating or climate). Let the soil dry out between watering.

The soil should be dry to the touch. Make sure the plants aren’t standing in water at the plants base or saucer(A layer of pebbles in the bottom of the tray keeps the plant out of the water and increases the humidity around the plant).

Poinsettias are sensitive to extreme temperature, so don’t place your plant next to a heater or near a drafty window or doorway. A daytime temp of around 65 degrees and nights around 60 degrees will provide perfect conditions for your poinsettia.

Whitefly can sometimes be a pest for this plant. The problem is easily taken care of with insecticidial soap or the organic indoor pesticide, pyrethrine.

Tomatoes
If you’ve been to any of the home improvement stores or Walmart, you may have noticed that they’ve gotten their first supply of vegetable plants and seeds. One tomato plant costs $3.00. You can get a package of seeds for under $2.00.

If you plan to grow more than a couple of plants then seeds are the way to go. Just remember that if you will be growing your plants in pots, it’s best to buy ‘determinate’ varieties. Those are the tomatoes that grow to a compact height and stop growing when the fruit sets. They’ll ripen over a 2 or 3 week period, and then die.

If you have room for “vining” tomatoes, then indeterminate varieties will grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season – usually until the first frost.

Planting seeds
Any  type of container will do as long as you will be able to easily get the fragile seedling out without damage. Styrofoam cups, peat pots, whatever. Just make sure you use good, fresh potting soil. Follow directions on the package.

Keep warm and moist
Tomato seeds usually germinate within 5 to 10 days when kept in the optimum temperature range of 70 to 80F.  If temperatures drop below 50F or above 95F seeds won’t germinate. Don’t let soil dry out.

Lot’s of light
A south facing window is a good place to start seeds. If that is not possible, use a fluorescent light, or specialized high-intensity grow lamp, or a combination of natural and artificial lighting.

Transplant
You may have to transplant root-bound plants a couple of times before they are ready to go outside. As soon as fear of frost is over, begin acclimating plants to the outdoors. Avoid full sun and wind when you first move them outside.

Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks.

Make Your Own Compost – It’s Easy
Few of us are fortunate enough to live in areas that have rich soil. Plants need a cocktail of nutrients to utilize for maximum growth. If you’ve seen the gardens that some chefs have or a neighbor that seems to have a super green thumb, it’s because they probably use organic fertilizer or compost.

Don’t use animal fertilizers on fruits and vegetables
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, animal waste products can contain salmonella. Second, even though farm animals are vegetarians, many large farms add chopped up animals and antibiotics to their feed. Enough said.

Quality compost can be made from recycled yard and food waste. It will provide valuable organic matter to your soil and increases it’s moisture-holding capacity.

In my previous backyard, I made a compost area next to the vegetable garden. It was a simple raised bed approx. 6′ x 8.’ Basically just an area to throw food scraps, lawn clipping and dried leaves. I made sure it got watered regularly and turned it over every few days. That was it. I had an organic garden.

It usually takes at least 2 or 3 months before the compost begins to smell like a forest floor. You’ll know it’s ready by the clean smell. Continue:

My current backyard backs up to an open space. Last year I tried to have an open compost pile, but rats from the canyon would come into the yard at night and eat all the kitchen scraps! About six months ago a got a large compost tumbler. It wasn’t cheap, but it’s wonderful. Wheels make it easy to move around the yard when necessary and the varmints can’t get into it.

Kitchen Compost Keeper
A temporary container for kitchen waste is essential unless you don’t mind running outside to the composter several times a day. There are some beautiful ceramic keepers available at department stores that can cost more than $60, but it really isn’t necessary to spend any money at all. I use a plastic coffee can. They come in blue or red and if you want to make it more aesthetically pleasing, paint it or put some contact paper on it. Viola!

The new year is a perfect time to get started ‘going organic,’ If you start your compost now, it will be ready for your spring planting.

Rosemary Christmas Trees
You’ve probably seen those rosemary plants trimmed to look like little Christmas trees. They sell them at the home improvement stores, discount stores and even the grocery store. Not only are they are great for gifts or decorating the house, they are perfect for starting your herb garden.

After the holidays, transplant your rosemary into a larger pot with good drainage. Use good quality soil.

Most varieties won’t tolerate freezing conditions.  In areas where there is a chance of freezing temperatures, you can keep it indoors as a houseplant – just make sure it gets plenty of sun and water – year round.

In more temperate climates, keep it indoors until the weather starts to warm up – usually by the end of March.  That way the transition from warm to cold won’t be severe.

A fresh sprig of rosemary in soup, for roasting or on the grill or will enhance any meal.

Cutworms, which are actually moth larvae, live just below the surface of your soil and, true to their name, can tear right through your flowerbeds. They come in many colors and range from one to two inches in length. One way to recognize them is to remember that “C is for cutworm”—they usually curl up into a C shape when you touch them.

To get rid of cutworms, try sprinkling yellow cornmeal around the plants, say entomologists who specialize in nontoxic pest control. The cutworms like to eat the cornmeal, but unfortunately for them, they can’t digest it, so they die. Sprinkle it on the ground around your plants and let them enjoy their last meal.

Consider vegetables as elements of the landscape when developing the design. Think about color, texture, size and every other aspect of the vegetable just as if it were a typical beautiful landscape plant. With this technique, vegetables and herbs easily become mainstays of a beautiful landscape. 

Ideas for your edible landscape

Peppers and greenery work well in a container.

From top, Swiss chard, cardoon with its deeply dissected foliage, ‘Red Giant’ mustard; and pink larkspur and kale.

Some examples of vegetables and herbs that easily fold into home landscapes are dill, parsley, basil, lettuce, chard, kale, carrots, bulb fennel and beets. Each has its own landscape characteristics and value.

Dill with its tall majestic feathery stance, can serve well as a thickly planted background feature that holds the shorter features together.

Parsley and pansies can be mixed in as a ground cover feature.

Red Nasturtiums and Chard. Nasturtiums, pansies and violas, all edible flowers, can be part of your edible landscape. The flowers of these plants, and even the leaves of nasturtiums can be mixed into salads.

Swiss chard, with its red, yellow, pink and white stems mixed with crinkly 2′ tall leaves makes an outstanding mid level feature, and is often seen in neighborhood median street plantings as the feature plant.

Strawberries perform best in a well prepared bed with light, rich, slightly acid  soil with lots of moisture-holding organic matter worked in. Strawberry plants have a very shallow root system and get much of their moisture and food from the top few inches of soil. The addition of peat moss, compost or manure will greatly benefit your crop. If you have very heavy soil, plant in raised beds or large pots to provide good drainage.

The berries will ripen about a month after the plant blooms. When they’re ripe, pinch off the berries at the stem. Pick all ripe berries every few days or they’ll rot and could cause disease in the plants. Expect a 2 – 3 week harvest.

Container Gardens
If you’ve been thinking about a vegetable garden but don’t have the time or space, try containers. There is a wide variety of vegetables and fruits that do very well in pots. Also, a couple of potted dwarf citrus trees will yield fruit all winter long, here in Southern California.

Tomatoes
Even if you only have one pot with a tomato plant, it’s worth the effort. Remember, there are 2 types of tomatoes. Determinate and indeterminate. The most readily available are determinate, which you will find in late winter-early spring at your local nursery. This type of tomato plant grows to a certain size, and produces one large crop. The indeterminate plant will continue growing but will have smaller a crop. The nice thing is you can enjoy having tomatoes for salads in the winter with this type of plant.  I like to use a planter that has wheels so I can move the plants during the day to take full advantage of limited winter sunshine. I found the Earthbox to be a real find. Not only does it have wheels, but it also has a self-watering system.