While most gardeners around the country are winding down their gardens for the year, Southern California gardeners can plant a fresh crop of vegetables and blooms in September and October for enjoyment during fall and winter. Prepare Your Soil For Fall Flowers: Remove annuals. Break up and till the soil and generously add compost or organic planting mix. You may want to wait a week or two before adding fresh plants. This will give weeds enough time to germinate. Remove the weeds while they are small so they will be less of a headache later on.

pH is a gardening term used to reflect the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. Different plants prefer different pH levels, however, as a general rule, most plants thrive in a pH range between 6.0 to 6.8. Once you have determined your soil’s pH level the following Cottage Farms’ guidelines may be helpful as you modify and maintain your garden soil’s pH level.

If you don’t have enough space to have your own garden, don’t despair. You can build a small vegetable patch or create a small garden of flowers just by using containers.

The basics of winter vegetable gardening. An overview of how it’s done, what it takes, and what to expect.

Good design and sound horticultural practice are necessary to create a fine garden. A good attitude is crucial too.

Once considered by commentators as a passing craze, the enormous growth in ‘grow your own’ (GYO) fruit and vegetables is a modern day phenomenon. The reasons behind the GYO success goes beyond the search for better tasting food. So what makes GYO big business and why have so many people with little or no gardening interest been so quick to embrace this latest trend?