SoCal Home Gardening

Resources for Home Gardening in Southern California

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[[SHOW the local folder description.txt Here!]] Over the years I starting some of the plants in my garden by seed. This happened usually when time permitted, so most of the time I bought my starters rather than using seeds. In 2020 six-packs from nursuries or big-box stores were very difficult to find. That year I completely planted my raised bed vegetable garden by using seeds. Since then I have never looks back and I almost never buy starters from nursuries anymore. I have noticed that I save a lot of money this way, I can time my planting more accurately, and most of all I control whether or not I will have that vegetable or flower for my garden that year.

Growing vegetables and flowers from seed offers several benefits:

Time To Start My Spring Garden

3/11/2024
I loved how my Signature Planter looked last year. I planted pansies from seeds, added in a couple California poppies, and add a few months time and..... It was amazing! I loved it so much that I am going to try to recreate it this year......


No 6-Packs, so 1-Pints it is!

I would normally buy 6-packs, and then try to figure out the colors and place them accordingly. I have space for 8 different pansies, so two 6-packs would work, with a few extras as well. That would have cost about $8. They were not available, so I went with this now thing called a 1-pint. I wished I had a pint while I was planting these, but instead of a nice beer, it was morning time so I had coffee instead - even if it was after noon somewhere......



Compost

March planting allows me to use compost that has bene processing throughout the winter. At this time I get very fine compost with some worms in it. I don't generally sift my compost as I find that is a lot of work and isn't really necessary as anything in the compost will break down over time in their final location anyhow.



Spacing

I am not sure what the spacing was last year, but for this year I am using eight different petunias that I spaced evenly 15 inches apart. We will see how that works.




Poppies

Last year the California Poppies in each corner added a striking orange to go along with all the other colors. I had planted some poppies back in November or December that I had put in this planter. They are still small, but I have a feeling they will take off.



ALL IN

All my plants are in. I might add some Violas on the outide ends (the grass side) because I love those so much as well, but most of this planter is set - now I can wander around my house and watch it grow.



8 Buckets of Compost

That area took 8 buckets of compost, probably raising it up an inch or so.






PhotoBomb - My Dog Was Happy Sneaking In My Picture

Macie was very happy to hang out on the grass with me while I spent my time working.....
















Time To Start My Spring Garden

3/11/2024
I loved how my Signature Planter looked last year. I planted pansies from seeds, added in a couple California poppies, and add a few months time and..... It was amazing! I loved it so much that I am going to try to recreate it this year......


No 6-Packs, so 1-Pints it is!

I would normally buy 6-packs, and then try to figure out the colors and place them accordingly. I have space for 8 different pansies, so two 6-packs would work, with a few extras as well. That would have cost about $8. They were not available, so I went with this now thing called a 1-pint. I wished I had a pint while I was planting these, but instead of a nice beer, it was morning time so I had coffee instead - even if it was after noon somewhere......



Compost

March planting allows me to use compost that has bene processing throughout the winter. At this time I get very fine compost with some worms in it. I don't generally sift my compost as I find that is a lot of work and isn't really necessary as anything in the compost will break down over time in their final location anyhow.



Spacing

I am not sure what the spacing was last year, but for this year I am using eight different petunias that I spaced evenly 15 inches apart. We will see how that works.




Poppies

Last year the California Poppies in each corner added a striking orange to go along with all the other colors. I had planted some poppies back in November or December that I had put in this planter. They are still small, but I have a feeling they will take off.



ALL IN

All my plants are in. I might add some Violas on the outide ends (the grass side) because I love those so much as well, but most of this planter is set - now I can wander around my house and watch it grow.



8 Buckets of Compost

That area took 8 buckets of compost, probably raising it up an inch or so.






PhotoBomb - My Dog Was Happy Sneaking In My Picture

Macie was very happy to hang out on the grass with me while I spent my time working.....
















Time To Start My Spring Garden

3/11/2024
I loved how my Signature Planter looked last year. I planted pansies from seeds, added in a couple California poppies, and add a few months time and..... It was amazing! I loved it so much that I am going to try to recreate it this year......


No 6-Packs, so 1-Pints it is!

I would normally buy 6-packs, and then try to figure out the colors and place them accordingly. I have space for 8 different pansies, so two 6-packs would work, with a few extras as well. That would have cost about $8. They were not available, so I went with this now thing called a 1-pint. I wished I had a pint while I was planting these, but instead of a nice beer, it was morning time so I had coffee instead - even if it was after noon somewhere......



Compost

March planting allows me to use compost that has bene processing throughout the winter. At this time I get very fine compost with some worms in it. I don't generally sift my compost as I find that is a lot of work and isn't really necessary as anything in the compost will break down over time in their final location anyhow.



Spacing

I am not sure what the spacing was last year, but for this year I am using eight different petunias that I spaced evenly 15 inches apart. We will see how that works.




Poppies

Last year the California Poppies in each corner added a striking orange to go along with all the other colors. I had planted some poppies back in November or December that I had put in this planter. They are still small, but I have a feeling they will take off.



ALL IN

All my plants are in. I might add some Violas on the outide ends (the grass side) because I love those so much as well, but most of this planter is set - now I can wander around my house and watch it grow.



8 Buckets of Compost

That area took 8 buckets of compost, probably raising it up an inch or so.






PhotoBomb - My Dog Was Happy Sneaking In My Picture

Macie was very happy to hang out on the grass with me while I spent my time working.....

















Hello!

I have been gardening in Southern California for over 30 years. Over the last six years, I really began taking my gardening more seriously. My goal is to provide Useful information on this website that will help you with your Home Garden in Southern California and beyond...

Growing Flowers from Seed

Growing flowers from seeds is fun because it offers a sense of achievement and connection to nature. Witnessing the transformation of tiny seeds into beautiful blooms is a magical experience. It requires patience and care, but the reward of vibrant, personally nurtured flowers is deeply satisfying and brings a sense of joy and accomplishment.

Growing Vegetables from Seed

Growing vegetables from seeds is enjoyable because it combines the thrill of nurturing life with the practicality of producing your own food. The process of planting seeds, watching them sprout and mature, and finally harvesting the fruits of your labor is incredibly rewarding. It provides a hands-on connection with nature, offers educational insights into the growth cycle of plants, and culminates in the satisfaction of eating fresh, home-grown produce that you have raised from the very start.