Santa Clara

Garden Help > SucculentsBold indicates easier to locate plantsSummer Growers (Winter Dormant)This group is generally regarded as the “summer growers”. Many of these will also enter a pseudo rest period for a few weeks during the hottest part of the summer before putting on a final burst of growth in…

 Established in 2003, this 7,300 square foot garden has two distinct areas - the 'Edible' Garden and the Water Wise Garden. The former demonstrates edible landscaping using a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flowers, while the latter showcases beautiful landscaping with native and…

Garden Help Our Garden Help pages for vegetables, fruits, and nuts have growing tips as well as links to information on pests and diseases common in our area.

Garden Help > Monthly Tips Monthly tips are categorized by To-Dos, What to Plant, or Pests and Diseases. Scroll through the list to see items in each category. Also, refer to our list of tips useful for any month.

The Asian Vegetable Trial was conducted in the summer of 2008 at the Nine Palms Ranch project. Five varieties of bok choy, three varieties of eggplants, and three kinds of sesame seeds were grown. All varieties were successful. Particular favorites were Fun Jen bok choy and Thai Roleks eggplant.

When to plant: January–March Harvest window: July–October, depending on variety Fertilization: Nitrogen in spring, additional applications based on tree age, health, and soil quality Dormant Pruning (January–February) to encourage vigor; Summer pruning (post-harvest) to control vigor

Artichokes are considered a cool season crop but can be grown as a perennial in Santa Clara County. They require lots of sun, plenty of water, and occasional protection from frost.

Celery is challenging to grow in most of Santa Clara County. It grows best at 60–65ºF though it will tolerate temperatures from 45–75ºF. But it is difficult to find a four-month growing period in Santa Clara County that stays within that temperature range.

Tomatoes do best planted in full sun all day, although they will usually produce some crop with less. If your plants have had symptoms of disease in previous years, it is important to plant in soil that has not grown tomatoes or their relatives such as peppers or eggplants for three or more years.

Garden Help > Vegetables > CucumbersSummaryFourteen varieties of cucumbers were compared for flavor and production. Stallion White and Japanese Climbing ranked top in flavor. Marketmore 76 was top in production.OverviewThis was a trial to compare the production and taste of 14 varieties of cucumbers…