What grows here (bay area)?--edited!

[Jennsbirds]

So my parents are finally allowing me to have my own veggie garden. I'm still trying to figure out what would grow in the wet part of California.

So far I'm planning on:
Grapes
Passion Fruit
Broccoli
Peas
Carrots
Strawberries
Lettuce (green and red leaf)
Melons (honeydew and water)
Green onions
Yellow or white onions (which variety grows best here?)
Garlic
Shallots
Cucumbers
White and/ or Portobello Mushrooms

Edit: Corn and millet
Cherries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Apples (red and yellow)
Kohlrabi
Maybe bunching onions
Romanesco
Strawberries

Save for the trees and vines, I plan to put two to a veggie box, which should be enough for myself and my boyfriend (my parents aren't really interested in eating from the garden, just growing flowers).

I'd love suggestions, though we're not into bitter salad, turnip-family, or eggplant veggies. I'm also looking for a legume to plant in lieu of one of the veggies now and then to replenish the soil and some pest (large and small) deterrent plants.

Are starfruit sweet? I'm looking for more sweet fruits to grow (not berries).

 

[Carol Dee]

Jennsbirds
Under users list. look up Ninnymary. She lives in your area. Read what a fabulous garden she has. (Chicken's too) and Adorable. She will have good advice for you. Glad to have you here.

 

[Jared77]

Far as mushrooms go have you looked into these at all? http://www.fungi.com/shop/mushroom-kits.html

Everything else looks good. I'd bug Marshall about the legumes that's his thing. Ninnymary I'm sure will be along to help you along too.

 

[897tgigvib]

Howdy Jenns!



I thought I posted a bit ago but maybe my inverter turned off or something.

There are indeed some low chil hour requirement apple trees. Try a google search. I think raintreenursery.com or something like that has some.

Beans. You are in a place where you should be able to grow even the very longest season beans, with an even longer season than I have here up 101 north of the golden gate bridge 110 miles then up into the woods off hiway 20 another 40 miles.

I have some very long season beans, dry beans, from the desert canyons of the southern sierra madre, and should, hopefully, have a decent increase to send you some if you want the challenge of long season dry pole beans. The thing about these is most folks never see them and they are very rare, and look different. Some are mostly black with gold banding, some are black with shooting star speckles.

Peas should grow like crazy where you are, especially if you time the planting right. I'm guessing late january to early march. Here in zone 8 at 2,000 foot altitude I planted this year the peas March 16th, and finished harvesting dry peas July 11th.

 

[ninnymary]

Jennsbirds, welcome to TEG! :rainbow-sun It depends where you live in the bay area. Once you get out of the marine layer, on the other side of the Oakland hills, you are in another climate but still in the bay area. I live in Alameda where our summers are cool. We can't grow things that require a lot of heat such as melons, watermelons, and stone fruits. If you live on the other side of the Oakland hills, it get's much hotter over there and you can grow heat loving plants.

If I know what city you are in, I can be more specific.

There is also a great gardening book, called "Bay Area Gardening, by Pam Pierce. I love this book. Of course, the Sunset book is also great.

Good luck,
Mary

 

[Jennsbirds]

Jennsbirds, welcome to TEG! :rainbow-sun It depends where you live in the bay area. Once you get out of the marine layer, on the other side of the Oakland hills, you are in another climate but still in the bay area. I live in Alameda where our summers are cool. We can't grow things that require a lot of heat such as melons, watermelons, and stone fruits. If you live on the other side of the Oakland hills, it get's much hotter over there and you can grow heat loving plants.

If I know what city you are in, I can be more specific.

There is also a great gardening book, called "Bay Area Gardening, by Pam Pierce. I love this book. Of course, the Sunset book is also great.

Good luck,
Mary

I have a sunset book, though it's packed for now as I'm moving into my new place. I live in Berkeley and I'm moving to berkeley. I don't think it'd work for apples, but I'm hoping to grow a single tiny melon or two, not a bumper crop.

I'm considering adding pumpkins and chick peas to my list. Are they viable?

 

[ninnymary]

Berkeley is a little warmer than Alameda but it can be covered in a blanket of fog in the mornings. You should be able to grow pumpkins (we grew our Halloween pumkins one year). Apples should also do well. I've never tried growing chickpeas or melons. You might be able to get away with growing a small size melon in a very sunny/hot part of your area and get a couple of them.

Check out the Berkeley Horticultural Nursery. It's a little pricey but has beautiful healthy stuff. While you're there, have breakfast or coffee across the street at Cafe Roma. I love going there for breakfast and then taking a "look" at the nursery.

Mary

 

[Jennsbirds]

I added to my list and I'd like to know some suggestions, especially fruit.

 

[ninnymary]

Jennsbirds, I have recently planted multi-graft fruit trees that should do well in our area. Of course, one of the grafts may require more chilling hours. They are a pear tree, apple, asian pear, and plum. I like the idea of getting a variety from each tree. I also have a lime tree in a hugh pot and lemon meyer lemons do really well here also. They all seem to be doing well.

Planted raspberries this year and they are just doing so so. Blueberries in large pots are doing terrible. The soil is too alkaline. This fall I may change the soil and see if they improve. Strawberries are also fairly new and didn't really produce that much

BTW, a lot of the staff at Berkeley Horticultural nursery are master gardeners and are really helpful.

Hope this helps,

Mary