Zone 10a - can I plant anything now?

I'm pretty sure I'm in Zone 10a (Murrieta, not in the hills). I have pulled out a lot of things - beets, turnips, lettuce, peas, nasturtiums, carrots, radishes, arugula (well, it is still there because of the pretty flowers). My bush beans did great but are almost done bearing. Cucumbers did well for a while but now are crispy looking (I didn't shade them - newbie mistake?). Only things really doing well now are tomatoes, squash and eggplant. Anyway, I know I can start planting a lot of things in October, but I have a lot of empty squares that I am dying to put something in. Is it too late to put in more beans? Any other suggestions? It has been unbearably hot here. Now humid, which isn't the norm. We did get a little rain the other day, which also isn't the norm. Should I try to plant anything now, or just chill? 

When in doubt, plant!  

I've learned that I'd rather lose a few seeds, than end up looking at empty squares that I wish I had planted.

As for what to plant, I'll leave that to others in your area who have some experience to share.

Things I plant that love our summer.  Any kind of pepper they are from further south and stand up well.  Okra I have a long horn variety that has been in my family for several generations they make all summer and on to the first frost.  We love it so we fill our box with it.  A good trellis climber we just discovered and are enjoying the first of is yard long beans.  They are suposed to go all summer too and we are hoping they do so far so good.  All the things ya mentioned ya pulled up can be replanted in september or when ever ya get tired of picking okra.  Pepper plants that do not get killed by frost or freeze can live on for years and turn into rather large bushes.  Good luck

Cajun Cappy wrote:Things I plant that love our summer.  Any kind of pepper they are from further south and stand up well.  Okra I have a long horn variety that has been in my family for several generations they make all summer and on to the first frost.  We love it so we fill our box with it.  A good trellis climber we just discovered and are enjoying the first of is yard long beans.  They are suposed to go all summer too and we are hoping they do so far so good.  All the things ya mentioned ya pulled up can be replanted in september or when ever ya get tired of picking okra.  Pepper plants that do not get killed by frost or freeze can live on for years and turn into rather large bushes.  Good luck

I forgot to mention that I have a lot of peppers, just starting to produce. Do you plant from seed this late in the season? I like okra but don't have any seeds right now. Wondering if I should pull the cukes and plant beans on my trellis. Thanks.

Every thing you mentioned is what we consider our spring garden.  Last month the bush beans were replaced by okra and the cucs were replaced by yard long beans and its not too late for those.  This late I usually get plants often deeply discounted since its late to plant but still plenty time to produce.

Did you plant the beans?  Early july I think they would have made it.  I'm in the lull now as pretty much everything but the peppers has giving up to the mildew or heat.  I'm thinking of starting bush beans, I won't mind culling them to make room for ed of September plantings.  I'm also thinking of trying to flash carrots with the boiling water method to see if I can squeeze some small carrots out.

Planting for most parts of So Cal incl Murrieta:

AUG

Beans, Bush

Beans, Pole

Beets

Carrots

Celery

Lima Beans

Squash, summer

SEPT

Beans, Bush

Beets

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Carrots

Celery

Leeks

Lettuce

Peas

Spinach

Squash, summer

I planted bush beans, pole beans and lima beans. They all fizzled except for one square of burgundy beans that was in the shade of the gigantic eggplant. Oh well, you live, you learn. Next year, I hope to learn from all this. 

I planted zuchinni seeds in mid-August, they're doing great.  Tried carrots, nada.  I did the scald thing to score them and still nada.  Tried bush beans, they came up great but bugs shredded them.  My watermelon died, sprung back and is re-dying.  And my anaheim pepper got shredded last night and reduced to a bunch of twigs by apparently a grasshopper plague in the last couple days.  I found a couple in the yard this morning that's what I get for not policing my garden during the heatwave.

This afternoon, I'm hoping to add mass compost and recycled MM from a collapsed planter box.  All my beds have greatly reduced from the original twelve inch deep beds to being below the first board.  I emptied my composters and sifted and have a good wheelbarrow full of compost, plus another couple cubic feet of MM.  I'll top of the pepper box which I half did last week and then tackle the watermelon box.  Hopefully filling both, which will then allow me to lay in a 2 or 3 inch layer of mulch on top.

Then it's planting time. Beans again, beets, carrots, broccoli, hoping the pepper revives.

Thanks for the run down Chopper.  To our dismay summer squash hasn't been doing so well for us. We would love to be among those who have too much.  I pulled out the Lemon cukes and will pull out the others Monday because those vines do not look well.  Win a few,lose a few.

Grasshoppers . . .Grrrr In the heat, first the spider mites, then the grasshoppers. Did I mention scale? This has been a brutal summer. Good luck with the fall planting.

Chopper wrote:Planting for most parts of So Cal incl Murrieta:

AUG

Beans, Bush

Beans, Pole

Beets

Carrots

Celery

Lima Beans

Squash, summer

SEPT

Beans, Bush

Beets

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Carrots

Celery

Leeks

Lettuce

Peas

Spinach

Squash, summer

Courtesy of the late planting September, I've been enjoying fresh Zucchini in November, December and now January.  Been having a real fight with powdery mildew, but I just keep trimming the old ugly leaves and let the new leaves grow.

Got a few green beans out at Christmas.  

It's January 2 and I sent the day pruning the plum and apple.  Refilling the raised beds with my homegrown compost and cleaning the gutters for the coming rain next week.  Got so many mucky leaves from the trees in the gutters, I 3/4s filled my compost trash can, I used those rolling 50 gal trash cans the prior owner left behind.

With my beds topped up for the coming rain, I planted new Kale, Spinach, Beets, Beans.  The Zuchini, Tomato and Anaheim Pepper are still putting up a fight. I've got a set of peppers set and the shelter tomato set a few toms too.  The Zuchiini also has about 4 zekes growing.

The bennies of living in So. Cal., year around gardening. Can you post a photo or two so folks can dream of their future summer gardens??

sigh.... Yes, please. Photos would be good about now!

Apologies for no photos.  January and Feb turned out to be rough months with recurring round of what cold/flu did my son bring home from school.  

My big discussion now is should I build and try a potato tower or go for sweet potatoes in a box?  I noticed my local Lowe's has German Butterball potatoes from Irish Eyes supply.  Supposedly they work well.  My other thought, with SoCal's drought continuing (while the rest of the State gets rain, rain, rain) is to go sweet potatoes a try.  Either way, I'm getting kind of late.

With the severe heat in Feb, my orange trees have already set all their flowers. So I have a tree full of Valencia oranges that I need to pick before they regreen.

Any good suggestion what to do with them?

Sweet potatoes love the heat.  Give them a try,