Hello from Central California foothills!

It's great to join this forum! We do a variety of gardening! But some friends who made garden beds last year...gave 12 of them to us! So, we are in the process of digging out the mix, moving boxes, scooping up the bark from below them, disassembling the framework covered with bird netting above them and recreating it in our mountain meadow here! These were made as SQF boxes but the folks never got around to planting them! We're looking for information, ideas and knowledge! Glad to be with you all!

Hi!

Welcome to the forum. I'm not a real regular poster here but there are a lot of very knowledgeable people who do post pretty regular. I've learned a lot here........but I have so much more to learn.

Where abouts are you in the Central Calif. foothills? I'm about an hour outside of Yosemite Nat'l park. I'm also at about 3300 ft elevation.

Wow...someone who actually gardens and lives at elevation! That is exciting to me! We live about 20 minutes off Hwy 180 (on the way to Kings Canyon National Park) It's not really a town but we do have a post office! It's called Miramonte.

How much snow did you get today?
Good to meet you by the way!

I googled Miramote, you're only about an hour from Fresno. We are about an hour, 15 mins. I live in Mariposa. We woke up to 2-3 inches of snow this morning but it was raining and it's mostly gone now unless it's been snowing tonight and I haven't noticed. My husbands been the one to go out and get the firewood so I haven't peeked outside.

We've lived here for 17 years and I only started my garden this summer, so I'm no expert. I posted some pictures in this thread that I started, regarding keeping wildlife out of the garden. My pics fall on the second page, I think I have actual pictures of the veggies in my album on this forum.

I'm trying to figure out when my last frost date is/was/will be so I can know when to start planting. I'm thinking about asking the neighbor, he's in his 80's and has lived here forever and has always had a wonderful garden,. I called my local farm bureau/extention office and they were clueless or at least the lady I talked to was. She said she starts her garden on memorial day but there are a lot of cold weather plants that I should be able to start earlier. I planted cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard as well as some summer veggies in September and I just harvested the cabbage last week. The broccoli is still going well but it's flowered. I think I messed up my Mel's Mix because I had large leaves on everything and little veggies. When I fertilized with fish emulsion I got a little better results on the broccoli but the cauliflower had a growth spurt but didn't really form a cauliflower head, I got cauliflower shoots..........anyway, like I said I'm no expert. I think my point was, everything was still growing well even though we've had temperatures in the 30's to 60's this winter. Even my herbs are still going well, except the basil lost that the first week of cold.

This gardening stuff is definitely a learning experience. I'm enjoying it so far.

Good to meet you too!

Hi Sandy,
Snowy morning to you! This will be our third year of gardening here. We have two gardens and soon to be three. We have two raised beds which I have done a version of SFG and then what we call the "downhill garden" where we have grown row crops (corn and beans) and tomatoes and peppers. We expanded that garden last year and we keep experimenting with what will grow where. Even though we live at 3200 feet we are in a little microclimate area, a bit of a holler, down low ans the cold sinks to here! The downhill garden is by a creek and does stay some warmer than the raised beds which are in the meadow area. The cold comes whalloping (lol, is that a word?) down off the knoll above the meadow and sinks to the meadow area. It was crazy the first year to see all the tomatoes and peppers frozen on the upslope side of the knoll!
Anyway...I'm anxious to get diggin! That seems pretty bizarre since there is two to three inches like where you live staring me in the face! But I had the chance to talk with a gal from Ontario, Canada who has grown things for years. She told me to take some black vinyl hose and staple pieces in arches over the raised beds. Then to cover it with that "row cover" white stuff. I'm not sure of the name of it but it seemed pretty expensive to me. I did find something I am going to try to substitute for it. In the mattress factory down in Visalia they had 6 foot rolls of the dust cover material that is put under box springs and couches. The guy gave me enough to cover one bed! I am hoping to retain a bit of heat in this bed so as soon as the snow melts I can try planting lettuce, more spinach as a small bit overwintered, maybe some beets and some snow peas and regular peas.
I know what you mean about no one knowing when to plant. NO ONE but us tries to plant anything before the week after Mother's Day up here. But last year I had so many things growing and eating for a few months before anyone had thought of gardening! So, you go Sandy and keep planning and trying what will work there!
Great you got cabbage harvest! Year before last I started red cabbage in August and harvested 6 lovely heads about July! So, tried again this year and have a few still going. I covered them with straw as well as my spinach and onions.
Lots to talk about!
Nancy

Nancy

Nice to have you with us.

You said that you have done a version of SFGardening. Do you have a copy of the ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book that came out in 2006? There is information on making a covered wagon style hoop covering for your SFG beds using PVC pipe to create an arch over the bed. You can cover it with clear plastic and create another little micro-climate for your warm weather veggies, or your cool weather veggies early in the season.

There is also a thread.....Oops, I see you found it.

Well, I guess you are learning your way around the forum.

Please feel free to ask questions. We have lots of members who would be glad to help you out.

Please post pictures (we pictures) and keep us updated on your progress.

Again, Welcome

Welcome, Nancy. I'm from the Upper South region but I love reading about how gardeners in other areas find ways to garden in spite of their regions' specific "quirks".

It sounds as though you have a great start. Please keep us posted on how your garden grows.