OK, I've been meaning to begin this blog for a few weeks now, so its finally time to get around to it. Last year, I kept my notes on scraps of paper, which wasnt really that useful.
This blog is to record my successes and failures in gardening in the Almaden Valley, San Jose, so that myself and others can hopefully benefit from understanding this microclimate (hot) and pest environment. For example, even if you find the book on vegetable growing in the Bay Area (yes, there is one), youre still stuck because it talks more about it being too cold for tomatoes than too hot, as it is here. More on that later; yes, they will grow, and well, but you need to be on the lookout for heat stress, not cold stress.
The garden itself is not large; I am a tenant, and so am limited to some areas here and there where the owner doesnt mind me working, largely against fences and under trees, but the central grass area is out (even though it dies in summer due to lack of water).
* The soil isnt great, (pH is around 7, not too bad, alluvial soil, not too bad, but few nutrients and not too much organic matter)
* I'm not going to spend a lot of money, largely because the land isnt mine, and secondly because I dont have vast quantities at the moment - so I see this as a budgetary assist, not an expensive hobby
* None of the areas available, save one baked piece of poor soil, gets direct light from 10 am to 6 pm
* I believe in working organically where possible (I'm not going to be religious about this), and in limiting water use to the absolute minimum.
So those are the parameters of the garden and this blog.
If youre interested, follow along and see where we get to!
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